Born and raised in Nairobi, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo is an interdisciplinary story-maker forging paths to joy and freedom, primarily through poetry and film. Twice nominated for the Brunel University African Poetry Prize and the Pushcart Prize, and widely published in esteemed literary journals worldwide, she is the author of two poetry collections: “blue mothertongue” and “Dagoretti Corner.” Through “quotidian acts of self-making,” Ngwatilo’s poems reflect her concern for justice and this special planet we all share. Once described as “a priest of the art of performed poetry,” she has presented her poems and scholarship in 15 countries around the world. In 2021, Ngwatilo made her debut as a writer/director with “Joy’s Garden,” a short film selected by over a dozen international film festivals that earned five nominations at Kenya’s national film awards. She went on to write “Inheritance” (2024), an award-winning trilingual magical realism short currently on its festival run. Ngwatilo holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of British Columbia.