Jumoke Verissimo is a poet and novelist based in Toronto. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta and currently teaches creative writing at the Toronto Metropolitan University. Her first novel was nominated for international awards, including the RSL Ondaatje Prize and the Edinburgh Festival First Book Award. It won the Aidoo-Snyder Book Prize.
Jumoke is also the author of three poetry collections, a children’s book and she has co-authored a poetry anthology. Her books are in translation in Brazillian Portuguese and Italian.
NEW RELEASE
Everyone carries a piece of the war within them: what happens when we neglect to consider each individual’s story? The Nigerian-Biafra War (1967–70) erupted when the southeastern region of Nigeria, known as Biafra, declared independence. It was a major conflict; however, this war remains largely absent from official historical accounts. While victims have passed down their experiences across generations, the official silence and the dominance of narratives from larger ethnic groups have perpetuated stereotypes that diminish the suffering of some victims. The differing narratives that are absent from history books continue to divide and polarize social groups within Nigeria and beyond.
Weaving together cut-ups and redactions from personal narratives, historical accounts, and reflections on the enduring impact of war, and with raw language and searing imagery, the poems in Circumtrauma grapple deep-seated divisions.
This collection compels readers to confront the profound and often-silenced complexities of history, the intergenerational weight of inherited suffering, and the urgent need to acknowledge the diverse experiences and perspectives of all those impacted by the tragedy of war. It is a testament to the enduring power of art to bear witness to the human condition, offering a path towards healing and reconciliation.
Praise
Listed as one of CBC Books’s Best Canadian Poetry Books of 2025
‘Not just a book of poems, but a beautiful and devastating monument to Nigerian history. Verissimo harnesses the power of repetition and reimagination to capture a past that lives on in the psyche, the body, and collective memory. CIRCUMTRAUMA sings with astonishing sentences and images; it is vital, breath-taking work.’ – Billy-Ray Belcourt, author of The Idea of an Entire Life and Coexistence.
‘Circumtrauma works the threshold of language as it rears up against the crude arithmetic of war and the regimes of ruin that saturate memory, history, and the body. Richly observed and felt.’
– Canisa Lubrin, author of Code Noir
‘At once personal and collective, Circumtrauma stands as a powerful act of remembrance. It restores complexity to a history too often simplified or ignored and insists on empathy as a political and creative force.’ – Open Book, Canada
‘Through Verissimo, her lyrics hold together precisely because of the way she pulls them apart, focusing on individual moments, elements and parts of speech, collecting together to form a far wider and complex tapestry.’ – rob mclennan’s blog
In The Press
Punch Newspaper
"One of those who will change the face of literature in Nigeria."
The Guardian
"Hypnotic, expertly crafted and full of subtle power"
Africainwords
"Verissimo clinically dissects conversations and issues, making her characters easier to connect to and the story more familiar."
BrittlePaper
"A mixture of beautiful writing and off-the-wall characters"