Dike Chukwumerije is the Nigerian spoken-word and performance poetry artist and an award-winning author.
He has eight published books including the novel Urichindere, which won the 2013 Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) Prize for Prose Fiction and a poetry theatre production – Made In Nigeria – currently touring the nation. It has been to most Nigerian cities including Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Benin, Ile-Ife, Kano, Ibadan, Maiduguri, Yola, Bonny and Jos.
Chukwumerije was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2016. As the Programs Director of the Abuja Literary Society, he oversees the hosting of the organization’s weekly events.
He has won several poetry grand slams in Nigeria including the maiden edition of the African Poet (Nigeria) Grand Slam competition. Since 2013, he has hosted and directed the annual Night of the Spoken Word (performance poetry event as part of a movement to insert performance poetry into Nigeria’s mainstream pop culture.
He is Nigeria’s most prolific Performance Poet. His TEDx talk, YouTube videos, writings and performances are changing mindsets, driving national rebirth and re-awakening social consciousness in his audience
Helena Eke-Abasiattai
Sebaus Foundation
Helena “Chinweoke” Eke: is the Founder of The Sebaus Foundation and sister to the distinguished Late Austin “Zero” Eke, whom the Young Poets Contest is named after.
Outside her professional work hours, she focuses on her family, the Foundation and furthering education for kids and socioeconomic empowerment for families.
A certified coach, published poet and book author herself, her works have been selected and published in periodicals and three anthologies;
- Uncle Bola’s Promise (Abuja Literary Society, 2002)
- The Gospel According To Poetry (T. Cole Jenkins, 2014)
- and Shifts: An Anthology of Women’s Growth Through Change (MuseWrite Press, 2015) – a Finalist in the 2015 Indie Book Awards and the 2015 USA Best Book Awards.
Her 2021 book for kids hit the Amazon’s Bestseller list within its first week of publication, in its category. She loves travel, documentaries, learning every day and whenever possible, she blogs at https://chichitravel.blog/
Zarvonia Gibbs
Moderator
Zarvonia Gibbs: is the owner and Chief Educational Consultant of The Clever Crayon, a virtual and interactive enrichment center for students.
She also provides educational consulting and teacher coaching services for school districts through a hybrid model with a focus on effectively teaching students with learning and behavioral disabilities/
Zarvonia Gibbs has a track record of successful teaching while navigating positive classroom behaviors and has been doing so for over 20 years.
Nkem Akinsoto (Pen name: Myne Whitman) is a Seattle-based writer, editor and publisher from Nigeria.
She is the author of two romance novels, both of which rose to the top of Amazon.com bestseller lists for romantic fiction within their first few months of being self-published.
She is also a blogger, social media consultant and project manager. Her passions include sharing stories, youth empowerment, building communities and encouraging people to develop their writing skills and confidence.
Marie Hartung
Marie Hartung: writes from her living room recliner in the small-ish town of Monroe, WA.
She holds a double MFA from the Whidbey Island Writers’ Workshop and works as a full-time Realtor for Redfin.
Her poetry and nonfiction work has appeared in Clackamas Review, Slab, East Jasmine Review, Talking River, Poetry Quarterly, Thin Air, Whidbey Life Magazine, Soundings Review, Third Wednesday, Cordite Review, Perceptions Literary Magazine, River Poets Journal, Raven Chronicles and in the anthology The Burden of Light.
She was named a 2014 finalist for the Writers at Work Fellowship, 2014 finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award for Prose and a recipient of a fellowship scholarship award for the Summer Literary Series in Kenya.
She has two sons who are the love of her life, although NY pizza is a close second.
Ifeoma Okafor-Obi
Ifeoma Okafor-Obi: is an experienced business leader, humanitarian, early childhood education and youth advocate.
She is the author of the “Mummy Said I am Brave” series, writing aids and audio visual series.
Her professional experiences include multinationals such as Transcorp Hotels, Tony Elumelu Foundation, Procter & Gamble (P&G), Diageo and Coca-Cola.
She holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Nigeria and is an entrepreneurship trainer, coach, mentor and author of several books and poetry.
Ifeoma is the 2021 John E. Pepper Humanitarian Awardee and has served as Semifinals Judge for the 2020 Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC) Global Finals at the virtual Misk Global Forum, 2020 Hult prize Judge, Tony Elumelu Foundation pitching Judge and judge for Enactus since 2016
