Joshua Effiong is making waves as a young Nigerian poet maximizing the digital space. In this edition of PIN Literary Interviews, he shares fundamental information about his craft with Semilore Kilaso, and focuses on other topics including poetry competitions, Nigerian literary space and copyright infringement.
Joshua Effiong is a Nigerian writer studying Science Laboratory Technology at University of Calabar. Joshua Effiong is a lover of poetry & here he finds freedom. His works have appeared/forthcoming in Eboquills, Kalahari Review, Shallow Tales Review, Rough Cut Press, Madrigal Press, Warning lines, Hearth Magazine, Mausoleum Press, Ghost City Press, Clandestine Literary Magazine, etc. Author of Autopsy of Things Left Unnamed. He also finds joy in photography and reading. Connect with him via Instagram @josh.effiong and Twitter @JoshEffiong
1. Hi Joshua, it’s great to have you on PIN Literary Interviews. Other than what is in your bio, do tell us some things about yourself.
Hi, Semilore. I’m honoured to have this chat with you. Joshua Effiong is my name, yes, and sincerely my bio doesn’t tell a lot about me. Other than writing, reading and listening to varieties of music, one thing you should know about me is that I love cooking and I will tell you a little of my secrets if you gift me a pot of coconut rice.
2. When did you start writing and what sparked your interest in poetry?
I started writing in 2016. This time I’d not reach the admission cut-off to study architecture, which was my dream. Little wonder how a person gets to discover himself when he’s downcast. First, writing was just for fun. I’d begun writing series of short stories that will later become episodes. All these were posted on my Facebook Timeline and that was how I built myself. Poetry writing began around 2018 after I felt prose wasn’t giving me the right medium to portray the many things that were going on in my head. Then, I’d not discovered prose-poetry. Secondly, I needed full control of my words, I needed to be able to swim, and breathe my words. And poetry offered that. It offered a motherly arm.
3. How would you describe poetry in relation to your poetic style and personality?
Like many other poets, I have experimented many styles. I wouldn’t say I have settled on a definite style yet, because poetry is evolving. You wake up today and you bump into a publication with a whole different style tasting like vanilla on your tongue. These days I have become accustomed to beginning every poem in lowercase letters and I pay little attention to lines, stanzas and rhymes rule. Every poem has its own style, that’s true and I try not to force a particular style on a poem. Also, I find myself always tilting to the usage of medical-related figures of speech and that’s attributable to my field of study. Oftentimes, I’m concerned with what my readers extract from these poems.
4. Do you write for yourself or for your readers?
Haha. You know a friend once asked this question. Primarily, I write for myself but since I wouldn’t be keeping these pieces to myself I also (in a very little part of my mind) consider my readers. Readers should be able to appreciate the work of a writer and deduce meanings as they deem fit. That’s one fascinating thing about poetry, a person gets to extract different meanings on a particular poem that might not be too distant from what the poet had at heart.
5. Do your experiences shape your approach to thematic?
Yes, they do. There’s one thing I’ve not been able to control, which is the way I slip into my poems. I’m more drawn to themes like identity, self-discovery, grief, love and music. I have had to personally discover myself and, in every opportunity, I try to preach this gospel. That you are your own saviour. Grief is a really broad theme and it is never fully be dissected. Although I’ve got my heart at the above mentioned, I don’t restrict myself from exploring other themes that come to mind.
6. As one who started off writing prose, how do conclude that you are writing a poem?
You know, I don’t outrightly decide that. Yes, I’m writing a poem. It begins with a prosaic format before its transformation. In my poems, I’m able to channel my emotions, my thoughts, and they are the determining factors.
7. Do you have any interesting writing habit such as how and when you write?
I would consider myself unconventional. I write anywhere and anytime and I can’t remember the last time I wrote in a book except I want to memorize a poem. My jotter pad app is always ready even in the restroom. Once in a while I wake up in the night to write because my mind will be fresh and I also want the feel of the night— its absurd calmness. There were times that I get stuck while writing and I just have to pause and go listen to music. Passenger, NF and Sam Smith always do the magic.
