calendar

Readings - March 20 & April 13

2008-03-16T22:23:00.003Z

Great news! I'll be reading from my novel at two events in the next few weeks - Thursday March 20 2008 at the Poetry Cafe for the African Writers' Evening (a whole 30 minutes!) and Sunday April 13 2008 for the PEN International Literature Festival at the Royal Festival Hall. Please join me - they are both cheap entry £4 and £5 respectively...

Thursday March 20 2008:

For the month of March, the month of Ghana's independence and the most recent national assembly elections in Uganda, we are proud to present the two AWE hosts from last year - Nick Makoha of Uganda and Nii Ayikwei Parkes from Ghana. Under the banner of Old Faces, New Work, Nick will be reading exclusive new material from his forthcoming debut poetry book, which builds on the success of his acclaimed chapbook The Lost Collection of an Invisible Man, while Nii will be reading from his debut novel, Tail of the Blue Bird,which will be released in April 2009 by Jonathan Cape. Nii will introduce Nick Makoha and host the first half and Nick will introduce Nii and host the second half. We hope you'll join us for what promises to be a brilliant evening of poetry and prose.

Author Biographies:

Nick Makoha: Nick Makoha is an hugely gifted poet of Ugandan origin, with an uncommon talent for loaded one-liners. Original poet-in-residence with London's revered performance showcase, Kindred Spirit, Nick (perfoming under the moniker 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 and is now working on a new collection to be released in 2008 by flipped eye publishing.

Nii Ayikwei Parkes: Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a Ghanaian writer of poetry, prose and articles who has published three poetry chapbooks: eyes of a boy, lips of a man (1999); M is for Madrigal (2004), a selection of seven jazz poems; and shorter (2005). His is also a contributing editor to The Liberal, and runs the African Writers' Evening series at the Poetry Cafe, in Covent Garden, London. Nii's poem, Tin Roof, was selected for the 'Poems on the Underground' initiative in 2007 and his debut novel, Tail of the Blue Bird, will be released in April 2009 by Jonathan Cape.

Sunday 13 April 2008:

International Futures in association with Pen International Magazine Mohamed Magani, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Selma Dabbagh & friends

Sunday 13 April 6pm
Spirit Level at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre

International Futures gets right to the heart of International PEN's work, celebrating the great writers you know and the great writers you don't. Compère and contributor Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a Ghanian novelist and performance poet; Mohamed Magani, an Algerian novelist and short story writer, is applauded as one of Maghrebi literature's most prominent voices; and Palestinian Selma Dabbagh was shortlisted for the David Wong Short Story Prize. They will share the platform with Maria Francesca LoDico and Niki Aguirre.

Tickets: £5

African Writers' Evening - I'm hosting/reading!

2007-11-14T20:26:00.000Z

AFRICAN WRITERS' EVENING w/ Isobel Dixon & Biram Mboob
Friday 16 November 2007, 7.30pm (doors)
Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, London (Covent Garden tube)
4.00 / 3.00 (conc)
www.x-bout.com/awe
---

In November (Friday, 16th November) the African Writers' Evening brings you a classic AWE line up - one poet, one prose-writer, one South African, one West African, two points on the continent's compass in one cool English night. From South Africa we have Isobel Dixon, whose debut collection Weather Eye won two awards at home, reading from a new collection, A Fold in the Map; and from Gambia, representing West Africa, we have Biram Mboob, a former Tell Tales contributor and emerging novelist intent on carving out a space for African Science Fiction. Obviously it's destined to be a heavenly night experienced at warp-speed, for we also welcome back our regular host Nii Ayikwei Parkes, who has recently been appointed International Writing Fellow at Southampton University. Join us for a fun-filled, thought-inspiring evening.

AUTHOR BIOS:

Isobel Dixon was born in Umtata, South Africa, and grew up in the Karoo, the desolate region that has inspired so many South African writers. Her poetry has been widely published in South Africa, where she won the Sanlam Prize and the Olive Schreiner Prize for her collection Weather Eye, and she has received international exposure with poems in The Paris Review, Wasafiri, Avocado, The Guardian, London Magazine, and The Tall Lighthouse Review, among others. Isobel's poems have appeared in many anthologies, including several of the British Council New Writing volumes, and she has been translated into Dutch and Turkish. Her new collection A Fold in the Map is published by Salt in the UK and Jacana in South Africa.

