9 Outstanding Writers Selected for the Second Edition of ANA Ken Saro-Wiwa Int’l Writers’ Residency

After the maiden edition, last year’s 2025, and the subsequent launch of the Private Creative Residency, it’s yet another milestone for Nigerian literature, as the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) announce the residents/cohorts of its second edition of the ANA Ken Saro-Wiwa International Writers’ Residency.

According to the Husayn Zaguru , Residency Manager on behalf of NEC, ANA, the prestigious residency will take place at the esteemed Mamman Vatsa Writers’ Village in Abuja from 5th September to 17th October 2026. Nine talented writers who have emerged after a rigorous and highly competitive selection process across the country and abroad will be attending the residency. “We are super elated to have local and international residents/cohorts from Nigeria, Togo, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates“, says the residency manager.

Under the visionary leadership of ANA President Dr Usman Oladipo Akanbi, this landmark residency represents a bold step in strengthening the culture of literary residency in Nigeria. The selected residents embody the fearless and imaginative spirit of Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria’s renowned writer and environmental activist.

The 2026 residents/cohorts are:

LOCAL (NIGERIA)

1. David Onotu: Onotu is a recognized voice in Nigeria’s literary scene. Published in local and international anthologies, he is a British Council Creative Lives alumnus. He served as Vice Chairman of ANA Plateau State and is currently an Ex-Officio Member. A recipient of the Change Makers Award, Ebedi Residency Fellow, and Tender Photo Fellow, he works as a performance poet, writer, and journalist. He has written/directed stage plays and short films like “Zaman Tare” and “Bad Politics”, Onotu has authored books including “How Butterflies Are Made” (a two-part series). Onotu resides in Jos, Nigeria, where he mentors creatives.
2. Humphrey Ogu: Humphrey Ogu is an award-winning poet and PR/media practitioner based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. He is the author of Echoes of Neglect, winner of the 2014 Elechi Amadi Poetry Prize and a 2017 nominee for the Nigeria Prize for Literature. A former Vice Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Rivers State, Ogu co-founded the Seaview Poetry Society, which co-hosted a weekly poetry session on Rhythm 93.7 FM, PH, since 2005. His poems have appeared in anthologies and journals across Africa and beyond. Ogu holds a Certificate, BEd, PGD, and MA in Creative Writing, English, Communication Studies, and Communication Arts.
3. NmaHassan Muhammad: NmaHassan Muhammad is a Nigerian writer, poet, mentor and cultural advocate residing in Minna, Nigeria with his family. He’s a 2025 Imodoye fellow, Highly Commended for 2025 The Welkin Prize, and winner of PRISM International’s Grouse Grind Lit Prize. He has received fellowships from Oxbelly Fiction Writers Retreat, Ebedi Int’l Writers Residency and GrubStreet Short Story Incubator. His work appears or is forthcoming in Granta, PRISM International, ANA Review, Kalahari Review, Rowayat, Poetry Journal, Flash Frontier, The Welkin Prize, and Brittle Paper Festive Anthology Vol 3, and elsewhere. His writing explores grief, memory, faith, and contemporary Northern Nigerian life.
4. Stephen Adinoyi : Stephen Adinoyi’s works are published in Decolonial Passage, ANA Review, Ake Review, Ebedi Review, The Sun Newspaper, Ibua Journal, Parousia, Naira Stories, etc.
   He has published novels: Teen of Fifteen and School Girl. He is anthologised in Anthologies like: Fireflies; Footmark; From Here to There; After the Curfew; Nigerian Academy of Letters’ Source Book, etc.
   His poem won the 2016 Korean Nigerian Poetry Prize. Won the Ibua Journal Poetry Prize in 2020; and the Ibua Journal Short Story Prize, 2020. Won a prize for his creative non fiction: The Fearless, in 2025.
   A former chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Kaduna Chapter; and the Kaduna Writers’ League.
5. Nusrat Lasisi: Nusrat Ololade Lasisi is a Nigerian writer, essayist, journalist, and Master’s student in Communication and Language. Her work explores womanhood, faith, migration, identity, and contemporary African society through literary fiction, essays, and cultural criticism. Her writing has appeared in Rebirth (2022), Her Rights, Our Stories (2024), the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), and on her storytelling platform, NDR (Nusrat D. Reteller). She is currently working on On The Game, a literary novel examining migration, internet fraud, religion, and the moral pressures shaping young Nigerians’ lives.
6. Deborah Uzoma: Based in Owerri, Nigeria, Deborah Chinonyerem Uzoma is a scholar and emerging essayist exploring the intersection of place and literary narratives. She is the author of “My Father’s House” and Other Poems, her debut work of children’s literature. Dedicated to finding joy in her craft, Deborah balances her time between creative writing and rigorous academic research. On the INTERNATIONAL SCENE from TOGO🇹🇬, GHANA🇬🇭 & UAE🇦🇪 are:
7. Jules Olamidé Parfait aka Mr. Clack : Passionate about arts culture, education, and social transformation, I have been active in the artistic sphere since 2014. I am Jules Olamidé Parfait O.—a songwriter-composer, spoken-word artist, advocate for women’s causes, and cultural entrepreneur. I focus particularly on issues surrounding resilience, African identity, education, women’s leadership, and the promotion of cultural heritage. With several projects already completed and others soon to come, and as a native of Togo, I place great hope in the power of arts culture and literature to leave a meaningful legacy for future generations.
8. Pobee Joseph Mwintombo : Pobee Joseph Mwintombo is a Ghanaian performance poet and literary advocate whose work celebrates heritage, identity, and Africa’s enduring legacy. He is a World Poet Laureate with PENTASI B, two-time Kofi Anyidoho Spoken Word Prize winner of the Ghana Association of Writers, and member of the World Union of Poets, Italy. He is the Municipal Ambassador for Poetry in Wa, Upper West Region, Ghana. He is founder and director of Literati Creations and Children Creatives Heritage. Through his craftsmanship and literary mentorship, Mwintombo is emerging as one of the leading contemporary literary voices. He is an inspiration to many young readers and writers.
9. Salma Elnour : Salma Elnour Ahmed is a Sudanese novelist, short story writer, and cultural presenter based in the United Arab Emirates. She is the author of several novels and short story collections exploring identity, memory, women’s experiences, social consciousness, and African-Arab narratives. Her work has received literary awards and appeared in international anthologies and cultural forums. She has participated in writers’ residencies, workshops, conferences, and literary initiatives across Africa and internationally. Her current project, ZOOM, is a psychological novel exploring doubt, perception, guilt, and the fragile boundary between truth and illusion.