{"id":4945,"date":"2021-04-09T17:20:03","date_gmt":"2021-04-09T17:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/?p=4945"},"modified":"2021-04-09T17:20:10","modified_gmt":"2021-04-09T17:20:10","slug":"nigerian-poets-are-taking-up-elite-spaces-abdulbaseet-yusuff-pin-literary-interviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/nigerian-poets-are-taking-up-elite-spaces-abdulbaseet-yusuff-pin-literary-interviews\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Nigerian poets are taking up elite spaces\u2019 \u2013 Abdulbaseet Yusuff | PIN Literary Interviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad1\" id=\"quads-ad1\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n\n <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.1.7.8 Content AdSense async --> \n\n<script async data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" data-cfasync=\"false\">\nvar quads_screen_width = document.body.clientWidth;\nif ( quads_screen_width >= 1140 ) {\r\n\/* desktop monitors *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 1024  && quads_screen_width < 1140 ) {\r\n\/* tablet landscape *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width >= 768  && quads_screen_width < 1024 ) {\r\n\/* tablet portrait *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}if ( quads_screen_width < 768 ) {\r\n\/* phone *\/\r\ndocument.write('<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5983616716487778\" data-ad-slot=\"\" ><\/ins>');\r\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n}<\/script>\n\n <!-- end WP QUADS --> \n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img data-attachment-id=\"4496\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1-edited.jpg?fit=391%2C521&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"391,521\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1-edited.jpg?fit=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1-edited.jpg?fit=391%2C521&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1-edited.jpg?resize=79%2C105\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4496\" width=\"79\" height=\"105\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1-edited.jpg?w=391&amp;ssl=1 391w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/118790839_697640774152335_692204456045484125_n-1-edited.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 79px) 100vw, 79px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>After a 2-month hiatus, <strong>Semilore Kilaso<\/strong> of PIN Literary Interviews returns with a delightful conversation with writer and poet, <strong>Abdulbaseet Yusuff<\/strong>. They talk about poetry writing, Nigerian poetry and poets, and other notable topics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abdulbaseet Yusuff<\/strong> is a Nigerian writer. His works appear or are forthcoming in Brittle Paper, Rattle, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, Up The Staircase Quarterly, Pidgeonholes, MoonPark Review, The Indianapolis Review, Memento: An Anthology of Contemporary Nigerian Poetry, and elsewhere. He&#8217;s contributing editor at Eboquills, and tweets @bn_yusuff.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<ul type=\"1\"><li>\u00a0<strong>Hello, Abdulbaseet Yusuff. It\u2019s a great pleasure having you On PIN Literary Interviews. Do tell us more about yourself?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi, Semilore. I\u2019m just as pleased. I\u2019m Abdulbaseet Yusuff. I\u2019m a poet, a freelance writer, and contributing editor at Eboquills. Except if you want my stance on whether Nigerian Jollof rice is the king of Jollof, I don\u2019t think there is much else to say about me. And it\u2019s also too early to be divisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>&nbsp;<strong>When did you start writing and what sparked your interest in poetry? Tell us about it and how you landed into poetry writing?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>A little difficult to remember when I started writing generally, but I think I wrote my first poem when I was in Junior School. We had just studied some poems from some selected African poets. I remember Wole Soyinka\u2019s Abiku and JP Clark\u2019s. There was also Niyi Osundare\u2019s satiric Song of the Nigerian Driver \u2014 which, for a long time, was my favourite poem because I loved the subtle humour. I wrote my first around that time, and it was pretty much a clone of the works we studied in terms of tone and diction. There was something about that Osundare\u2019s poem that struck me. I don\u2019t think I fully grasped it then, but it must have been the light-hearted delivery. I tried to mirror that with my early poems but nobody is ever going to read them. Unless, of course, they hire Jack Bauer to torture it out of me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>\u00a0<strong>As poets, some of us tend to look at stylistics. How would you describe poetry in relation to your style?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Like many other poets, I have sampled many styles. I have not developed a consistent style yet, and I do not feel any urgency to do so. Every poem dictates its structure and language. Recently though, I have discovered that I am partial to traditional structures \u2013 left margins, tightly-knit equal lines per stanzas. So, what I do is hold the reins but leave it long enough for the poem to run around the park. By default, I opt for standard capitalizations. Writing entirely in lowercase letters does not come naturally to me, except if the poem intends to lull readers. As I said, it\u2019s largely the choice of the poem to decide what it wants. Linguistically, I like to use science-inclined figures of speech, although I\u2019m concerned that this could come off as esoteric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>&nbsp;<strong>You write protest poems, has living in Nigeria shaped your approach to theme and choice of language?