Amazon Publishing Announces Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa as the Winner of the Little A Ptry Contest

Amazon Publishing Announces Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa as the Winner of the Little A Poetry Contest

Jericho Brown, Cornelius Eady and Kimiko Hahn select Rummage by Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa as the winner of the Little A Poetry Contest

Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa's collection will be published by Little A in 2017

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2016-- (NASDAQ:AMZN)-Today, Amazon Publishing announced the winner of the Little A Poetry Contest, dedicated to the discovery of emerging poets. Judges Jericho Brown, Cornelius Eady and Kimiko Hahn selected Rummage, a poetry collection by Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa, as the winner. Oputa received $5,000 in prize money and a publishing contract featuring a $2,000 advance with Little A, Amazon Publishing's literary imprint. Little A will publish Oputa's debut collection, Rummage, in 2017.

Rummage is an extraordinary debut, full of startling honesty and relentless investigation into what it means to be alive, said David Blum, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Little A. We were incredibly impressed and excited by the talented emerging poets that submitted to our contest, and we are thrilled to publish Rummage. Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa's poetry exemplifies the urgent, emotional and moving poetry that Little A will continue to champion.

I am floored, said winner Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa. I am thankful to Little A and the judges for creating this contest and for Little A's continued support of poetry. Having the judges and Morgan Parker see and advocate for my work is such an honor, and I am humbled by the opportunity to share this book with the world.

Ife-Chudeni A. Oputa is a Cave Canem, Callaloo, and Lambda Literary fellow. Her poetry and prose have appeared or are forthcoming in Matter, Some Call it Ballin, Gabby, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is a native of Fresno, CA.

I was most taken with Rummage's commitment to risk and emotion, said Jericho Brown, Little A Poetry Contest judge and acclaimed poet and winner of the American Book Award. The poems stood out as original and musical. With every line, we get a new sense of arriving, and each poem opens in such a way that compels me to read the rest of the poem.

Rummage explores the eternal themes of the human condition-nature, origin, memory, shame, identity, desire, mortality-with sensitivity and specificity. The book is centered on the speaker's path toward understanding herself, but also speaks to a relatable experience of navigating connection, isolation, and the space in between. Rummage will be published by Little A in 2017 in paperback and eBook. Little A Editor and Pushcart Prize-winning poet Morgan Parker will edit the book.

Rummage will be the first collection of poetry to be published by Little A. Also forthcoming from Little A in 2017 is the poetry collection I Wore My Blackest Hair by Carlina Duan.

For more information on the Little A Poetry Contest and the finalists, please visit www.amazon.com/LittleAPoetry. Amazon Publishing is a brand used by Amazon Content Services LLC and Amazon Media EU Sarl.

About Amazon Publishing

Amazon Publishing is the publishing arm of Amazon.com. The Amazon Publishing family has 14 imprints: 47North, AmazonCrossing, AmazonEncore, Amazon Publishing, Grand Harbor Press, Jet City Comics, Lake Union, Little A, Montlake Romance, Skyscape, StoryFront, Thomas & Mercer, Two Lions, and Waterfall Press.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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