Hello Tumblr!

I am thrilled to share that my poetry book, CEREMONY FOR THE NAMELESS, will be published by PENGUIN.

It means so much to share it on here, given that Tumblr was the space that galvanised me years ago to be creatively bold.

More on the book: In Yoruba tradition, the act of naming a child carries significance, serving as the initial inspiration for this book's exploration into the importance of names and naming.

For more on the book you can check out my Instagram! And PREORDER: https://www.instagram.com/ theresa_lola

What keeps me up at night is the fear that I am bland as the water I am made up of.

The women in my family are water turned into wine. Their lives are miracles fermented by hard work. They won’t sweeten

for anyone. I want to call myself strong enough to carry their baton, but my skin is a flimsy bucket,

I almost trickled out of myself once. Sometimes the body stops believing in itself.

I am learning how to spit out venomous thoughts. I dream that my legacy will be lasting, pouring into those I leave behind.

My mother’s face is slack after a long day at work, a glass of wine laced between her fingers. This is when I learn that no miracle comes easy.

Theresa Lola

Here’s a poem from my poetry collection ‘In Search of Equilibrium’. (2019) I remember writing this poem between breaks staring out of my window. At the time I had minimised watching the news on TV, I realised it was a repetitive bearer of bad news. I wanted to write something that touched on this collective mourning I felt the world was going through.

Theresa Lola shot by Nadira Amrani for gal-dem X ASOS Women of color poets project.

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