african writers' evening

Poets Nick Makoha and Inua Ellams are performing on Friday 31st March at the Poetry Cafe, in the first African Writers' Evening (AWE) this year. Both have featured on the AWE open mike before they became published writers. Host of the evening is writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes who will be reading some of his favourite poems from Dance The Guns to Silence - the anthology of 100 poems in memory of Ken Saro-Wiwa, published last November. A fiction writer will also join the line-up on the night.

AWE on Nick Makoha
Nick 'urbanspirit' Makoha is an immensely talented poet of Ugandan origin. On stage he drops a succession of interwoven one-liners so deep that every longitude ever imagined begins to shiver with insecurity. The original poet-in-residence with London's revered performance showcase, Kindred Spirit, urbanspirit catapulted himself to legendary status by disappearing off the poetry scene for two years. He re-emerged in early 2005 with The Lost Collection of an Invisible Man. He has now begun to reclaim the territory he haunted for many years.

AWE on Inua Ellams
An incredibly talented writer, Inua Ellams lacks long legs yet he manages, inexplicably, to straddle the divide between hip hop and Soyinka effortlessly. He rains poems and images so fly that migratory birds that visited his Nigerian home have refused to leave. Inua is the author of 13 Fairy Negro Tales and a winner of several poetry slams.


Event Details
The Poetry Cafe
22 Betterton Street
Covent Garden
London WC2

Friday 31st March 2006 at 7.30pm