Turning Homeward
This collection of poems charts a journey from the restless stirrings of youth to the introspective clarity of middle age. It explores the experiences that shape us—angst, redemption, love, loss, resilience, victory—and the quiet revelations that emerge along the way. Each poem is a step inward, reflecting the tension between searching and arriving, between becoming and being. Ultimately, this is a celebration of life in all its complexity: its ache, its beauty, its capacity to transform. Turning Homeward invites readers to pause, reflect, and find meaning in the moments that mark our passage toward self-understanding.
Philip Kofi Nutsugah
was born and raised in Ghana. An alumnus of Achimota School in Accra, he later moved to the
United States to pursue higher education at the University of South Florida (USF), where he
earned a degree in Communications. At USF, he studied creative writing with Dr. Willie Reader
and distinguished himself in poetry, winning the Estelle J. Zbar Award (1987) and the Academy of
American Poets Award (1988). He was selected for the Hillsborough County Arts Council’s Artists
in Schools program, teaching poetry writing to public elementary school students.
About Turning
Homeward
I did not set out to write a memoir, but if this collection were one, it would unfold in five chapters, each shaped by the contours of my life in America, beginning with a bitterly cold winter in the early 1980s. The opening poem, Turning Homeward, serves as a metaphor for that journey from immigrant dislocation through ambition and assimilation into reflection, returning to the beginning and yearning to find the roots of my deepest truths.
Excerpts From
The Collection
What Readers Are Saying
"These poems do not announce themselves loudly. They move carefully. Meaning accumulates slowly, through layered images and restraint, mirroring the condition of one stalled between what they were and what they have not yet become."
Anthony Johnson
"This is deliciously rich poetry. The language is so vivid and colorful, so unique and powerful without being overbearing. I love the variations of styles and patterns. I long to hear them read aloud."
Maliik Baraka
"Reading fine poetry for me is like looking into a mirror that reflects and adds meaning and depth to my own story. This is exactly what I experience with Turning Homeward. With immense respect for the human experiences of wonder, adventure, fear, sorrow, laughter and love…especially love…Philip gently touches the heart and soul found in all our stories. It is an act of LOVE."
Sam Sligar
Reading this book was like walking through an art gallery full of striking portraits, vast landscapes, and deeply-felt expressionistic studies. The highly descriptive imagery and musicality of the poems create a journey that feels expansive, textured and richly shaped.
Kevin Sherry
"I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I smiled, wept and consistently reached for a dictionary. "
Keith Holmes