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, it has. It is well-known that conflict is fodder for art. Artists engage with their environments. These environments are far from perfect. Even fictional environments take a leaf from reality. Conflict is generously distributed all over the world but I think Nigeria is one of those places blessed with an abundance of it, at the moment. I read a poem by Noor Hindi recently and she started by saying \u201cColonizers write about flowers\u201d. Do you get the picture? People who live in privileged communities enjoy the luxury of being able to write about anything. Now I think everybody can and should write about whatever they want \u2013 I mean, I could write about flowers too if I want. But I don\u2019t think it comes naturally to me. We draw inspiration from what we witness and it finds its way to our pages. In any case, I do not consider it responsibility or obligation. I just think I\u2019m tilted towards that direction.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Your poetry has a humorous undertone, is this a reflection of your personality, or do you have a different writer\u2019s persona?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a reflection of my personality. I like to think of myself as funny. I won\u2019t get all the applause Trevor Noah gets because I still have to sort out stage fright, but I make myself laugh and that\u2019s all that matters.<\/p>\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad2\" id=\"quads-ad2\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p>Even with art, I find myself more welcoming to humorous pieces. It is why I like the novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi\u2019s Wives, or the short story, Hall Silicon, or a biography of Andrea Pirlo I recently read, I Think Therefore I Play. They don\u2019t have to be excessively comedic. It\u2019s my way of finding myself in art. Like \u201chey, I would totally say that!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>I enjoy sitcoms too. And if there is any debate as to which is better between The Big Bang Theory and FRIENDS, I pick The Big Bang Theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Your poems \u201cPhysics Textbook Explains Why People Can\u2019t Leave Abusive Marriages\u201d and \u201cx as symbol for all things lost\u201d amongst others are science themed, does your background as a science scholar influence your writing? Do you think a poet without adequate knowledge in sciences can pull it off with research?<br><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, it does. A lot. Science and art are man\u2019s ways of interacting with their environment. They overlap. Observation is at the core of both fields. Only science does so with empirical data. Art, on the other hand, is intuitive. It\u2019s just like how old folks don\u2019t need those cookbooks with \u201ctwo tablespoons of salt\u201d, they just pinch the salt and do as they fit \u2013 and it comes out all right. There is no way to accurately evaluate the human experience. But science gives art a little more tangibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of the overlap between science and art, it\u2019s interesting to see what people have done with Science Fiction \u2013 especially soft SF (not the Jules Verne kind of science fiction). They contain science but are not so rigorous that they become unappealing. Hopefully, more poets would explore that terrain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Can they do it without adequate knowledge? Maybe they can. I\u2019m not sure. But I think background knowledge makes it a lot easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>There is a paradigm shift in Nigeria literature; Christopher Okigbo\u2019s protest poem differs from the way a contemporary poet would write a protest poem and relate it to self\/body. What exactly is contemporary poetry to you, is it just about the timing?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Like most other things, art and its styles change with time. People have become a lot more expressive. Confessionalism is the zeitgeist of 21<sup>st<\/sup> century literature. I think Nigerian poetry has evolved with it too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>As a writer yourself, do you have any interesting writing habits, such as how and when you write?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We all love a quirk, don\u2019t we? The closest I have to a peculiar habit is that I write first drafts on my phone. The breadth of the small screen keeps my lines in check. The similitude of a phone screen to a laptop screen is like that of a stream to an ocean. Streams are more approachable. So, that kind of gets me streaming. Pardon the pun. I wish I had a more fun quirk, like sipping coffee or stroking cats, but I have no love for caffeine and those feline cuties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul type=\"1\" start=\"9\"><li><strong>Do you ever regret publishing some of your works? If yes, why?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Hardly ever. But maybe some of my older works. I think that\u2019s a universal writer thing \u2014 to cringe at our earliest works. There is one that has this silly typo that somehow managed to elude both myself and the editor. Did I reach out to correct it? No, I just let it slide. I admire the typo\u2019s resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul type=\"1\"><li><strong>Have you ever entered for the Nigerian Students Poetry Prize (NSPP) or any poetry contest organised by Poets in Nigeria Initiative?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve never entered for the NSPP. But I\u2019ve entered for PIN\u2019s Poetically Written Prose contest and the PIN 10-Day Poetry Challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul type=\"1\"><li><strong>What\u2019s your opinion about Poets in Nigeria as a vanguard of poetry renaissance in Nigeria?<br><br><\/strong>What can I say? It was one of the first platforms I found when I sought an online literary community. Kudos to the person or panel that came up with the name \u2014 \u201cPoets In Nigeria\u201d \u2014 it has that big umbrella vibe that gives you this sense of belonging.<br><br>Also, PIN has been consistent. That\u2019s not a small feat, especially as it\u2019s privately funded initiative. The yearly prizes, festivals, the chapbook series, and university connect centres, etc. PIN is putting in the work and the work stands for itself.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul type=\"1\"><li><strong>What Nigerian poet(s) do you continually revisit their works?