06/30/2026
The winner of the 2026 Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets is Afia Ansong (Ghana/US) for her collection โI buried [her] in a field of lemongrass.โ
Afia Ansong is the author of three chapbooks: Black Ballad (Bull City Press, 2022), Try Kissing God (Akashic Books, 2020), and American Mercy (Finishing Line Press, 2019). Her writing has appeared in The Cincinnati Review, Prairie Schooner, Four Way Review, Maine Review, and other journals. She is a recipient of the MaCall Johnson Fellowship, and the founder of The Adinkra Projects, which provides poetry workshops and supports emerging Ghanaian writers. She is an Assistant Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Rhode Island.
Ansong will receive a $1,000 USD cash award and publication of their manuscript as part of the African Poetry Book Series by the University of Nebraska Press.
The judges are also pleased to name three finalists:
๐ A Brief History of Seeds by Wale Ayinla (Nigeria)
๐ Cataclysm by Abduljalal Musa Aliyu (Nigeria)
๐ Eschatologies by Chimezie Umeoka (Nigeria)
A warm congratulations to all! ๐ฅ
