David J Bauman

Technical difficulties.

I hate that phrase, but that’s what I ran into last night while preparing episode 13 of the In Three Poems poetry podcast. Was it bad luck or poor preparation? Only my hairdresser knows for sure!

But seriously, even before the tech issues, I was having a hard time editing this episode down. It was just so delightful to chat with Saddiq Dzukogi, and it was hard to trim much away from our chat. You see, I first read a poem of his nine years ago when I was the lead editor for Word Fountain: The Literary Magazine of the Osterhout Free Library. We had a print version and an online version, and it was such a great experience.

The Podcast

When I read Saddiq’s piece that we then published in 2017, I knew this would be a writer to watch, and I wanted to read everything he’d write after. In this episode, Saddiq reads an excerpt from his second book, Bakandamiya, a book-length epic poem that combines folk lore, prayer, and poetic brilliance to examine and at times critique his own religion and how it came to Nigeria through conquest.

However heavy that may sound, the conversation is also full of joy, light, and laughter, and I really hope you’ll give a listen. You can either hit play below or go to inthreepoems.com and hit the big “Follow” button in the upper corner to be guided to the podcast on your favorite podcasting platform, (Apple, Spotify, iHeart, etc.).

If you’re on your phone now, here’s the page:

You can even watch on YouTube if that’s your thing! In fact, for my old (no insult intended) YouTuber friends, I’ll embed the episode below as well.

Oh! And thanks for sharing and spreading the podcast. I am delighted to be finally doing this thing I’d envisioned for some time now. If you do like it, maybe consider giving it a rating or review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. I promise to kiss you (or not kiss you, if that is a bigger motivator) for doing so!

Epics and Couplets with Saddiq Dzukogi – In Three Poems

Welcome to In Three Poems, where we read three poems with a different guest poet each episode, and the third poem is always a work by another poet, chosen by our guest. David talks poetry, faith, and folklore, method and mythology, with Nigerian poet and professor of English, Saddiq Dzukogi. Text the show!Support the showPOEM 1. “Ring” First published in Poetry Magazine (September, 2021), read by DavidPOEM 2. Excerpt from Bakandamiya: An Elegy (University of Nebraska Press, 2025), read by Saddiq.POEM 3. "Vows” by Gbenga Adesina from Death Does Not End at the Sea (University of Nebraska Press, 2025), read by Saddiq.Links:Ring by Saddiq Dzukogi, Poetry MagazineSaddiq DzukogiSaddiq’s BooksGbenga Adesina’ Death Does Not End at the SeaSaddiq's Bio:Saddiq Dzukogi is the author of Your Crib, My Qibla (Nebraska, 2021), winner of the Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry and the Julie Suk Award– and shortlisted for the Nigeria Prize for Literature, and most recently, Bakandamiya: An Elegy (Nebraska, 2025).His poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Kenyon Review, Prairie Schooner, Narrative Magazine, Ploughshares, Guernica Magazine, Poetry London, Best American Experimental Writing Anthology, and Cincinnati Review. He has received fellowships from the Nebraska Arts Council, Mississippi Arts Commission, and Cave Canem.Text the show!Support the show

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