Jonathan Chibuike Ukah was among the poets whose poems were shortlisted from The Poetry Writing Contest 2025 organized by The Hemlock Journal. His poem ‘Love in the Times of Hunger’ gained 3rd position and was published in ‘Special Poetry Issue’.

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‘There was no food and parents were like unbelievers who did not fulfil the desires of their children. My parents included.’

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Interviewer. Congratulations on being one of the winners of the Contest. Could you tell us a little about yourself and your journey with poetry?

Jonathan : I have been writing poetry since I was a teenager. Later, the cares of the world took over and pushed it to the back of my brain. One of the things Covid-19 did was to remind us of things we have forgotten. I picked up poetry again

Interviewer: What inspired you to write your winning poem? Was there a particular moment, memory, or feeling that sparked it?

Jonathan: The war. I was born in Nigeria, precisely in Port Harcourt, which fell to the Nigerian soldiers in 1967. Family life was grounded to zero. There was no food and parents were like unbelievers who did not fulfil the desires of their children. My parents included.

Interviewer : Since the theme was Love, how do you personally define or understand love? Did that definition shape your poem?

Jonathan : Love between parents and children was natural. It was like the covenant. Unbreakable law. Many parents felt deprived of the opportunity to fulfil the law. They felt they betrayed their children and unable to show love. That’s what the poem is about. This pain.

Interviewers : Do you remember the very first poem you ever wrote? How does your writing today compare with that early attempt?

Jonathan : It was a doggerel. A rhymed poem about a girl. I wrote other poems like nursery rhymes and our family experiences. One of the things that shaped my poetry was flood. Water was always flowing into our house and the river built up in my soul. Today, I don’t write rhymes anymore. My poems are more various and mature. More philosophical.

Interviewer : Which poets, writers, or artists influence your work the most?

Jonathan: All of us were enamoured of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka. I loved the poems of Christopher Okigbo and Gabriel Okara. I did Okigbo and Soyinka in my final year project in the university. I also love T.S. Eliot. The Wasteland was like a Bible. There is also John Donne and I always wish I can write like Alexander Pope.

Interviewer : Do you think poetry still holds power and relevance in today’s fast-paced, digital world?

Jonathan : The faster the pace of the world, the higher the demand for poetry. The digital world creates more and more isolated individuals who end up with a screwed-up life. Melancholy, sadness and despair seem prevalent. Solution? More poetry as comforting machine. The digital world is pushing up the craze for more poetry.

Interviewer : As a poet or writer, are you afraid of the rise of AI generated content? How do you think the writing community survives against the tide?

Jonathan : No, I’m not afraid. By rejecting and restricting AI generated content the literary community is on the way to surviving the tide of AI. The problems creating implausible and fake contents has rendered AI ineffectual and unable to damage human creations. AI lacks empathy and originality.

Interviewer : What advice would you give to emerging poets who want to write about big themes like Love without falling into clichés?

Jonathan: Be yourself. Every individual is unique. Write from your heart and you will be original and unique because you are unique.

Interviewer : What projects are you currently working on, or what can readers expect from you in the near future?

Jonathan : My first chapbook, A is for Anfang, is coming out this October from the Island of Wak-Wak. I’m working towards another chapbook. Thank you.

About Johnathan Chibuike Ukah:

Jonathan Chibuike Ukah is a Pushcart-nominated poet living in the United Kingdom. His poems have been featured in Unleash Lit, The Pierian, Propel Magazine, Atticus Review, The Journal of Undiscovered Poets and elsewhere. He won the Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest in 2022 and the Alexander Pope Poetry Award in 2023. His first poetry collection, Blame the Gods, published by Kingsman Quarterly in 2023 was finalist at the Black Diaspora Poetry Award in 2023. He was the Editor’s Choice Prize Winner of Unleash Lit in 2024. He was shortlisted for the Minds Shine Bright Poetry Prize 2024.