Feyiṣayo Aluko
Feyiṣayo Aluko is a writer, Oral historian and multidisciplinary artist from Nigeria. She is best known for her audio poem Aisha which won the 2023 Independent Audio Fiction Award at The Tribeca Film Festival and the 2024 Gold Signal Award for Best Indie Podcast. Her poetry has been featured at the Radio City Music Hall, the Lincoln Centre and Button Poetry.
Her work lies in the intersection between spoken and written language. She is passionate about storytelling and uses a variety of nontraditional mediums to explore themes of colonialism, migration, language, education and womanhood. She received her BFA in writing from Pratt Institute and is currently pursuing a master's in Oral History from Columbia University
“To be an artist is to be a custodian. This world is ours to design, to change and to poretect.”
Leave the Lights On
This debut collection of poetry explores themes of identity, longing and nostalgia while celebrating the beauty and subsequent joy that comes with change.
Steeped in lyricism, created for immersive audio and written with intention, Leave the Lights On is a journey. One that you are welcome to dive into.
Awards & Recognitions
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Winner of the 2023 Tribeca Independent Audio Fiction award.
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Winner of the 2022 Grand Slam competition
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Recipient of the 2021 Phife Dawg Leadership Award for outstanding work on the Youth Leadership Council
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One of five finalists from the 2021 New York City slam competition.
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One of twenty finalists for the 2021 New York City Youth Poet Laureate program.
Audio and Visual Projects
Aisha
Aisha is a narrative podcast that follows a Palestinian girl in Gaza City, who longs for freedom and safety - without having to give up her cultural and religious identity to the Israeli-American aid worker that wishes to "save" her. Deep below the surface, in a smuggling tunnel, a new Underground Railroad, she dreams of another path, another way.
Sound Designer and main actor: Feyisayo Aluko
June 2023
Leave the Lights On: Section 1
Part of a larger collection of audio poetry, Leave the Lights: On Section 1 explores themes of identity, loss and grief while still leaving room for the poetic. Section 1 has five poems: I, Ballad of the Best Friends, Slow Sips, Sorry is a Selfish Word and Grief Unbelonging.
Sound Designer, writer and producer: Feyisayo Aluko
November 2023
Black is the New Black
Feyisayo Aluko performs her spoken word poem, Black is the New Black alongside Jennifer Martinez and Stephanie Pacheco at the NYC Town Hall. Sponsored by Button Poetry.
February 2023
I am Woman
A visual celebration of womanhood, beauty and community. Produced, voiced and directed by Feyisayo Aluko.
May 2022