I put my heart and soul into writing The New Carthaginians. The creative writing PhD programme and King’s College London incubated me to imagine, form, and manifest my ideas. The supervision by Dr Sarah Howe was pivotal in allowing me to be both vulnerable and daring in the same measure. I would encourage writers to consider this programme as a catalyst to their academic and creative process.
Nick Makoha, graduate of the PhD in Creative Writing Research
05 March 2025
New poetry volume from Creative Writing graduate published
Nick Makoha, graduate of the PhD in Creative Writing Research in the Department of English, released a new poetry collection in February 2025.
The New Carthaginians is based around events of 1976, when a hijacked plane lands at Entebbe International Airport and triggers a crisis that leads to Uganda becoming a pariah state and, eventually, Makoha leaving the country.
The volume explores themes of flight and falling, the sample and the loop, and draws on artist Jean-Michel Basquiat's technique of the 'exploded' collage. Makoha's trio of characters – the Poet, a Black Icarus and a resurrected Basquiat – undertake a heroes' odyssey, collecting symbols of a new mythos through which to undone the othering of Black life and set the stage for fresh emergence and understanding.
One of our most daring and original poets, Nick Makoha has channelled the wild energies of Basquiat’s art into this essential new collection. These are poems layered with potent coordinates from African and world history, alongside the sensations of a Black Icarus in headlong flight, to create a new mythology all their own.Churning with codes, enigmas, unforgettable images, this is poetry that resonates with an emotive power that lies beyond immediate comprehension.
Dr Sarah Howe, project supervisor
A gravity defying thrill ride through time, space and language. This startling and audacious work is an odyssey, weaving through 1970s Kampala to Basquiat's 1980s New York, crafted as always with Makoha’s signature precision and sonorous humanity.
Dr Anthony Joseph, Lecturer in Creative Writing
Makoha's debut collection Kingdom of Gravity was shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Prize and was one of the Guardian’s Best Books of the Year. His poems have appeared in The New York Times, The Poetry Review, Poetry Wales, Wasafiri, Boston Review, and Callaloo. He is the founder of Obsidian Foundation and as winner of the Ivan Juritz Prize and the Poetry London Prize, both in 2021.
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Lecturer in Creative Writing