Biram Mboob's stories aim to re-live the Golden Age of Sci-Fi through an African pair of eyes and it is to this end that he has been writing African Science Fiction for the past few years. Biram was born in The Gambia in 1979 but has travelled through much of the African continent, an experience that markedly shapes his writing. Biram was the winner of the 2004 Shorelines National Black First Chapter competition and has had his work featured in SABLE Magazine, Calabash Magazine and Tell Tales Volume II. His work is also featured in the forthcoming anthology, Dreams, Miracles and Jazz: Adventures in New African Fiction. Biram currently lives in South London and is working on his first novel.

On Radio: BBC World Service (Sept 14, 2007)

2007-09-09T08:39:00.001Z

The first part of the 2-Part Radio documentary I recorded with Producer Sue Waldram for the BBC World Service will be on at the following times (GMT, I presume):

FRI 14th Sept 0930, 2130
SAT 15th Sept 00.30
SUN 16th Sept 0135, 2235

Catch it if you can...

Live Fiction @ Treadwell's London Monday 06.08.07

2007-08-02T20:05:00.001Z

Monday, 6 August 2007, 7:00 pm
Liars' Cramp
Live Fiction@ Treadwells Bookshop
34 Tavistock Street,
Covent Garden, London WC2
Free entry/Stories on sale
Download Flyer
---

Liars Cramp is a group of talented London writers, short story tellers and novelists, dedicated to writing and performing live fiction. Formed from a core group of friends who met on the MA Creative Writing course at Birkbeck, the group has had enormous success with publication of their short stories internationally in anthologies and magazines such as Tell Tales, Storyteller Magazine, Pulp, The New Writer and x magazine. Two members of the group have major books coming out in the next twelve months.

WHO IS READING?

Niki Aguirre:
NIKI has lived and travelled widely in the US, South America and Europe. She now resides in London, where she is completing her collection of short stories, 29 Ways to Drown, which will be released in October 2007. Niki studied English at the University of Illinois and graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck. She's also working on a novel, Transcending the Virtual, is due to be completed later this year.

Harry Whitehead:
HARRY works in film and television. He has published poetry, short fiction, academic articles on anthropology, and he has a book on Nepalese tantric art coming out soon.

Nii Ayikwei Parkes:
NII grew up in Ghana, working as a food technologist before becoming a full-time performance poet; he has since branched into fiction with considerable success. Co-founder of the Tell Tales short story initiative, his oeuvre includes the books eyes of a boy, lips of a man and M is for Madrigal, and Incredible Blues, a CD. He received an Arts Council Award for his recently completed novel, Afterbirth, and is a former associate writer-in-residence at BBC Radio 3.

Also reading will be Matt Loukes.

FURTHER INFORMATION
http://mondayliars.wordpress.com/

AFRICAN WRITERS' EVENING - Friday 18 May 2007

2007-05-13T23:31:00.001Z

On Friday May 18, I'll be at the AWE where we feature fantastic two female writers - one with South African roots, the other with East African roots. I'll be hosting as usual.

Details are:
AFRICAN WRITERS' EVENING
Friday 18 May 2007, 7.30pm (doors)
Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, London (Covent Garden tube)
4.00 / 3.00 (conc)

AUTHOR BIOS:

Zoë Wicomb:
Born in Namaqualand, South Africa, Zoë Wicomb was educated both in South Africa and the United Kingdom. After a stint teaching at the University of the Western Cape, she now works as professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde. Zoë is the author of numerous essays on South African writing and culture, and of several acclaimed works of fiction, including the books, You Can't Get Lost in Cape Town, David's Story, and Playing in the Light. Her short stories also appear in The Penguin Book of Contemporary South African Short Stories, The Heinemann Book of South African Short Stories, THE Art of the Story: International Anthology of Contemporary Short Stories. Zoë Wicomb's work has been translated into French, German, Italian, Dutch and Swedish.

Sharmila Chauhan:
Sharmila Chauhan was born in London to East-African Indian parents from Zambia and Kenya. Although she is a pharmacologist, she has been writing fiction for several years and has had work published in the acclaimed Tell Tales anthology series. Her work focuses on the experiences of British Asians, particularly those living in London. She is currently working on a novel, provisionally titled Devi.

