A Mouthful of Rivers

₦2,500.00

“A Mouthful of Rivers” showcases the extraordinary talents of internationally acclaimed authors Omale Allen Abdul-Jabbar, Seun Osho, Ayo Oyeku, and Nosakhare Collins. Born out of their immersive international residencies, this collaborative work weaves together an intricate tapestry of narratives, inviting readers to embark on a poignant and evocative literary journey.

Within the pages of “A Mouthful of Rivers,” these esteemed authors delve into the power and beauty of rivers through their distinct storytelling styles. Through a fusion of prose and poetry, they explore the depths of human emotions, the complexities of relationships, and the transformative nature of waterways and how it shape our lives. This remarkable collection offers a diverse range of voices, perspectives, and experiences. From tales of love and loss to reflections on cultural heritage and personal growth, “A Mouthful of Rivers” transcends boundaries, both geographical and emotional. Each story and poem acts as a window into the hearts and minds of the authors, transporting readers to far-flung corners of the world and leaving an indelible impression.

Omale Allen Abdul-Jabbar paints vivid landscapes with lyrical prose and poetry, exploring the interplay between nature and human existence.
Seun Osho interrogates the mysteries of the human psyche through a compelling story that navigates the depths of human nature.
Ayo Oyeku crafts an intricate children’s narrative, exploring the complexities of cultural identity and the profound ways in which rivers connect us to our roots.
Lastly, Nosakhare Collins captures the essence of raw emotions through poignant and thought-provoking poems, weaving words into a tapestry of longing and hope. Through their collaboration, the writers have created a literary masterpiece that will resonate with readers on a profound level. The intertwining of their unique perspectives and creative prowess has birthed a collection that transcends borders, fostering a deeper understanding of our shared humanity.

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OMALE ALLEN ABDUL-JABBAR is known in some quarters by his Pseudonym ‘’Masaihead’’. He is the author of a poetry collection; Behold, Your Scented Daughters (2011), and a Civil Servant living in Abuja, Nigeria. Ex- Chairman, Ex- officio and Ex-Public Relations Officer of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), and former National Vice Chairman of the Northern Nigerian Writers Summit (NNWS). He writes poetry, short stories, novels, drama and essays, and an award winner of the maiden Pen Nigeria/Saraba Poetry Prize, and honorable mention in the Korean Nigeria Poetry Prize 2011 & 12 respectively. Highly anthologized and influenced by the works of Toni Kan, HelonHabila, Garcia Marquez, Ben Okri, Isabel Allende, Margaret Artwood, Pablo Neruda, MaikNwosu and ToyinAdewale Gabriel. He is a Fellow of the Ebedi International Writers Residency. His writing idea is taken from a solemn believe in the triumph of the Human spirit; informed from the fact that no matter how long the night may be, morning always comes. His short story “The Front of the Past” has been accepted in the From Africa With Love Anthology. He resides at his home ‘’Purple Rain Suite’’ in Abuja with his wife Rahmah five children and dog Tokyo. He can be reached at omaleabduljabbar@gmail.com, twitter: @allenabduljabbar, instagram @allenomale and facebook: omale.allenabduljabbar.

SEUN OSHO is a writer and creative entrepreneur from Abuja, Nigeria. He is a writer, majorly of poetry and short stories, a stylist, freelance editor and the creative director of both his fashion brand and another online lifestyle project called Underbridge. Seun has recently moved to Lagos seeking new challenges and a change of scenery from his home city, Abuja.

AYO OYEKU is a fellow of Ebedi International Writers Residency. He made an early mark in 2004, when his first chapter book was selected by World Bank for distribution across schools and libraries in Nigeria. Subsequently, his poems began to appear in several anthologies and journals, including Brittle Paper, AFREADA, VINYL, Kalahari Review, The Sky is Our Earth, According to Sources (Writers Project of Ghana, 2015), Experimental Writing: Volume 1, Africa vs Latin America Anthology. In 2015, his young-adult novel, Tears of the Lonely, won the Ezenwa Ohaeto Prize for Fiction, by the Society of Young Nigerian Writers. In 2016 and 2018, he was a finalist of the prestigious Golden Baobab Prize, in the Early Chapters category. In 2019, he won the Association of Nigerian Authors prize for children’s literature, for his book, Mafoya and the Finish line. In 2021, he published his eight children’s book, Queen Moremi Makes a Promise. Ayo Oyeku is contributor for World Kid Lit, member of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and the founder of the creative publishing firm, Eleventh House.

