Citizen Within: Poems

Where does citizenship truly begin? For some, it starts exactly where the paperwork ends.

In Citizen Within, Namibian author Christi N. Warner presents a powerful solo collection of reflective verse. As a distinct female immigrant voice in African diaspora literature, she explores the complex intersections of identity and belonging. This book is an intimate journey into the immigrant experience and migration, capturing the emotional realities of leaving one world to build another.

Warner's poems about motherhood and family trace the invisible threads of lineage that connect continents, bridging her African heritage with her life in the United Kingdom. Standing out among Southern African poets and contemporary poetry by women, her work offers a deeply personal look at finding home and citizenship in a world often defined by rigid borders.

Citizen Within is a testament to the daily practice of courage and care required to build a life in a new land. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever searched for their place in the world, beautifully articulating the ongoing, lived experience of true belonging.

"A delicate and evocative collection... Citizenship appears here as a daily practice, enacted across bodies, relationships, and time. Citizen Within reveals that belonging is not a legal figure, but a disposition."

• Nando Sigona, Professor of International Migration and Forced Displacement

"Citizen Within creates an inventive space for revisiting what we take for granted. It gets under the skin of the everyday and illuminates in fiery, cooling, expansive terms how individuals make up society."

• Dr Janet Remmington, Literary Scholar and Publisher

"Heart-warming and unflinchingly real... The sentences are enriching, the stanzas alive with insecurity, fear, strength, courage, and community. Namibia is proud that she continues to carry its sun, warmth, and culture in her poetry."

• Yvonne Dausab, Former Minister of Justice, Republic of Namibia