FURTHER INFORMATION
http://www.x-bout.com/awe
To reserve a place, send an e-mail to events [at] x-bout [dot] com. We may not reply to all reservations but they are ALL registered.

Songs of Spring @ Keats House - Wed. May 16 2007.

2007-05-11T12:06:00.001Z

The Literary Circle, the event wing of The Liberal, launches its new programme with Songs of Spring on 16th May 2007; an evening of poetry reading with David Constantine and a selection of the finest young poets in Britain, including

Nii Ayikwei Parkes,
Niccoló Milanese,
Olivia McCannon
Sasha Dugdale

Venue: Keats House, Keats Grove, Hampstead, NW3 2RR
Tickets: £6/£4, with a complimentary glass of wine.
Date: 16th May 2007.
To reserve your place and for information on future events, please call (020) 8444 1944 or email literarycircle@theliberal.co.uk .

Wednesday April 18 - ORSP Café

2007-04-16T16:21:00.000Z

ORSP Café

CSULA’s New Center for Contemporary Poetry & Poetics readings, organised by Lauri Ramey:
This event will also feature readings by some of our resident and visiting poets. Refreshments will be served.
University Club
Call the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at (323) 343-5366 for more information.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 3:00PM - 4:30PM

Link: http://www.calstatela.edu/univ/calendar/

Nii Ayikwei Parkes @ Music Hall, CalState LA: Thursday April 5, 2007

2007-04-03T02:12:00.000Z

Reading from The Makings of You

April, 5 2007 at Music Hall, CalState LA
5151 State University Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90032
Cost : FREE

British Council writer-in-residence, Nii Ayikwei Parkes does the first reading of his residency in the California State University, Los Angeles Music Hall. He will be reading from his published chapbooks, but mainly from new unpublished work which will be included in his next collection, The Makings of You.

Websites:
http://www.calstatela.edu/
English Department @ CalState
British Council

African Writers' Evening @ Poetry Cafe, London: Friday 16.03.2007

2007-03-13T00:01:00.001Z

In my first post-latest-novel reading I'll be at the Poetry Cafe... Come hang with me:

AFRICAN WRITERS' EVENING
Friday 16 March 2007, 7.30pm (doors)
Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, London (Covent Garden tube)
4.00 / 3.00 (conc)
---

For the first event of 2007 month African Writers' Evening presents the literary activist, writer and editor Kadija Sesay along with other African writers in this season opening event. The next African Writers' Evening after this will be on May 18, 2007 and will feature the sublime South African writer Zoe Wicomb. Hosted by Nii Ayikwei
Parkes who will share an excerpt from his just-completed novel, Afterbirth.

AUTHOR BIO:

Kadija Sesay:
Of Sierra Leonean descent, Kadija is the founder/publisher of SABLE LitMag and editor of Six Plays by Black and Asian Women Writers, Write Black, Write British: From Post Colonial to Black British Writing; she co-edited, IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain, Dance the Guns to Silence: 100 Poems for Ken Saro Wiwa and the forthcoming short story anthology, Dreams, Miracles and Jazz: Adventures in African Fiction. She is also the series editor for the Inscribe imprint for Peepal Tree Press. Kadija is currently the General Secretary of African Writers Abroad (PEN) Centre and a Kennedy Center Fellow. She has received several awards for her work in the creative arts.

FURTHER INFORMATION
http://www.x-bout.com/awe

So What

2007-01-19T23:52:00.000Z


Ghanaian writer Nii Ayikwei Parkes was given a microphone and asked to explain his poem 'So What'; his response was this extended off-the-cuff video that includes the poem. Director Paul Watts recorded and edited the session. Filmed in West London.

Thursday, November 16, 2006 at Folkestone Literary Festival

2006-11-12T14:58:00.000Z

Off the Page @ Folkestone Literary Festival.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Venue: Leas Club, The Leas, Folkestone CT20 2DP
Time: 8.00pm
Cost: £4.00 /3.00 (conc.)
Info: http://www.folkestonelitfest.co.uk/

An evening showcasing some of the most exciting talent from the spoken word & performance poetry scene featuring:

Aoife Mannix – 2001 Farrago London Slam Champion and widely toured Irish poet.

Jacob Sam-La Rose – writer, poet, playwright and educator of Guyanese parentage, former Poet-In-Residence at BBC London, and touring writer with the British Council.

