Caleb Femi

Caleb Femi
Born1990 (age 34–35)
Kano, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Occupations
  • Author
  • Filmmaker
  • Photographer
Notable workPoor (2020)
AwardsFelix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection
Websitewww.calebfemi.com

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

Caleb Femi was born in 1990 in Kano, Nigeria,[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

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

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

Femi was named in Dazed magazine's 2021 Dazed100, a list of the next generation shaping youth culture.[8]

References

  1. ^ McConnell, Justine (21 July 2017). "Caleb Femi". writers make worlds. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Peirson-Hagger, Ellen (28 October 2020). "Caleb Femi: 'Poetry is the art of the people'". New Statesman. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Flood, Alison (3 October 2016). "Poet Caleb Femi named first young people's laureate for London". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  5. ^ "Poor by Caleb Femi". The Poetry Book Society. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  6. ^ Bayley, Sian (25 October 2021). "Kennard, Femi and Sealey win Forward Prizes for Poetry". The Bookseller. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Caleb Femi". IMDb. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  8. ^ Dazed (6 April 2017). "Vote for Caleb Femi on the #Dazed100". Dazed. Retrieved 20 October 2021.


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