Caleb Femi | |
---|---|
Born | 1990 (age 33–34) |
Nationality | Nigerian |
Occupations |
|
Notable work | Poor (2020) |
Awards | Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection |
Website | www |
Caleb Femi (born 1990) is a Nigerian-British author, film-maker, photographer, and former young people's laureate for London. His debut poetry collection, Poor, was awarded a Forward Prize for Poetry.
Early life
[edit]Caleb Femi was born in 1990 in Nigeria, in the city known as Kano,[1] where he was brought up by his grandmother.[2] When he was seven years old, he moved to join his parents on the North Peckham Estate in London.[3] After leaving school, he studied English at Queen Mary, University of London.[2]
Career
[edit]From 2014 to 2016, Femi taught English at a secondary school in Tottenham.[2] In 2016, he was chosen as the first young people's laureate for London.[4] On 30 July 2020, he published his debut poetry collection, entitled Poor,[5] which won the Forward Prize's Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection in October 2021.[6]
Filmography
[edit]Femi has so far made and released four short films, serving as writer/director on each:[7]
- And They Knew Light (2017)
- Wishbone (2018)
- Secret Life of Gs (2019)
- Survivor's Guilt (2020)
Accolades
[edit]Femi was named in Dazed magazine's 2021 Dazed100, a list of the next generation shaping youth culture.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ McConnell, Justine (21 July 2017). "Caleb Femi". writers make worlds. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Peirson-Hagger, Ellen (28 October 2020). "Caleb Femi: 'Poetry is the art of the people'". New Statesman. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ Armitstead, Claire (30 October 2020). "Caleb Femi: 'Henceforth I'm solely preoccupied with being a merchant of joy'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Flood, Alison (3 October 2016). "Poet Caleb Femi named first young people's laureate for London". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
- ^ "Poor by Caleb Femi". The Poetry Book Society. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
- ^ Bayley, Sian (25 October 2021). "Kennard, Femi and Sealey win Forward Prizes for Poetry". The Bookseller. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- ^ "Caleb Femi". IMDb. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Dazed (6 April 2017). "Vote for Caleb Femi on the #Dazed100". Dazed. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Caleb Femi on IMDb
- Bridget Minamore, "Get Up, Stand Up Now: Q&A with poet and director Charles Femi", Somerset House, 28 August 2019