Niall O'Sullivan – host of 'Poetry Unplugged' and 'The Cellar' at the Poetry Café, Covent Garden, and author of 'you're not singing anymore'

Nii Ayikwei Parkes – author of three poetry chapbooks; eyes of a boy, lips of a man (1999) and M is for Madrigal (2004) and shorter (2005), former Poet-In-Residence at the Poetry Café in Covent Garden, and a 2005 associate Writer-In-Residence on BBC Radio 3.

Host @ Poetry n Motion, Sunday 29 October 2006

2006-10-27T16:29:00.000Z

Poetry n Motion, Sunday 29 October 2006

at the usual address: Motion Bar by Embankment tube station
doors open at: 7.30pm
entry: £6 on the door

more info: www.ukfridays.com

Monday October 16, 2006: aromapoetry stAge @ The Poetry Cafe

2006-10-16T13:31:00.000Z

I'll be at/hosting 3 mini events as well as reading a short story...

aromapoetry stage – Monday October 16, 2006 at The Poetry Cafe:

6:15 - 7:15pm: aromapoetry open mike
7.30 - 9.00pm: fiction reading with BBK Rebels - Harry Whitehead, Mary Louise Buxton, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Niki Aguirre, Harriet Fisher and Fran Merivale
9.30 - 10.40pm: SHOT - two prose writers read for 15 minutes each ft. Amy Prior & Toks Majek of Tell Tales

Venue: poetry cafe, 22 betterton street, london wc2
Door: £2 per event or £5 for entire evening
Time: 6.15pm

Friday 13 October 2006: BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN SEL*ECT

2006-10-10T11:57:00.000Z

BRINGING THE HOUSE DOWN S*E*L*E*C*T – Friday 13 October 2006

I'll be hosting and performing at this one-off spoken word showcase featuring Ainsley Burrows, Roger Robinson, Inua phaze Ellams, Malika Booker and Zawe Ashton.

Date: Friday 13 October 2006 @ The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford, London SE8
Doors: 7.30pm
Entry: £8 / £5 (conc) / £4 (under 25s)
Info: 020 8692 4446, http://www.myspace.com/bringingthehousedown or www.thealbany.org.uk

Thursday, October 5 2006

2006-10-01T02:16:00.000Z

On National Poetry Day (Thursday Oct 5th) I'm involved in two events: one as a host; the other as a reader. Both events celebrate the diverse groups who hold regular readings at the café. Details below:

Afternoon - Identity Parade (hosted by Nii Parkes and John Hegley)

3-4pm - New Blood / African Writers / Tall Lighthouse

4-5pm - The Cellar / Loose Muse / Exiled Writers / Dodo Modern Poets

5-6pm - BroadCast / Rise Slam Poets / Jackie Kay

Evening - Hosts with the Most

8pm - a reading by six events organisers (£4/3)

Roddy Lumsden (BroadCast)
Agnes Meadows (Loose Muse)
Adam O'Riordan (New Blood)
Niall O'Sullivan (The Cellar)
Nii Parkes (Aroma Poetry)
LK Robinson (Tall Lighthouse)

Friday, September 15 - African Writers' Evening, 7.30pm

2006-09-11T01:50:00.000Z

I will be reading from a suite of poems called 'Transit' as well as hosting the African Writers' Evening on Friday September 15 at the Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden from 7.30pm. Event details can be found on: http://www.x-bout.com/awe

today - august 4: last tell tales event for 2006

2006-08-04T12:43:00.000Z

TELL TALES @ SOHO THEATRE
Friday August 4, 2006 at 7.30pm
Soho Theatre Studio, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE (nr. Tottenham Court Road)
£8/£5 (concs)
---

Tell Tales - the short story experience devised by Courttia Newland and Nii Ayikwei Parkes - hits the heart of Soho again on August 4 2006 with the one where the mutations face off to the sound of a new world emerging.

Following the bestselling* original Tell Tales anthology and tour, Tell Tales is proud to present a unique live show featuring writers from ALL the Tell Tales publications side by side on August 4, 2006 at the Soho Theatre. We unleash two writers from the new anthology, Tell Tales Volume III – Aoife Mannix and Abby Ajayi – onto the world alongside two ambassadors each from the previous anthologies: from Tell Tales I, Karen McCarthy and Liam Gallimore-Wells; and from Tell Tales II, Sharmilla Chauhan and Mark Rowe, for what promises to be an unforgettable experience.

