The Woman of Jerusalem

Wellington Nwogu's The Woman of Jerusalem is a mythopoeia of the infusion of allusions, religious canton and love to interrogate the socio-cultural and political realities of contemporary Nigeria, Africa, and the world. Wellington shows a great stylistic and metaphorical shift in this collection, in that love is interpreted relative of socio-realism. The "woman" image, whatever form she assumes in her metaphorical fluidity, is used as a trope to signal that which is desired, longed for, dreamed of, but not seen- just like the yearning of Nigerians for political dividends which they're continually denied. Here is a shift that is also a promise. -Nket Godwin, poet, critic, essayist. Dr Wellington Nwogu is one of the emerging voices in the Niger Delta poetry craft. A survey of his oeuvre indicates an impressive commitment to creativity and literary excellence... I recommend Nwogu's The Woman of Jerusalem to the literary enthusiasts across the world, especially those interested in the poetry of minority people in Africa and Nigeria. -Eyoh Etim, PhD, winner, 2023 LNG Prize for Literary Criticism. Gripping! Poems in Wellington Nwogu's The Woman of Jerusalem confront stark realities of oil theft, gas flares, and despoliation faced by his Niger Delta people amidst oil greed and modern ills, as he longs for a homeland as beautiful as his imaginary woman of Jerusalem. -Liz Mastin, author of Lake Dancers, Coeur d'Alene, United States.