8. A number of young poets have claimed to stop writing for fear of their works being plagiarised. As a young creative, what is your opinion on plagiarism, intellectual theft, and copyright infringement, and how can these acts be curtailed?
Nigeria is a very porous society and this has also affected her literary world. Anyone can do anything and get away with it. Although I haven’t had a first-hand experience of any of the mentioned acts, my heart bleeds every time I come across these ill actions. As a young writer, I think these can only be curtailed if regulating laws are not only made but enforced. I will also advise that the publishing of one’s intellectual work on social media be limited. Consider putting out a chapbook, or getting a blog. And to all writers whose spirit has been dampened by these acts I will urge you to continue writing. They only stole your work; they didn’t steal your brain.
9.What Nigerian poet(s) do you continually revisit their works?
I’ve always being drawn to the works of Niyi Osundare, Efe Paul Azino, Wana Udobang and most especially Titilope Sonuga. Not forgetting, Itiola Jones, Adedayo Agarau, Chiwenite Onyekwelu, Taiwo Hassan, Samuel A. Adeyemi, etc. There’s a long list of contemporary Nigerian poets that I can’t exhaust and in one way or the other they have influenced my work.
10. Have you ever entered for the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) or any poetry contest organised by Poets in Nigeria Initiative?
I had participated in PIN 10-Days Monthly Poetry Challenge (April, 2021) of which I was a joint winner. I still smile when I remember it. I hope to enter for NSPP before graduating.
11.What in your opinion is the place of poetry as a genre of literature in Nigeria? What future? What opportunities for Poets?
The ever-increasing enlightenment and awareness which are the offspring of occurrences in our society and personal experiences have triggered the acceleration of interest for poetry and has granted this art its rightful position in the hall of recognition, here in Nigeria and beyond. Also, the fact that social media has in numerous ways watered the growth of poetry cannot be left unnoticed, neither should it be overemphasized. It has offered aspiring poets and writers exposure and brought opportunities even to their doorsteps. Should I begin mentioning literary magazines and journals that have pitched their tents on Twitter. Today, you turn on your data connection and you are met with a mind-blowing poem, artistically woven, rich in words and wisdom and when you look at the writer’s bio you begin to wonder where they have been. Every day a new writer and poet is birthed, whether published or unpublished and this is a big signal to the fact that the future of poetry is as bright as the sun. One thing I will love to see is poetic collaboration, like what is done in music, you can also find that in spoken word poetry too. I would love if this can be replicated in written poems.
Poetry is evolving consistently and if you call yourself a poet, you should be able to sharpen your pen too. Unless you would get swept under the rug.
12. What’s your opinion about Poets in Nigeria as a vanguard of poetry renaissance in Nigeria?
PIN initiative in one word is “awemazing”, offering an umbrella body for young and aspiring writers, lovers and appreciators of literature, to learn and get rewarded for their craft. I want to use this opportunity to thank Sir Eriata Oribhabor for coming up with this magnificent initiative which has metamorphosed into what we’ve seen today.
13. How would you want to round off this interview?
Once again, I want to say thank you for this opportunity to talk about myself and share my opinions on these issues. It’s been a wonderful conversation. I want to round off with this particular poem, I remember I wrote it one cold evening when there was a long power outage which is a norm in this part of the world. Read below:
Souvenirs For Tomorrow
whistling wind/ colliding waves/ fainting
echoes./ i can still hear the flapping winds
of our laughter./ yesterday we sat under the
sycamore tree/ measuring the leaps/ & skips
of our heartbeats./ in the universe of silence/
you x-rayed my fears/ how do you teach time/
the preservatives of moment(s)?/ have them
plastered to our thoughts/ as souvenirs for
tomorrow./ the last time mother told me of
my father who stole himself/ before i was born/
i could see her eyes glittering/ she drifted into
a paradise of reminiscence/ & all i could do was
allow her bask in this euphoria/. everyday
mother wishes to be able to control time/. perhaps,
today will sing her the Lord’s song. & i would not
be too afraid to hold unto hands/ that births
warmth within my bones./