Introductions
Poetry that spans continents: the rhymes and rhythms of Yewande Akinse
"My work has traveled far beyond my desk," says award-winning poet and author
Yewande Akinse, "finding homes in a wide range of journals and magazines across continents."
This talented wordsmith is also a lawyer ("three times over," as Yewande puts it, referring to her three law degrees) who "somehow wandered—quite happily—into a life shaped by poetry and stories," and these two lives have more in common than you might think.
"At heart, I'm always circling the same questions on identity, belonging, memory, justice, and everyday tenderness," she says, "trying to make sense of the world in lines that are honest, curious, and just a little bit rebellious."
Here's Yewande to talk a little about her life and work:
Welcome, Yewande! Can you tell us about your latest poetry book?
The rise and fall of rhymes and rhythms is a heartfelt collection of one hundred musical dizains that trace the complexities of life and living. It passes lessons, love, and wisdom from parent to child, turning everyday moments into lyrical meditations on nurture, ancestry, and the enduring bond that transcends time.
Did you always want to be a lawyer?Law, at both bachelor's and master's levels, was my field of study. Initially, my father chose it, and I followed his decision. Over time I embraced it myself, drawn to language and relieved that it required far less mathematics than many other professional paths.
What's the secret to good poetry?Write with ruthless honesty and tenderness. Read widely, protect your quiet, and let poems begin as questions, not performances. Build a body of work slowly, share it bravely, then return to the blank page and do it again.
Build a body of work slowly, share it bravely, then return to the blank page and do it again.
When it's time to relax, what do you like to do?Time with my daughter is my favorite kind of rest. Reading together, making up nonsense songs, or just watching her discover the world slows me down, softens me, and quietly reminds me of the true meaning of life.
What's on the horizon for you?The horizon shimmers with children's voices and green possibilities. Next is finishing this couplet collection I'm currently working on so young minds see Earth as kin, not resource. Afterwards: more school visits, collaborations with environmental groups, and poems that turn climate grief into small, practical acts of care.
Yewande Adenike Akinse is a Nigerian lawyer, storyteller, poet, and author who holds three law degrees. She has written three collections of poetry:
The rise and fall of rhymes and rhythms (2025),
A Tale of being, of green and of ing (2019), and
Voices: A collection of poems that tell stories (2016).
Yewande's poems have appeared in Clay Literary, Trampset, Galleyway, Afritondo, and Shuf Poetry, among many others. She is the winner of the World Bank #YouthActOnEDU poetry prize, the Project Knucklehead Prize for Creative Rebellion, The Guardian Newspaper Poetry Prize, and the Fidelity Bank prize for creative writing.
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