PR ON THE GO • May 12, 2025
Meet Yewande Akinse, a Nigerian poet, author and social entrepreneur
PR ON THE GO Author Interview
Welcome to today's interview! We are thrilled to have the opportunity to speak with Nigerian poet, author, and social entrepreneur Yewande Akinse. Yewande's poems have appeared in Clay Literary, Trampset, Galleyway, Afritondo, Shuf Poetry, The Open Culture Collective, Lumiere Review, Dipity Magazine, The Unconventional Courier, The Agam Agenda, The Creative Zine, Konya Shamsrumi, Sevhage, Moremi Review, Tampered Press, Nightingale and Sparrow, Versopolis, Auvert Magazine, Panocha Zine, Visual Verse, Pride Magazine, The Dirigible Balloon, The BeZine, Outside the box Poetry, Spirits Magazine, Unheard Stories Magazine, Genre: Urban Arts Magazine, Unclear Magazine, Broots Magazine, Unclear Magazine, Broots Magazine, Beyond the Quill, Wayf Journal, and others.
She is the winner of the World Bank YouthActonEDU Poetry Prize, Project Knucklehead Prize for creative rebellion, The Guardian Newspaper Poetry Prize and the Fidelity Bank Prize for creative writing.
As an entrepreneur, Yewande is the co-founder of PAP. EARTH, an eco search engine that covers CO2 removal and climate change control, and Salubata, a company that makes modular shoes from recycled plastic waste.
How do you balance writing with the time and effort required for self-promotion?
Yewande Akinse: I usually engage in self promotion after writing a body of work, not before and not during. This approach gives me time to focus on writing and creating. Promotion comes afterwards, for I have found that self-promotion is an art that demands both time and patience.
What was the biggest obstacle you faced in the publishing process?
Yewande Akinse: The biggest obstacle I faced in publishing is with funding the entire process. For my most recent work, every contributor was paid for their services, from the illustrator to the cover designer to the editor and publisher. Publishing a book is not a walk in the park, it takes a village and some costs too. Therefore, it is important for a self-published author to adequately plan for the publishing process, marketing and distribution.
The rise and fall of rhymes and rhythms by Yewande Akinse
How do you use social media as an author?
Yewande Akinse: I use social media to promote my published works, interviews and snippets of works in progress. I also use social media to engage and connect with other authors, I have found the Writing Community to be most supportive on X formerly Twitter. Additionally, I use X to search for writing opportunities, open calls and residencies.
If you could be featured in one dream publication, which would it be, and why?
Yewande Akinse: My dream publication is The New Yorker. I greatly admire how The New Yorker has stayed relevant for the past 100 years with a legacy etched on the sands of time. It would be a great privilege to be published with The New Yorker and to contribute my words and voice to their legacy.
If you could recreate the literary industry, what would you change first?
Yewande Akinse: First, I would completely remove barriers to submission and access called submission fees. These fees pose a great challenge to writers who are trying to find their place in the industry. Imagine applying to 25 publications or contests and for each one to require a submission fee, can you imagine how much this drills a hole in the pockets of writers? This is the reality many poets face in entering their works for competitions and publications with an uncertain outcome.
In closing, do you have some words of wisdom you'd like to share with the world?
Yewande Akinse: To the writer trying to find the words and their place in the world, I hope that you keep writing, I hope it sets you free.
Thank you!
#PRontheGO
Subscribe to our growthhacking newsletter.
Follow the latest PR hacks from our experts.