The Basket Mouth
When silence becomes too heavy to carry, will you dare to speak?
In the
towns of Lebin and Chong, growing up means learning when to
speak—and when to stay silent. For Peter, that silence has been a
form of safety. Afraid to express his love, his doubts, and his
dreams, he quietly watches life pass him by.
But when
fire strikes, relationships falter, and the community begins to
fracture, Peter and his friends must confront their deepest
fears—within themselves and around them. Can a shy young man
become a leader? Can wounded hearts find healing through honesty?
With raw emotion and poetic insight, Stephen Ekokobe Awung tells a powerful story of youth navigating trauma, love, and hope in contemporary Africa. The Basket Mouth is a compelling novel about finding strength in vulnerability, unity in brokenness, and the courage to be heard—even when your voice shakes.

In this striking collection, Stephen Ekokobe Awung explores the quiet depths of human experience—love, loss, memory, and resilience. Each poem is a carefully woven thread, binding together raw emotion and timeless reflection.
For readers who seek words that resonate, awaken, and endure, this book is both a mirror and a lantern.