Meet Nigerian named US national youth poet laureate

n n

Daniel Umemezie, a Nigerian-American poet, has been named the 2026-2027 U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate, becoming the 10th young poet to hold the title and the second Nigerian-American to receive the honour.

n

The U.S. Mission Nigeria announced Umemezie’s selection in a statement on Friday, describing him as a gifted Nigerian-American voice whose poetry explores heritage, identity and the complexities of the Nigerian-American experience.

n

Umemezie follows in the footsteps of Salome Agbaroji, who became the first Nigerian-American to be named U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate in 2023.

n

The National Youth Poet Laureate title recognises outstanding young poets in the United States and provides a platform for young literary voices to reach wider audiences.

n

According to the mission, Umemezie’s poetry captures the richness and complexity of his experiences while exploring questions of culture and identity and the realities of growing up between different worlds.

n

“A gifted Nigerian-American voice, Daniel weaves verse that captures the vibrant richness and intricate complexity of a vibrant life; bridging heritage, identity, and the Nigerian-American experience with striking clarity,” the mission said.

n

Things to know about Umemezie

n

Umemezie was selected in April from a pool of hundreds of young writers and local youth poets laureate from across the United States.

n

In an interview with journalist Fred Lazaro and published by PBS NewsHour on July 15, the 18-year-old said he grew up in Nigeria and developed an interest in art and music from an early age.

n

“I played the piano for 14 years. I played the drums. I played nine instruments, actually. So I have done a lot of the arts, drawing, painting, crocheting, knitting. I mean, I did architecture for a while, so everything. I have dabbled in it all,” he said.

n

He also developed a passion for reading, regularly reading books from the library of his father, who is a preacher.

n

When Umemezie was 13, his mother secured a nursing job in the United States, prompting the family — Daniel, his parents and two siblings — to move first to Texas and later to Iowa.

n

He said the move exposed him to significant cultural differences.

n

Poetry subsequently became a way for Umemezie to bridge his two worlds.

n

In one of his poems, he described growing up with two versions of Nigeria, reflecting on his memories of the country and his experiences as a Nigerian-American.

n

“I come from two Nigerias, a Nigeria where words are rain on zinc tongues and laughter rumbles barefoot down the yellow throat of traffic, its hairy chest bare and clotted with coal. I come from a language, from a mouth laced with generations, so when I say the words O di mma, it is fine and it will be fine, and I am telling you that it is fine.

n

“I come also from a second Nigeria, one where the generator’s chesty cough is the most reliable sound in the neighborhood, one where the madmen cry in the streets and no one knows their names, and no one watches as the street preachers lay hands on potholes, but the madmen still say amen and faith that one day God and the government might share a contractor.

n

“I come from two Nigerias, and they do not wrestle in my ribs. They take turns breathing, one lung each, which is why some mornings I wake up short of air and do not know which country to ask.”

n

Asked about the themes that inform his writing, Umemezie said memory was central to much of his work.

n

During his sophomore year, an English teacher encouraged him to enter a local poetry competition.

n

He won and went on to become the Cedar Valley Youth Poet Laureate and the Iowa Student Poet Ambassador before winning the national honour.

n

Umemezie succeeds poets including Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, who held the title in 2017 and later read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.

n

As national youth poet laureate, Umemezie is expected to travel across the United States for readings and workshops. He said he hopes to champion work that promotes social justice, political participation and self-exploration.

n

Umemezie graduated from high school in May and plans to study aerospace engineering at Iowa State University.

n n