In this moving, joyful and vulnerable episode of Crow Reads, I talk with author and postdoctoral fellow, Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike about his short story collection Double Walhala, Double Trouble, how the tenderness of Shakespeare and other romantic poets brought him to poetry during dark times in Nigeria’s history, the value of family, mentorship and relationships in both African and Alberta literary communities, inhabiting and reflecting character realities, and, how poetry, story and being part of literary communities has helped him navigate anti-blackness in North America while continuing following his impulse for joy.