Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike
Encyclopedia
Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike (or Uche Peter Umez) (born January 1, 1975) is a Nigerian author. Umez's first published work of poetry
, Dark through the Delta, deals with the recurring despoliation of Nigeria using the Niger Delta
as its motif. The poems in the collection earned Umez a highly commended review as a "poet distinguished not only by the easily demonstrable honesty of the compassion and social commitment he expresses, but also by the highly evocative powers of his language, his inventiveness and the compelling lyricism of his poetry."
A graduate of Government & Public Administration from Abia State University
, Umez is also the author of Tears in her Eyes (short stories) and Aridity of Feelings (poems). His children's novella
, Sam and the Wallet, was the winner of the ANA/Funtime Prize for Children's Literature and the runner-up for the 2007 Nigeria LNG Prize for Literature. His unpublished children's novel, The Christmas Gift, won the 2008 ANA/Funtime Prize for Children's Literature. His collection of children’s short stories, Tim the Monkey and Other Stories, has been accepted for publication by African First Publishers. He is currently working on his first full-length novel
.
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, Dark through the Delta, deals with the recurring despoliation of Nigeria using the Niger Delta
Niger Delta
The Niger Delta, the delta of the Niger River in Nigeria, is a densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil...
as its motif. The poems in the collection earned Umez a highly commended review as a "poet distinguished not only by the easily demonstrable honesty of the compassion and social commitment he expresses, but also by the highly evocative powers of his language, his inventiveness and the compelling lyricism of his poetry."
A graduate of Government & Public Administration from Abia State University
Abia State University
Abia State University is one of the state owned universities in Nigeria. These state academic institutions were created to expand admissions and bring professional skills, expertise and modern research facilities close to the city and rural dwellers; and have helped talented students to obtain...
, Umez is also the author of Tears in her Eyes (short stories) and Aridity of Feelings (poems). His children's novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
, Sam and the Wallet, was the winner of the ANA/Funtime Prize for Children's Literature and the runner-up for the 2007 Nigeria LNG Prize for Literature. His unpublished children's novel, The Christmas Gift, won the 2008 ANA/Funtime Prize for Children's Literature. His collection of children’s short stories, Tim the Monkey and Other Stories, has been accepted for publication by African First Publishers. He is currently working on his first full-length novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
.
Poetry
- Aridity of Feelings (Edu-Edy Publications, 2006)
- Dark through the Delta (Edu-Edy Publications, 2004)
Awards and grants
- Laureate, UNESCO-Aschberg, Sanskriti Kendra, India, 2009
- Alumnus, Caine Prize for African Writing Workshop, Accra, Ghana, 2009
- Alumnus, International Writing Program, Iowa City, USA, 2008
- Highly Commended, Commonwealth Short Story Competition
- Winner, Bath Spa Creative Writing Competition, UK
- Highly Commended, Commonwealth Short Story Competition