Felis Catus Press

Felis Catus Press Traditionally publishing finest poetry from Nigeria

1️⃣ Chop words for rhythm. Sometimes “’cause” hits harder than “because.” Rhythm can justify such breaks.2️⃣ The last wo...
07/11/2025

1️⃣ Chop words for rhythm. Sometimes “’cause” hits harder than “because.” Rhythm can justify such breaks.

2️⃣ The last word’s sound should feel intentional— a vowel that hangs, a consonant that snaps shut.

3️⃣ Steal a cadence. Borrow the rhythm of a prayer, chant, lullaby, or news broadcast, then fit your own words into it.

4️⃣ Let your ear override grammar. Sometimes the rhythm demands breaking grammatical rules. Trust the ear when it knows better.

5️⃣ Don’t force a poem into a sonnet or haiku just to prove you can. Let the form emerge from the poem’s mood and needs. Some ideas want the tight breath of a haiku; others need the sprawl of free verse.

6️⃣ The gaps on a page are not emptiness — they are breaths, pauses, and moments for the reader to digest. Shape your stanzas with breathing in mind.

7️⃣ Instead of cutting a line after a full stop, try breaking it where the meaning turns, or where the sound changes, to pull the reader forward, to create surprise.

1️⃣ Let similar sounds repeat in different words— “stone,” “storm,” “story”— to weave subtle threads of connection.2️⃣ ...
31/10/2025

1️⃣ Let similar sounds repeat in different words— “stone,” “storm,” “story”— to weave subtle threads of connection.

2️⃣ Short lines can punch; long lines can flow. Varying them can create a musical tension in the poem.

3️⃣ A repeated word or phrase can become a drumbeat that drives the poem forward.

4️⃣ Let onomatopoeia work for you. Sometimes “buzz” or “clang” or “whisper” is the best way to make the reader hear what you mean.

5️⃣ Shift the tempo mid-poem. Speed up the rhythm in moments of urgency; slow it down when you want the reader to linger.

6️⃣ Internal rhymes and slant rhymes can make a poem feel musical without the sing-song effect of end rhymes.

7️⃣ Test the poem in a whisper. If it still works in a whisper, it's strong. If it collapses, you may need to adjust the sound balance.





1️⃣ Shadows can reveal as much as they hide— the shape of someone’s absence, the distortion of something we thought we k...
24/10/2025

1️⃣ Shadows can reveal as much as they hide— the shape of someone’s absence, the distortion of something we thought we knew.

2️⃣ Even if your poem is realistic, creating one impossible detail— a bird that sings in sixteen voices— can make it memorable.

3️⃣ Water can be calm, raging, reflective, or murky. Its presence can instantly alter the tone of your poem.

4️⃣ Read your work out loud. The mouth will catch what the eye misses— clumsy rhythms, repeated words, awkward phrasing.

5️⃣ Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, but every poem has music. Look for repeated sounds, the drumbeat of certain consonants, the hum of vowels.

6️⃣ Pauses are not empty— they are part of the rhythm. A well-placed break can make a line hit harder.

7️⃣ Pick a song, drum pattern, or heartbeat tempo and write lines that fit into its rhythm.

We are curating a list of of poetry collections by Nigerian poets that have been published in 2025 or are forthcoming th...
18/10/2025

We are curating a list of of poetry collections by Nigerian poets that have been published in 2025 or are forthcoming through 2026 & where you can get them.

Check it out on X.

Link in the comment.

[Tracking Nigerian Poetry: 2025–2026 Poetry Collections to Watch]

🧵...

Cheers 🥂

1️⃣ Don’t be afraid to let Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin, or Arabic enter your lines. Let your poem wear your voice. Langu...
12/09/2025

1️⃣ Don’t be afraid to let Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin, or Arabic enter your lines. Let your poem wear your voice. Language is a home.

2️⃣ You don’t “discover” your poetic voice. You write your way into it. Find your voice by using it.

3️⃣ Let the I be honest. First-person poems carry weight. Speak truth. Even if the “I” is invented, it must still be honest.

4️⃣ Some poems take months. Some, even years. Don’t rush everything. Some poems need to ferment. Others need to fail before they form.

5️⃣ Start small. A haiku can teach you more about economy and precision than a sprawling free verse.

6️⃣ Leave room for silence. The unsaid can be as powerful as the said. Let your poem breathe.

7️⃣ Don’t over-explain. Trust your reader. Trust the image. Not everything needs a summary line.

Our Managing Editor, Odu Ode, is a guest at Kano International Poetry Festival where he'll be discussing his book "Bac...
09/09/2025

Our Managing Editor, Odu Ode, is a guest at Kano International Poetry Festival where he'll be discussing his book "Back Home, There is a box of Chocolate; alongside the enigmatic Bá Sabouke who discusses "Seeking Barhama."

Odu Ode's books "Dave Nkosi" and "Back Home, There is Box of Chocolate" will be available for purchase at the venue. Sabouke's book "Seeking Barhama" will also be available.

Cheers 🥂

1️⃣Show your readers something new. Avoid “tears like rain.” What does grief smell like in your village? What does joy s...
05/09/2025

1️⃣Show your readers something new. Avoid “tears like rain.” What does grief smell like in your village? What does joy sound like at your mother’s knee?

2️⃣Don’t force a metaphor to behave. Let it evolve. Let it surprise you too.

3️⃣Poetry is not a competition. Another poet’s brilliance doesn’t shrink yours. Let good poetry inspire, not intimidate.

4️⃣A poet notices what others step over.
Write the ant, the cracked heel, the pot of stew, the grass tips brushed by wind.
Be the observer. Give attention to details.

5️⃣Don’t wait to sound “global.” Write the palm wine, the harmattan, the dongoyaro tree, the street preacher. Write you. Write where you’re from.

6️⃣In revision, ask: “What is this poem really trying to say?” Cut, to the core, until what’s left is necessary.

7️⃣Every “freedom” in free verse carries a responsibility—structure, rhythm, language, emotion.
Make your choices deliberate.
Free verse is not really free.

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04/09/2025

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