Nnorom Azuonye (born 12 July 1967, in

Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...

) is a publisher, theater director,

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

and advertising professional. He is also an accredited Methodist Local Preacher with the

Methodist Church in Britain The Methodist Church of Great Britain is a Protestant Christian denomination in Britain, and the mother church to Methodists worldwide. It participates in the World Methodist Council, and the World Council of Churches among other ecumenical a ...

and serves as Principal Networker, Global Calvary Network. He wrote ''Letter To God & Other Poems'' in 2003, ''The Bridge Selection: Poems for the Road'' (2005 & 2012) and ''Funeral of the Minstrel'' in 2015). The Founding Publishing Director & Chief Executive Officer, SPM Publications Ltd, Azuonye is the founder and administrator of ''Sentinel Poetry Movement'' and the founder and publisher of the magazines ''Nollywood Focus'', ''Sentinel Literary Quarterly'', ''Sentinel Nigeria'' and ''Sentinel Champions''.

Early life and education

Nnorom Azuonye is a native of

Isuikwuato Isuikwuato is a local government area in Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. The name Isu-Ikwu-Ato translates from Igbo as 'three Isu families or lineage' and refers to the three lineages descended from the Isu people, in what is now a local gove ...

Abia State Abia State ( ig, Ȯha Abia) is a state in the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, it is bordered to the north and northeast by the states of Enugu, and Ebonyi, Imo State to the west, Cross River State to the east, Akwa Ibom State to the ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, but was born at

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

, now in Enugu State of Nigeria, on 12 July 1967. He is the youngest son of Stephen Onyemaechi Azuonye MON, MBE, and Hannah Egwuime Azuonye. He attended

Government College Umuahia Government College Umuahia, or GCU, is an independent secondary school for boys located on Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene road in Umuahia, Nigeria. Twenty years after the establishment of Kings College, the first government-owned high school, by the Britis ...

, Capital College,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and

University of Nigeria, Nsukka The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

, where he studied Dramatic Arts.

Literary activities

In 2002, Azuonye founded the Sentinel Poetry Movement - an international community of writers and artists providing an interaction and publishing resource for poetry, fiction, drama, essays, interviews and review of the Arts. He is the Managing Editor of ''Sentinel Literary Quarterly'' - a magazine of world literature published by Sentinel Poetry Movement. He is also the publisher of ''Sentinel Nigeria'' magazine - an online magazine of contemporary Nigerian writing Sentinel's previous two publications, ''Sentinel Poetry (Online)'' and ''Sentinel Poetry Quarterly'', have been merged into the single publication ''Sentinel Literary Quarterly''

Writing

Azuonye has been widely published internationally in journals, newspapers and anthologies including Agenda, DrumVoices Revue, Eclectica, Orbis, World Haiku Review, Nigerians Talk, African Writing, African Writers, Sketchbook, Poetry Monthly, Opon Ifa, Theatre Forum, Voices Against Racism: 100 Poems Against Racism, and Poems for a Liminal Age (Mandy Pannett ed.) Books *''Letter to God & Other Poems'' (2003), *''The Bridge Selection: Poems for the Road'' (2005 & 2012). *''Blue Hyacinths'' (2010; ed. with Geoff Stevens), *''Sentinel Annual Literature Anthology'' (2011; ed with

Unoma Azuah Unoma Azuah (born 23 June 1969) is a Nigerian writer, author, and activist whose research and activism focus on LGBT writing in Nigerian literature. She has published three books, two of which have won international awards. She focuses on issues ...

and Amanda Sington-Williams), *''Funeral of the Minstrel'' *''The Genesis of Falcon'' (ed.) (a play, 2015).

Family

Nnorom married Thelma Amaka Azuonye (née Mbomi) in 2006. They live in London, United Kingdom, with their children Arinzechukwu, Nwachiamanda, Obinna and Ugochukwu.

References

External links

Nnorom's blog
1967 births Living people Igbo poets Nigerian male poets People of the Nigerian Civil War University of Nigeria alumni 21st-century Nigerian poets Nigerian expatriates in the United Kingdom Government College Umuahia alumni {{Nigeria-poet-stub