Ukamaka Olisakwe; Or, Ngalakwesili

I wrote about Flora Nwapa in this new magnificent issue of @republicjournal. I can’t wait for you all to read it! The design/spread is just stunning.

A new short story in Isele !! Nwabundu is Okonkwo’s great granddaughter:) :) iselemagazine.com/2026/03/16/nwa…

Yup, we are back with something special. Please read and share!

Submissions are now open for our next quarterly! We are especially interested in submissions that explore survival as a collective practice and a duty of care. Send us stories, poems, essays, photography, art, and hybrid works that explore this theme. iselemagazine.com/2026/02/04/cal…

Featuring new titles by 'Pemi Aguda, I.O. Echeruo, Chika Unigwe, Mubanga Kalimamukwento, Tramaine Suubi, and many others, here are the 20 books we are most excited about this year! iselemagazine.com/2026/01/31/edi…

COVER REVEAL! - Grace by @chikaunigwe It is Baby’s birthday, but Grace has not seen her first born in twenty-six years. Now a wife, mother to twin daughters and the owner of a successful medical clinic, Grace has carefully constructed a new life.

We are hiring! This is a tenure-track Assistant Professor position for someone who is experienced in facets of filmmaking including directing, digital cinematography, editing, and post-production effects. Please reach out if you have questions. jobs.weber.edu/postings/27193

Our last quarterly issue of the year is finally here! Thank you all so much for support. Please read and share.❤️

I have a chapter in this book published by routledgebooks, out December 17, 2025. One of the gifts of teaching writing, for me, is that it confronts me with what makes a story work. Ultimately, that’s great for my own writing (too).

@chikaunigwe Placing an order for this through my uni library. This is so necessary, urgently needed!! Congratulations, Sister Chi!

@chikaunigwe Sister Chi m o, congratulations!❤️❤️❤️

it was our anniversary yesterday. it's a good sign, methinks, when 30 years feels like 1/10 th of that time. Please send us prayers and good thoughts

@chikaunigwe Many congratulations again, sister Chi.❤️

Finally, the poems!

And here are the essays our readers read the most this year.

Five years and counting and Isele continues to flourish. What a year this has been! Check out our most read stories of 2025.

Perfect for book clubs; for reading on your own; for gifting; for decorating your coffee table ; available for preorder, out January 15.

@iamToluDaniel @IseleMagazine Thank you, Tolu!

I have a new essay in the latest issue of @IseleMagazine, alongside many friends & some of my favorite Nigerian writers. Big shout out to @MsOlisakwe for putting this together. Especially her conversation with Noviolet Bulawayo. iselemagazine.com/2025/11/15/i-k…

@chikaunigwe Thank you!🙏❤️

@MsOlisakwe faya!!

Now, this is a special one. Our contributors are brilliant! And I also had the honor of interviewing NoViolet Bulawayo for this issue. We talked about her Best of Caine award, her thoughts on craft, and more. Please read and share!🙏❤️

@esomnofu_e 😂 thank you!

@MsOlisakwe Congrats, Ukamaka .. that’s a beautiful line-up. Will be reading through to the next week Also, involve meee (next time) 😅🫶🏾

@FrancesOgamba It was a great honor!💜

My short story, “Wrong Portraits” features in Isele Magazine’s special issue🥰 iselemagazine.com/2025/11/15/wro… I had such a wonderful editorial experience with @MsOlisakwe 💛