This 18 Year Old Nigerian Blood Has Just Been Named National Youth Poet Laureate In The US
At 18, Nigerian-born American poet Daniel Somtochukwu Umemezie has become the tenth National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, joining a decade-long tradition of young poets using their work to explore identity, community, and social change.
Umemezie, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, was selected from a national network of more than 120 local and state Youth Poet Laureate programs.
Born in Nigeria, Umemezie moved to the United States at 13. His family initially settled in Texas before eventually making Cedar Falls home. Poetry had already begun to take shape in his life before the move, but during high school he began sharing his work more publicly, encouraged by his English teacher Michelle Rathe.
Much of Umemezie’s poetry is concerned with memory, inheritance, migration, and the experience of belonging to more than one place at once. In his poem “I Come From Two Nigerias,” he reflects on the different versions of Nigeria he carries with him, one shaped by childhood memory and another encountered through the stories and perspectives of the Nigerian diaspora.
At 18, Nigerian-born American poet Daniel Somtochukwu Umemezie has become the tenth National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, joining a decade-long tradition of young poets using their work to explore identity, community, and social change.
Umemezie, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, was selected from a national network of more than 120 local and state Youth Poet Laureate programs.
Born in Nigeria, Umemezie moved to the United States at 13. His family initially settled in Texas before eventually making Cedar Falls home. Poetry had already begun to take shape in his life before the move, but during high school he began sharing his work more publicly, encouraged by his English teacher Michelle Rathe.
Much of Umemezie’s poetry is concerned with memory, inheritance, migration, and the experience of belonging to more than one place at once. In his poem “I Come From Two Nigerias,” he reflects on the different versions of Nigeria he carries with him, one shaped by childhood memory and another encountered through the stories and perspectives of the Nigerian diaspora.
His interests extend beyond poetry. Umemezie is a two-sport athlete, entrepreneur, homecoming king, and multi-instrumentalist whose creative pursuits have also included drawing, painting, knitting, and architecture.
As National Youth Poet Laureate, Umemezie will spend the coming year participating in literary arts programmes and connecting with young writers across the United States and internationally.
His national appointment also extends a growing Nigerian presence in the program. Salome Agbaroji, who became National Youth Poet Laureate in 2023, was the first Nigerian-American to hold the title.
Umemezie will attend Iowa State University, where he plans to study aerospace engineering.
Credit: Brittle Paper
As National Youth Poet Laureate, Umemezie will spend the coming year participating in literary arts programmes and connecting with young writers across the United States and internationally.
His national appointment also extends a growing Nigerian presence in the program. Salome Agbaroji, who became National Youth Poet Laureate in 2023, was the first Nigerian-American to hold the title.
Umemezie will attend Iowa State University, where he plans to study aerospace engineering.
Credit: Brittle Paper
