The Naming, which will be published by the University of Nebraska Press as part of the African Poetry Book Series, delves into themes of ancestry, identity, and the complexities of postmodern existence.
By Emmanuel ‘Waziri’ Okoro
Acclaimed Nigerian poet, Chinua Ezenwa-Ohaeto, is set to release his debut full-length poetry collection, The Naming, on December 1st, 2025. The collection, which will be published by the University of Nebraska Press as part of the African Poetry Book Series, delves into themes of ancestry, identity, and the complexities of postmodern existence.
The Naming explores how individuals navigate movements, excesses, and the extremities of contemporary life while remaining tethered to familial ancestry and Igbo ontology. Through a reimagination of personal memories, childhood, history, kinship, migration, and the intersection of past, present, and future, the collection seeks to reconstruct a world that both preserves and reinvents lived experiences.
A preview of The Naming is currently available via a YouTube reading, offering audiences a glimpse into the evocative poetry that has earned Ezenwa-Ohaeto numerous accolades.
The poet, who is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English with a focus on creative writing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been recognised in multiple international poetry competitions.
His awards include the Castello di Duino Poesia Prize (2018), the Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize (2018), the Sevhage/Angus Poetry Prize (2019), and the Special ANMIG Poetry Prize (2022). In 2023, he was shortlisted for the Writivism Poetry Prize and the Alpine Poetry Fellowship, as well as being a runner-up in the Sparks Poetry Competition and the African and African American Studies Program competition hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Ezenwa-Ohaeto’s work has appeared in several prestigious literary journals, including Isele Magazine, Poetry Ireland Review, Oxford Poetry, Massachusetts Review, Frontier Poetry, Palette Poetry, The Common, Southword Magazine, Colorado Review, and Notre Dame Review, among others.
You can pre-order The Naming here.