What Abby Kesington’s journey reminds us about beginning again.
People often talk about “starting over” as though moving to a new country or changing careers wipes the slate clean.
It rarely does.
More often, you’re navigating a new environment with years of experience already in your hands.
That is one of the lessons we can draw from the journey of Houston-based Nigerian poet Abby Kesington.
Before becoming known for her poetry, Kesington worked as a journalist in Lagos and studied Political Science in Nigeria. Those experiences shaped how she observed the world—paying attention to people, questioning society, and looking beneath the surface of everyday life.
When she later relocated to the United States, she wasn’t beginning from zero. She was entering a different cultural and literary landscape, carrying with her the perspective, discipline and lived experiences she had already built.
Today, her poetry reflects that journey.
Her work explores themes such as identity, resilience, anxiety, freedom, belonging, social justice and hope. Rather than relying on dramatic declarations, she often uncovers profound truths through quiet observations of nature and ordinary life. Her poems invite readers to slow down, reflect and find meaning in experiences that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Her growing body of work has appeared in respected literary publications, including The Bayou Review at the University of Houston, where her poems The Game and Runway were featured in the Fall 2024 “Freedom & Deliverance” edition. She was also included in A Legacy of Freedom, the bilingual anthology Wole Soyinka: The Herald at 90, produced by the Pan African Writers Association to honour the Nobel Laureate. In addition, her poem, “Finding Me,” was published as part of the anthology “The Fire Within” by Women in Visual and Literary Arts of Houston (WIVLA) in 2025. More of Kesington’s poetry can be explored on her official poetry page
One of the most distinctive aspects of Kesington’s writing is the way it blends her Nigerian heritage with her American experience. Instead of leaving one identity behind to embrace another, she allows both to shape her voice. The result is poetry that speaks not only about migration, but about identity, adaptation and the quiet strength required to find your place in a new environment.
For many people, changing countries, careers or industries can feel like starting over.
But stories like Abby Kesington’s remind us that the foundation has already been laid.
The skills you’ve developed, the challenges you’ve overcome, the relationships you’ve built and the lessons you’ve learned remain part of you. A new environment simply gives those experiences a different stage on which to grow.
Whether you’re building a business, changing careers, pursuing a creative calling or beginning a new chapter in life, remember this: Growth isn’t about discarding your past—it’s about carrying its lessons into your future.
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