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I would ask you to get a notebook to write down their names because there are a LOT of them, but it\u2019s an interview \u2014 we are not trying to create a database. I enjoy the works of Rasaq Malik Gbolahan, Saddiq Dzukogi, JK Anowe, Okwudili Neobolisa, amongst many others.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul type=\"1\"><li><strong>What in your opinion is the place of poetry as a genre of literature in Nigeria? What future? What opportunities for Poets?<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Fiction has taken the cake for a long time now. Maybe that might not change any time soon, but more people are taking interest in poetry. I think we have the new Spoken Word wave and Instagram poetry (Hi, Rupi Kaur!) to thank for the awareness. They have made poetry accessible and friendly to people who used to think poetry was a secret code for philosophers to communicate. Nigerian poets are taking up elite spaces, getting published in top-tier journals, winning awards. There\u2019s also some unspoken rule that every literary journal has to have a Nigerian poet in every issue they publish. It\u2019s evident.<br><br>And yes, the government. Even though it has now become a singsong. They have the muscle to finance literacy (and literature), and it\u2019s about time they started flexing it. For a country that churns out a ton of great writing yearly, it is shameful that there are very few writing residencies and literary awards. Most (if not all) are funded by private organizations. Many writers are looking outwards, across the seas. They can put a stop to the brain drain if they put structures in place.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol type=\"1\"><li><strong>Thank you for your time. Please leave us with few lines of your poetry (max 12 lines)<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The beautiful things don\u2019t last<br>They linger by leaving hunger in their wake<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have no regard for the orange tree,<br>whose branches, no matter how many times\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I cut it, lean over my neighbour\u2019s fence.<br>The woman says it litters her house<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That tree hugs to life, picks utility over beauty.\u00a0<br>I don\u2019t want to eat oranges so much<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>it loses its citric thrill. I\u2019d tire of a bird that<br>considers permanence on my windowsill<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is my understanding that the moon,<br>in its nightly cameo, enjoys the fondest gaze\n<!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 1.7.8 -->\n<div class=\"quads-location quads-ad3\" id=\"quads-ad3\" style=\"float:none;margin:0px;\">\n<script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<script>\r\n  (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({\r\n    google_ad_client: \"ca-pub-5983616716487778\",\r\n    enable_page_level_ads: true\r\n  });\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a 2-month hiatus, Semilore Kilaso of PIN Literary Interviews returns with a delightful conversation with writer and poet, Abdulbaseet Yusuff. They talk about poetry&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[718],"tags":[797,235,44,721,228,767],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4561,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/i-always-want-my-work-to-lead-the-way-chiwenite-onyekwelu-pin-literary-interviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":4945,"position":0},"title":"\u2018I always want my work to lead the way\u2019 \u2013 Chiwenite Onyekwelu | PIN Literary Interviews","date":"November 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A student of Pharmacy with flair for literary creativity, Chiwenite Onyekwelu talks to Semilore Kilaso of PIN Literary Interviews on poetry writing, Nigerian poetry, literary contests, editing and literary administration. Chiwenite Onyekwelu is a Nigerian writer. His poems have appeared\/ are forthcoming from Isele, America Magazine, Brittle Paper, Cultural Weekly,\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"PIN Literary Interviews\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4985,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/poetry-is-the-only-genre-of-literature-i-want-to-explore-phebe-benjamin-pin-literary-interviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":4945,"position":1},"title":"\u2018Poetry is the only genre of literature I want to explore\u2019 \u2013 Phebe Benjamin | PIN Literary Interviews","date":"May 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Phebe Benjamin recently performed her poem at a \u201cWole Soyinka-attended\u201d event hosted by Providus Bank on World Poetry Day. In this edition of PIN Literary Interviews, she discusses her love for poetry with Semilore Kilaso, and shares her thoughts on Nigerian Poetry. Talented, young Nigerian poet, Phebe Benjamin loves writing\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"PIN Literary Interviews\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4147,"url":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/poetry-and-i-met-at-crossroads-kolade-olanrewaju-freedom-pin-literary-interviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":4945,"position":2},"title":"\u2018Poetry and I met at crossroads\u2019 \u2013 Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom | PIN Literary Interviews","date":"June 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The first edition of PIN Talks held on Instagram Live two weeks ago, with Semilore Kilaso as anchor and the Executive Secretary of PIN, Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom as guest. The transcript of the delightful talk is shared here as a variant of PIN Literary Interviews. Kolade Olanrewaju Freedom, a graduate\u2026","rel":"nofollow","context":"In \"PIN Literary Interviews\"","img":{"src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4948,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4945\/revisions\/4948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetsinnigeria.org.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}