bio.

Theophina is a writer, essayist, avid lilaphile and award-winning published poet. His main interests are centred on Black British art and fiction, with a particular focus on narratives from within Black LGBTQ+ communities.
 

A previous Foyles Young Poet, his writing has appeared in various mediums from BBC digital content commissions to freelance articles in The Bookseller, and radio poetry features. His poetry has been adapted for short films and used for teaching in universities and schools in the UK and US. He has been hosted on industry panels, selected for poetry residentials, delivered creative workshops and given live readings and performances of his work in Oxford, London and Slough.

Theophina holds a BA in Philosophy & Theology from the University of Oxford, where he founded the award-winning independent publication for Black creatives, Onyx Magazine. In 2018, he was also the recipient of the Rare Rising Stars Award; an award for the UK's top 10 outstanding Black students. In 2021 he was shortlisted for the Vogue New Talent Competition under the New Writing Category.

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After graduating, Theophina worked in publishing at Penguin Random House with Stormzy's imprint  #Merky Books before leaving publishing to pursue his own creative career. He now works as a published essayist, poet, freelance artist and the Editor-in-chief of Onyx. His creative mediums span poetry, writing, dance, short film, piano and mixed media artworks.

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