Oriogun was shortlisted for his poetry collection, The Gathering of Bastards.
By Hope Ibiale
Nigerian poet, Romeo Oriogun, has been shortlisted for the Derek Walcott Prize for poetry. Oriogun was shortlisted for his poetry collection, The Gathering of Bastards. He is shortlisted alongside poets like Antonella Anedda, Pierre Nepveu, Ostap Slyvynsky, Óscar García Sierra, Michael Lavers, and others. The winner will be announced on October 15, 2024. They will be awarded a $2,000 cash prize. This year’s prize is judged by New York-based poet, Diane Mehta.

Romeo Oriogun is a Nigerian poet and essayist. Some of his works include The Gathering of Bastards (University of Nebraska Press, 2023), Sacrament of Bodies (University of Nebraska Press, 2020), Nomad, and many others. Oriogun was also shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Awards and won the Nigeria Prize for Literature in 2022.

The Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry is awarded by Arrowsmith Press, in conjunction with Boston Playwrights’ Theatre and The Walcott Festival in Trinidad. The prize is awarded to a full-length book of poems by a living poet who is not a US citizen published in the previous year.