Liyou Libsekal

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Liyou Libsekal
Liyou Libsekal.webp
Born1990 (age 34–35)
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
OccupationPoet, writer
Alma mater George Washington University
Notable worksBearing Heavy Things
Notable awardsWinner of 2014 Brunei University African Poetry Prize

Liyou Mesfin Libsekal (born 1990) is an Ethiopian poet, writer, and essayist based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. [1] Poems authored by Libsekal were featured in the African Poetry Book Fund's 'New Generation Chapbook Box Sets' series in 2015. She won the Brunel University African Poetry Prize in the year 2014 and she is the author of a chapbook titled Bearing Heavy Things. [2] [3]

Contents

Liyou Mesfin Libsekal currently lives in the city of Addis Ababa in her mother country of Ethiopia. [4] She began writing about Ethiopian culture and the environment there for Ethiopian Business Review(EBR), a media company based in Addis Ababa, in 2013 and does to this day. [5] [6] [7]

Early life

Liyou Mesfin Libsekal was born in Ethopia and is ethnically Ethiopian but spent her childhood traveling and living in various areas in East Africa with her family before returning to her birth country of Ethiopia in 2005. [8] [9] [1] She later moved to the United States of America to attend George Washington University in Washington, District of Colombia where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology in 2012. [4] She graduated with a minor in international affairs and a concentration in international development. [6] She returned to Africa once again, after living a short time in Vietnam. [10]

Literary career

Liyou Libsekal being interviewed Liyou Libsekal.jpg
Liyou Libsekal being interviewed

Liyou Libsekal's poetry explores themes of identity, origins, home and the emotional displacement that can be caused by growing up away from home. [11] [3] [12] She also writes about the effects of modernization and globalization as pertaining to Ethiopia's economy and culture. [1] Libsekal began writing poetry as a way to "gain some sort of personal understanding" and draws inspiration from herself and her environment. [6] Her work has been included in the following: Badilisha Poetry, Expound Magazine's The Woman Issue, Elsewhere Lit's African Poetry anthology and other publications. [13] [14] [9] She writes her poems mostly in English, the rest being written in Amharic, one of the official languages of Ethiopia. Her genre of writing is non-fiction.

Works

Chapbooks

2015-2016

  • Bearing Heavy Things (Akashic Books, 2015)

Poetry curations

  • Things We Inherited: Voices From Africa (Cordite Poetry Review, 2016)
Liyou Mesfin Libsekal(left) pictured with her mother Amsale(center) and sister Mignote(right) Liyou Libsekal with her family.jpg
Liyou Mesfin Libsekal(left) pictured with her mother Amsale(center) and sister Mignote(right)

Poems

2014-2020

  • Vanquishing Visions (Liyou Libsekal, 2014)
  • Riding Chinese Machines (Liyou Libsekal, 2014)
  • In the Voice of our Rain (Liyou Libsekal, 2014)
  • Composer (Cordite Poetry Review, 2016)
  • "Revival" (Cordite poetry Review, 2016)
  • Into the earth (Expound Magazine, 2017)
  • Gospels (Liyou Libsekal, 2020)
  • Hair (Liyou Libsekal, 2020)
  • Bearing heavy things (Songs We Learn from Trees: An Anthology of Ethiopian Amharic Poetry, 2020)
  • Federal (Liyou Libsekal, release year unknown)

Essays

Libsekal's poetry chapbook titled "Bearing Heavy Things" is included in the African Poetry Book Fund's 'New Generation Chapbook Box Sets' series, along with the works of Peter Akinlabi, Inua Ellams, Janet Kofi-Tsekpo, Amy M. Lukau, Vuyelwa Maluleke, Blessing Musariri, and Viola Alto. The collection was edited by Kwame Dawes & Chris Abani. [15] [16] The book was published by Akashic Books with a cover created by artist Imo Nse Imeh. [17] Bearing Heavy Things is also the title of a single poem of Libsekal's, included in "Songs We Learn from Trees: An Anthology of Ethiopian Amharic Poetry" by Chris Beckett(released in 2020), along with another poem, Gospels. [18]

