Mugabi Byenkya was born in Nigeria to Ugandan/Rwandan parents and is currently based between Kampala and Toronto. He spent his life across Africa, Asia and North America. Mugabi was longlisted for the Babishai Niwe Poetry Award in 2015, has been featured on
Brittle Paper,
The Good Men Project,
African Writer,
Arts and Africa and
The Kalahari Review amongst others. His writing is used to teach international high school English reading comprehension. Mugabi’s debut novel,
Dear Philomena, was published in 2017 and he recently concluded a 30 city North America/East Africa tour in support of this. An advocate for the intersection of arts, chronic illness, social justice, and literacy, Mugabi leads workshops in effective writing, poetry, performance, vulnerability, mental and chronic illness for youth and adults.
Photo credit: Tom Mirga
How does a poem begin?
Stevie Wonder was once asked the same question about his music and I wholeheartedly concur with his answer, when it comes to my poems. To paraphrase, Stevie said the music does not come from him. In a similar way, my poems do not begin with me, my mind or my writing practice. I am merely a vessel. I tap into something greater than myself, call it what you want, whether: deities, ancestors or imagination. I tap into it and channel the poetry through my particular lens.
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