Longlisted Poem: “The Day the Sky Refused to Be Blue”
PAUL OLAYIMIKA is from Ekiti State, Nigeria, where as a kid he scribbled stories that now blur into vague memories. After secondary school, poetry took hold of him. These days, he’s juggling poetry and medical school at the University of Jos, which is no joke for someone who treats sleep like his ultimate escape. When he’s not buried in medical books or dreaming up verses, PAUL is all about the thrill of football and F1 races. On top of that, he’s a brand designer, turning ideas into visuals that pop, much like how he crafts words. He is currently chasing that buzz of sharing his stuff.