Nick Makoha and Ekow Eshun  Ekow Eshun and Nick Makoha are among the new additions to the Royal Society of Literature (RSL) fellows collective. The announcement was made on July 16, 2025. The RSL is a UK charity aimed at advancing literature. It was founded in 1820 by King George IV as a learned society with the aim of rewarding literary merit and exciting literary talent. Booker Prize-winning author Bernardine Evaristo is the current President. 

Evaristo remarked in a press statement that she continues to be “amazed every year at the impressive credentials of our new Fellows who work in every area of literature and who increasingly come from a wide range of backgrounds, thereby reflecting the varied populations in our country today.” She emphasized that these fellowships are “powerful and prestigious tokens of acknowledgement that recognise and reward brilliant individuals for their crucial role in sustaining literature.”

At the induction ceremony, new Fellows and Honorary Fellows signed their names in the RSL roll book using pens from the society’s permanent collection, which includes writing instruments from historically influential UK writers such as Lord Byron, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, T.S. Eliot, Andrea Levy, Jean Rhys and Arnold Wesker. The RSL Roll Book dates back to 1825, five years after the founding of the charity.

Among the 28 new fellows, Ekow Eshun brings his distinguished background as a writer, curator, and cultural critic who has significantly contributed to contemporary discourse on art, culture, and identity. Nick Makoha is a celebrated Uganda poet and playwright based in London and founder of Obsidian Foundation. He is known for his powerful explorations of displacement, memory, and African identity, and also joins this prestigious cohort.

The 2025 class also saw Richard Ovenden, Bodley’s Librarian, receive the prestigious Benson Medal for his service to literature across his whole career, particularly for his work on the history of books and knowledge preservation.

Congratulations to Ekow Eshun and Nick Makoha, along with all the 2025 RSL fellows, for this well-deserved recognition of their contributions to British literature!