Akin Jeje

Canadian poet Akin Jeje lives in Hong Kong. An active poet and spoken-word performer, Jeje's works have been published and featured in Canada, the US and Hong Kong. Jeje’s first work, Dreaming of The Sands was published in Canada in 1999. His first full-length poetry collection, Smoked Pearl: Poems of Hong Kong and Beyond was a semi-finalist for the 2009 International Proverse Prize, and published by Proverse Hong Kong in 2010.

Jeje’s work was also featured in the collaborative poem A poem for Jack Layton, by 14 Canadian Poets, published in Canada’s The Globe and Mail newspaper, August 26, 2011, and Hong Kong’s Chameleon Press anthology Quixotica; Poems East of La Mancha in July 2016. Jeje has also published in other Hong Kong and Canadian publications such as fifty-fifty, Asian Cha, Carousel, Outloud Too and Filling Station. Jeje's most recent publication, “Eternal Victory” will be in Issue 44 of Voice and Verse Poetry Magazine (December 2018). He is currently at work on another full-length poetry collection tentatively entitled never land.

Jeje is a regular performer at Hong Kong's monthly Poetry Outloud event, and has been for almost a decade. In addition, Jeje served as the MC for Hong Kong’s Peel Street Poetry collective from 2007 to 2014, and is currently one of three directors of the group. In addition, Jeje was also an advisor to the Hong Kong International Young Readers' Festival, and had been a volunteer moderator for the Hong Kong International Festival from 2012 to 2016. Jeje’s has performed his poetry for public events and in schools, and has been presenting educational seminars on poetry for primary and secondary school students since 2014.