AWARD-WINNING POET Nick Makoha has launched a new foundation and poetry retreat to support the development of black poets.

The Obsidian Foundation will provide black poets, who often face several barriers of access to literary resources and professional development, with an opportunity to network with agents, influencers, and publishers. 

It will also work with organisations nationally and internationally to challenge the status-quo and elevate black poets.

The retreat is a long-term, sustainable programme based on the successful model of Cave Canem in the USA.

Makoha, founder of Obsidian Foundation, said: “I had been wanting to start this project after graduating from Cave Canem feeling my duty as an alumnus to ‘pass it on’. The killing of George Floyd and the BLM movement was the trigger I needed to make it happen.

“Our mission is to create a safe space for Black poets in the UK and beyond to write with complete freedom but without the burden of identity. Through this exceptional opportunity, we provide Black poets with lifelong networks, development, and a space to excel.

“Statistical data has revealed that there is an extreme deficit in diverse voices within the UK poetry scene. Our intention is to radically challenge this by giving poets a leg up and opening doors that have been closed for too long. Our distinguished faculty are looking forward to welcoming and working with the very first cohort of poets this autumn.”

The first retreat of courses, seminars, events and mentorships will be held virtually and includes sessions with acclaimed poets Roger Robinson, winner of the 2019 T.S Eliot Award 2019, Raymond Antrobus, winner of the 2019 Ted Hughes Award 2019, Malika Booker, winner of the 2020 Forward Prizes Best Single Poem The Little Miracles, Patricia Smith, 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist 2018, and Terrence Hayes, MacArthur Foundation fellow.

Robinson said: “Obsidian Foundation workshops are exactly the kind of workshops that were instrumental to me as I was seeking my way as a poet moving from beginner to immediate. Afro Style School with Kwane Dawes and Bernardine Evaristo was instrumental to my creative journey 25 years ago. I’m delighted to be involved as a tutor with Obsidian Foundation as a tutor for black writers today and I hope they get equally as much from it.”

The foundation team, which has been selected to provide the poets with a holistic experience, includes Theresa Lola, 2018 Brunel African Poetry Prize winner and former Young People’s Laureate for London, and Tobi Kyeremateng, producer, writer and founder of Black Ticket Project.

Bernardine Evaristo, author and 2019 Booker Prize winner, said: “Obsidian is an important new initiative creating a space where poets can develop their skills in a black-led community where they feel accepted, are encouraged to write out of their cultural specificities and where they don’t have to explain their cultural backgrounds. I hope it flourishes and becomes embedded as part of Britain’s ongoing literature provision.”

The application process for the retreat has been created to be accessible. Applicants are required to submit three poems and 300 words describing why the retreat would support their work.

The retreat is open to poets of Black African, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx and African-American heritage and mixed-Black heritage living in the UK.

Applications can be made through the Obsidian Foundation website at www.obsidianfoundation.co.uk