Ali Lawan

04/08/2026

01/25/2026

When first approached me about facilitating the 2-day Shining Voice Poetry Workshop, my first thought was, “Toh, how does this work? What do I say?” I’ve always known poetry in practice, and in 2025, the practice was not much. I was out of touch with poetry, so I took the workshop as an opportunity to reconnect and relearn. When I finished my slides a night before the workshop (because I’m the king of doing things last minute, a habit that must change in 2026) I was optimistic, but still unsure how much it would resonate with the students.

Since the workshop is focused on spoken word, and my topic was Writing, we broke down the word SPOKEN. S for Source, P for Paradigm, O for Oration, K for Keys, E for Exercise (where we wrote a live poem in class), and N for Nexus.
We also explored the four E’s under Sources of writing: Emotion, Experience, Expression, and Endeavor. And we established Endeavor as the most important one—in the end, nothing matters if you don’t actually WRITE.

It was far better than I imagined. For the other lectures, I sat through them on a facilitator’s seat, but as a student. and I judged an impromptu Image to Verse competition. Powerful is an understatement, especially for the Open Mic session that wrapped up the workshop. When creatives come together, poets especially, we create magic, and I was lucky to witness and be a part of it. Wishing the students the best on their writing journeys, and a huge thank you to Aisha for starting 2026 off in this beautiful way ✨

07/31/2025

He walked 12 Kilometers ❤️✨

07/22/2025

What Makes a Man a Man.

07/21/2025

A short one for the night 🏥✨

07/15/2025

To us, your name is not a word
It is a culture. A tatsuniya of war stories
passed down the chapped lips of our
Grandmothers. A consortium of character
where mothers drag their children in the
blossom of midnight. To us, you were more
than a person, but a path—of valiance and
integrity and compassion. Of strength and
discipline and simplicity. You were a rare kind of leader. One that many hoped for, but very few understood. Some people take you to beautiful destinations, others show you what beautiful destinations are meant to look like. You, Baba, are the museum we will never finish building, the chapter beyond grasp, the hero beyond words and story. And before the ground sits tight above us in this unyielding reality, we shall speak of you proudly in the hallways of history. As a hero. As a culture. As a name—General Muhammadu Buhari.

Farewell, Baba, and may God usher your gentle soul into the gardens of Jannah.

01/29/2025

01/19/2025

Toh, we’ve taken the first step. Perhaps one day the second. Engausa, thank you for having me back 😂✨

01/07/2025

A promise is a promise. New profile for 2025, gemu included 😂 my DMs and future fliers are now safe. Jama’a, As salamu alaykum, and have a beautiful year! (Drink a lot water and read a lot of books, Yauwwa!)