The evening will be the LAST public live show by Tell Tales this year until we return in 2007 with new production elements. Due to an overabundance of blessings at the previous show, there will still be FREE luxurious Loseley Diary Ice Cream in Honey & Ginger, Double Chocolate and Strawberries & Cream flavours for members of the audience.

We will save 30 tickets for sale on the door, but if you are certain that you will be there please reserve a place by e-mailing us.

Tell Tales Volume III, edited by Julia Bell and Nii Ayikwei Parkes, is now available on amazon.

More info: http://www.telltales.co.uk

Radio Programme - May 16, 2006

2006-05-16T15:18:00.000Z

Again, I forgot to warn anyone, but you can listen again by following
this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/viewsofempire/pip/uvh01/

Dates for May

2006-04-24T07:54:00.000Z

More to come...

I'm doing a couple of gigs in support of Hip Hop group Dead Prez in Manchester and London. All the gigs are supporting charities, including AfriKids (who operate in Ghana) who I sponsor a lovely boy called Ayingura through. Check out the websites: www.afrikids.org and www.biggerthanhiphoptour.com

Dead Prez – Bigger Than Hip Hop in Manchester
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006
Location: Academy, Oxford Rd, M13 9PR
Tickets: £12 from http://www.clubtickets.co.uk

Dead Prez – Bigger Than Hip Hop in London
Thursday, May 4th, 2006
Location: Coronet, 28 New Kent Road, SE1 6TJ
Tickets: £12 from http://www.clubtickets.co.uk or phone Unite Against Fascism on 0207 833 4916

--
support the writers' fund: www.thewritersfund.org

Date for April

2006-04-24T07:37:00.000Z

Thursday, 27th April 2006
Bookslam @ Cherry Jam
58 Porchester Road, London, W2
£2 before 8pm then £5
Doors open 7pm
Until late

Sunday, 30th April 2006
Poetry n Motion
Motion Bar
Victoria Embankment
£5/10
8pm until late

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January 2006 - One Date

2006-01-24T04:59:00.000Z

One Poet, One Mic
January 30, 2006
Poetry Cafe
22 Betterton Street
TIME: 7.30pm
DOOR: GBP 4.50/3.50

This event is a fundraiser for South Africa Project 2006. All donations and funds will go to establish a trust fund for children with leukemia in the Durban area of South Africa, HIV/AIDS workshops, an educational camp and financing the trip for United World College of the Atlantic students this summer from June 5 to July 12, 2006.

--
support the writers' fund: www.thewritersfund.org

October gigs

2005-10-10T21:05:00.000Z

Bringing the House Down
Tuesday 11 October, 8.00pm
Jackson's Lane, 269a Archway Road, London, N6 5AA
Door: £10/8 (concs)
Box Office: 020 8341 4421

http://www.x-bout.com/bthd
Info: events[at] x-bout.com

Bringing the House Down
Thursday 13 October, 8.00pm
Tobacco Factory, Raleigh Road, Southville, Bristol BS3 1TF
Door: £5/4 (concs)
Box Office: 0117 902 0344

http://www.x-bout.com/bthd
Info: events [at] x-bout.com

The Circle - Poetry and Time-based art work / images

Friday October 14, 7.30pm

Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, London

Door: Invitation only

Info: 07949 748 985

Tell Tales - short story reading

Monday October 17, 4-6pm

Kilburn Library

Info: (020) 8937 3530

October 24 - Narrativiti (e-mail for details)

Tell Tales - a short story experience with a soundtrack

Thursday October 27, 7.30pm

Sandfield Theatre, Sandfield Road, Nottingham NG7 1HQ

Door: £5/4 (concs)

Box Office: 0115 9476202

Info: showtime [at] telltales [dot] co [dot] uk

Friday October 28 - Fundraiser in Streatham, 8pm

R.S.P ANNUAL CHARITY FUNDRAISER
All proceeds to Sickle Cell Charity OSCAR

Venue: ILLUSIONS,
225 streatham Hg Road,
SW16 6EN

Show starts 9.30 pm

Info: 07967 596 928
Web: http://www.rspfamily.com

have i got gigs for you?

