Kemi Alabi wins First Book Award from poets academy April 8, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail This image released by the Academy of American Poets shows Kemi Alabi, recipient of the First Book Award from the Academy of American Poets. Alabi's “Against Heaven” is scheduled for publication in Spring 2022. (Ally Almore/Academy of American Poets via AP)Ally Almore/AP NEW YORK (AP) — A Chicago-based writer and activist has received the First Book Award from the Academy of American Poets. Kemi Alabi's “Against Heaven” is scheduled for publication in Spring 2022. Alabi, chosen for the honor by the acclaimed poet Claudia Rankine, will receive $5,000 and a six-week, all-expenses-paid residency at the Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy. The academy will also purchase and distribute thousands of copies of “Against Heaven.”