In a transcribed interview titled The Poetry of the Observable World: A Dialogue With Liyou Libsekal, she speaks about the origins of the title for her book, "Bearing Heavy Things", "I think it suited the whole poetry collection because it really was sort of coming back and realizing all the things I never realized about my country before because I was too young to notice.-I think that title suited that because there are a lot of things that are messed up in this place and it was sort of like me dealing with that for the first time as an adult." The interview took place in 2017 over the phone, and was conducted by fellow creative and poet, Gaamangwe Mogami. [9] In 2016, she curated an African poetry e-chapbook for Cordite Poetry Review titled "Things We Inherited: Voices From Africa". [19] The book features two of Libsekal's own pieces: "("Revival")" and "Composer", both also released in 2016 [19] .In 2020, she wrote a memoir-style essay titled "Sistine Chapels", which can be read on the website of A Long House. [20]

Awards

Libsekal is winner of the 2014 Brunel University African Poetry Prize, which was retired in 2022 and the name of which has been changed to Evaristo Prize for African Poetry. [21] [8] [22] [15] Her winning poem was titled "Riding Chinese Machines", also published by The Missing Slate magazine, and for this she drew inspiration from the city she lives in today, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. This win came before Libsekal had released a full poetry collection and she submitted 10 poems. The prize was money in the amount of £3000. [15] During her participation in the competition, Liyou Libsekal had an interview conducted by The African Book Review, during which she named Kwesi Brew as one of her favorite poets. [6] She appeared with the founder of the prize, Bernardine Evaristo, at the Times Cheltenham Literature Festival on October 10th, 2014. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Libsekal, Liyou Mesf... | African Poetry Digital Portal". africanpoetics.unl.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  2. ↑ "Liyou Libsekal wins 2014 Brunel African Poetry Prize | Brunel University London". www.brunel.ac.uk. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  3. 1 2 "Liyou Libsekal". www.poetryinternational.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  4. 1 2 "New Generation Africa Poets". African Poetry Book Fund. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  5. ↑ "Contemporary Ethiopian Poets:Liyou Libsekal". Missing Slate. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Review, The African Book (2014-04-07). "Liyou Mesfin Libsekal: An Interview With An Ethiopian Poet". The African Book Review. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  7. ↑ Silkstone, Jacob (2016-03-28). "Contemporary Ethiopian poets: Liyou Libsekal". The Missing Slate. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  8. 1 2 "Previous Winners African Poetry Prize". African Poetry Prize.org. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 africaindialogue (2017-02-07). "The Poetry of the Observable World: A Dialogue With Liyou Libsekal". Africa in Dialogue. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  10. 1 2 "Ethiopian Poet Liyou Libsekal wins 2014 Brunel African Poetry Prize". BuzzEthiopia. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  11. ↑ "Warsan Shire, Titilope Sonuga, Koleka Putuma… 13 Female African Poets Repping us to the fullest – Leading Ladies Africa" . Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  12. ↑ "Salt and Metal". PEN/Opp. 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  13. ↑ Libsekal, Liyou. "Liyou Libsekal". Cordite Poetry Review. Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  14. ↑ "» Liyou Mesfin Libsekal" . Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  15. 1 2 3 "The African Poetry Prize" . Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  16. ↑ "Liyou Libsekal". Badilishpoetry.com. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "African Poetry Book Fund". African Poetry Book Fund. Retrieved 2025-12-05.
  18. ↑ Beckett, Chris (2020-05-28). Songs We Learn from Trees: An Anthology of Ethiopian Amharic Poetry. Carcanet Classics. ISBN   978-1-78410-950-9.
  19. 1 2 "Things We Inherited: Voices From Africa". Cordite Poetry Review. Retrieved 2025-12-04.
  20. ↑ "Sistine Chapels" . Retrieved 2025-11-18.
  21. ↑ "Liyou Libsekal: "Revival"". Cordite Poetry Review. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "» Liyou Mesfin Libsekal" . Retrieved 2025-11-18.
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