NOSAKHARE COLLINS is a Nigerian poet, writer, publisher, editor, literary critic, documentary photographer, researcher, and tutor. He is the CEO/Managing Director/Founding Editor of Libretto Publishers Limited, the parent company of Libretto Magazine, a journal of arts, LIBRETTO Publishers, an independent publishing company and Libretto Bookstores, an independent bookstore for booklovers. He is a fellow of the Ebedi International Writers Residency. He is the author of “A Pilgrim of Songs”, “A Song of Endless Flames”, “When Ravens Become Flowers” and forthcoming, “A Symphony of Existential Profundity”. Works have appeared in National dailies and International online as well as in print journals, newspapers and anthologies such as Salmon Creek Journal(Washington/USA), Wingless Dreamer Publisher(Scotland/India), Odd Magazine(India), Journal of Erato(US), Openwork Magazine(US), Libero America Poetry(US/ZI), Rejection Letter Journal(US), Ebedi Review, The Newcastle Review, New Telegraph, Least Bittern Books(US), Poetry Festival(US), Indian Periodical Journal(India), Writers Space Africa, Antarctica Journal(US), Litpoint Africa Magazine, Sevhage Review, Youth Shade Magazine, Alabama’s Best Emerging Poet Anthology 2019(US), Best “New” African Poets Anthology 2018, 2019 & 2020(ZI), Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Africa vs Latin America Anthology 2020(US/ZI), A Collection of poems; For Ikeogu, For Poetry: Anthology of Poems in Honour of Ikeogu Oke, 84 Delicious Bottle of Wine for Wole Soyinka Anthology, InnerChild Press Anthology 2020(US), OPA Anthology 2020(US), Songs For The Weaverbird: An Anthology of Writing and Art in Celebration of Christopher Okigbo, and several others. He was awarded in the 3rd Chinua Achebe Poetry/Essay Prize (2018) by The Society of Young Nigerian Writers, and also, he was longlisted for the 2020 Prof. Idris Amali Ekphrastic Poetry Prize by Nasara Creative. Works have been translated to French, Italian, Spanish and others. Read more about Nosakhare via www.nosakharecollins.com

Praise for A Mouthful Of Rivers

A Mouthful of Rivers is a delightful feast. The unique genesis of this volume, conceived during a literary retreat that brought together its four authors at the Ebedi International Writers Residency, could not be more remarkable. Omale Allen Abdul-Jabar, Seun Osho, Ayo Oyeku and Nosakhare Collins, with commendable imagination and urgency, speak variously to the concerns of our age, yet the synergy of their creative energies makes this book more than the sum of its parts.

—Rotimi Babatunde, Winner of the 2012 Caine Prize.

Twenty-nine entries of six short stories and twenty-three poems from four brilliant minds is a handful of literary harvest traversing the thematic concerns of birth, death, mental burden, quest for survival, love, nature, the magical and nostalgic among other existential concerns of multiple hue and shade. This is a collection that bears positive testimony to the bright possibilities of the Nigerian literary canvass.

—Ropo Ewenla, Writer, Actor, Broadcaster & Director

With stories of love – won and lost, reminisces of what once was and folktales to tickle the imagination of the next generation, all interspaced with poems that at once excites and boggles, the authors of A Mouthful of Rivers have served us a cross-genre potpourri of brilliance that I am certain will resonate among lovers of literature.

—Sylva Nze Ifedigbo, author of Believers and Hustlers & winner of the 2022 Chinua Achebe Prize.

A Mouthful of Rivers is a collection of compelling short stories and poems by aspiring writers with potential for growth. The anthology is a powerful re-imagination of the Nigerian state together with its fraught contradictions and resilient hopes. Straddling both the private and the public spheres, the work navigates the conflictual contours of tender love and the violence of abuse. United in an enchanting lyricism, the collection serves as a sophisticated critique of the Nigerian political dystopia through tales of broken friendship and betrayal, penitence and forgiveness, avarice and retribution, and certainly, fragility and the imperative of empathy.

—Senayon Olaoluwa (PhD, Wits), Senior Research Fellow, Institute of African Studies at University of Ibadan and AfOx Fellow, 2023-2024 at University of Oxford