Ismail Bala
The ZODML Poetry Prize 2026 · Judge 
Ismail Bala
Poet Translator Critic
Biography
“A poet, translator, and critic whose mentorship has shaped a generation of emerging African poets.”
Ismail Bala is a Nigerian poet, translator, and critic whose work bridges classical poetics and modern sensibility. His mentorship has helped shape a generation of emerging African poets. He completed his undergraduate studies at Bayero University, Kano, and later undertook his postgraduate studies at Oxford Brookes University. He is a Fellow of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.
He is the author of Line of Sight (Praxis, 2020), A Span of Something (INKspired, 2024), Ivory Night (KSR, 2024), Memory of Departure (Masobe, 2026) and Mad about her Shrimp (Mwanaka, 2026). He also curates “The Bala Selection,” a bi-weekly poetry feature for Konya Shamsrumi showcasing new voices from across Africa and beyond, and his scholarly work includes writing on poetry by women from Northern Nigeria and on the teaching of poetry. His poems have been translated into Latvian, Belarusian, Nepalese, Slovenian, Polish and French.
Think your poem has what it takes?
Also Judging the 2026 Prize
