At the age of twenty-one, poet Lydia Okutoro '98 learned that Simon & Schuster was interested in publishing her anthology. Called Quiet Storm, the collection of poetry by people of African descent between the ages of thirteen and twenty-two has been two years in the making and is scheduled for publication later this year.
The idea for the book came to Okutoro as a student at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH. There she completed a senior project collecting poetry, essays, short stories, and artwork by students and alumni of color. During her first year at MHC, Okutoro compiled her own and other young people's poetry into a larger collection that would represent a broader range of talent and experiences.
Okutoro was born in Nigeria and raised in the U.S. from the age of nine. As a product of the African diaspora, she says, "I had an important story to tell: about leaving my native homeland and making a new home elsewhere, about ultimately being a stranger to both places, about trying to 'fit in' and eventually carving out a comfortable identity." She wondered if other young people felt the same way and began to see a pattern in the way that her peers expressed themselves. She created Quiet Storm for young poets to share their work with one another and the world.
English professor John Lemly was faculty adviser for Okutoro's independent course, which allowed her to work on Quiet Storm for credit last year. Lemly commented, "Lydia sought out fellow poets of African descent from all over the world. Her volume is truly in the African artistic mode--where the arts are essentially communal, collective to an extent not true in the West. To do this as a sophomore is extraordinary."
The anthology comprises a "fascinating" group of poems, according to Lemly. The poets' voices range from highly sophisticated to simple and powerfully direct. Okutoro's job was to meld the poetry into a single volume, sorting them into groups so each poem adds to a cumulative effect.
A poet from an early age, Okutoro's poetic gifts complemented her work as editor. She expects Quiet Storm to include about eighty poems, written mostly by black female students. It will also feature poetry from young men and residents of countries such as Canada, Jamaica, Haiti, and Somalia.
An English and African American/ African studies double major, Okutoro plans to continue her success in publishing and writing after graduation.
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