Artist: Kariuki wa Nyamu
Country: Kenya

 

Kariuki wa Nyamu is a Kenyan poet, radio playwright, translator, editor and high school teacher.

He attended Kerugoya Boys’ High School and St. Lawrence Creamland Campus before joining Makerere University for a BA in Literature, English and Education and later Kenyatta University for a Master’s in Literature.

His poems won the National Book Trust of Uganda (NABOTU) Literary Awards 2007 and Makerere University Creative Writing Competition 2010. He has written and edited Home to Community Radio drama series produced by Wizarts Media, Kampala.

He has immensely benefitted from Creative Writing and Mentoring forums conducted by Makerere Literature Department, African Writers Trust, The Commonwealth Foundation, FEMRITE, Maisha Film Lab, Babishai Niwe Poetry Foundation, among others.

Besides poetry and radio plays, he also writes film scripts, short stories, satirical essays, book reviews and Children’s fiction.

He is also an accomplished verse and public speaking coach, literary interviewer and music lover.

He is published extensively both in print and online: A Thousand Voices Rising, Boda Boda Anthem and Other Poems, Best New African Poets 2015 Anthology, Jalada Africa, Praxis, The Wagon, Poetry Potion, Experimental Writing: Volume 1, Africa Vs Latin America Anthology, Best New African Poets 2016 Anthology, among others.

He has co-authored a Children’s poetry and short story anthology titled “When Children Dare to Dream” and was the overall winner of the Babishai Niwe 2017 Haiku Award.