2005-08-19T22:54:00.000Z

So after a long silence I return; which is the way it should be for a writer except I havent been writing that much. Ive been editing and putting events together, and twiddling my thumbs wondering if Ill be able to pay my Uni fees this year. Anyway, enough of my issues The good thing is I am just getting back into the flight of things, a bit of writing, a bit of performance maybe too much even I just realised I have a gig this Sunday in Hackney, but I also have aromapoetry on, which Im supposed to host; so anyone who fancies hosting aromapoetry do e-mail back :) - Im serious!

In the meantime Im hosting Outdooring tomorrow (August 20) and it promises to be a really good show with former basketball player/ Yale English major turned novelist Benjamin Markovits and Libyan writer Hisham Matar and a whole lot of stuff from me so please come down (Information at: http://outdoor.x-bout.com/), on Sunday (August 21) aromapoetry is on, but I will be reading at a Sable Magazine Poetry Picnic in Haggerston Park at Hackey from 2.00pm, then on Thursday August 25 (this is exclusive) we will be having a Tell Tales press launch party (FREE) at Zyrus Bar 102-108 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5SA from 7.30pm where I will be reading some short fiction before we begin to boogie stop by and support me if you can. And then the real Tell Tales tour launch happens, details as follows:

TELL TALES: THE SHOW
A SHORT STORY EXPERIENCE WITH A SOUNDTRACK
Friday 26 August 2004, 7.30pm doors
The UCL Bloomsbury, Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AH (Euston tube)
8.00 / 6.00 (concessions/list members)
Box Office: 020 7388 8822
EARLY BOOKING ADVISED!
---

With acclaimed novelists Maggie Gee, Courttia Newland and Rajeev Balasubramanyam and emerging writers Heather Imani, Biram Mboob and Sharmila Chauhan. Hosted by Nii Ayikwei Parkes

Please book and come out and support what proved to be a fabulous tour last year and promises to be even better this year.

And finally, (long one this time), I have had some work published in the recent issue f the Liberal so pick up a copy if you can afford it (its a good magazine), otherwise I have put part of the poem that was published in it below. Its part of a series Im writing based on conjecture of what might have happened if the slave trade was conducted by balloon

ballast III

It probably never registered, even
after the advent of balloons

that vertical velocity increases
when you drop weight. The focus

no doubt remained on keeping
the slave trade aloft after 1783

when slave ships experienced a curious
legal falling from grace, negative upright

thrust, because the Zong tossed slaves
overboard in a quest for profits.

Faced with ruin for fraud, I wonder
if the ships Liverpool owners looked

to the sky and contemplated
the possibilities of balloon transport;

how men offloaded from high
enough just might attain the right

speed to make the transition
from nuisance to pure light

Hope to see you all at the Tell Tales party at least... Being a dreamer Ill hope for even more than that. I promise to send more listing info later cos I have a few gigs coming up Oh, and I think Im on some breakfast show soon too cant remember the details but Ill tell you when I do.

Later,
Nii

www.niiparkes.com

From the Bunker to Africa

2005-07-12T02:27:00.000Z

Hi People,

First, I'd like to ask that all of you living in London who haven't already e-mailed me, please send me an e-mail that says OK so that I know you are... Also, I'd like to thank all of you that e-mailed me to find out how I was. It is very faith-reinforcing to find that the people on my mailing list actually care about my mortality. Thank you...

The truth is, I was in my TV-free bunker and had no idea what had happened until my girlfriend called me to see if I was OK... Immediately, I tried to reach my siblings and managed to call my mother i Accra just seconds before, in true Ghanaian-style, someone rushed into her office to tell her the news... phew!

Anyway, I am going to be out on a rare reading date doing some BRAND NEW poetry at the African Writers' Evening at the Poetry Cafe this Friday and I hope you can join me there. The details are as follows:

African Writers' Evening (hosted by Kadija Sesay)
Friday, 15 July 2005, 7.00pm
Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street
Covent Garden, London WC2
Door: 4.00 pounds
www.-bout.com/awe

The African Writers' Evening hosts another quality evening of literature with award-winning writer Sefi Atta, author of the acclaimed Everything Good Will Come, and Nii Ayikwei Parkes, founder of the African Writers' Evening and current Associate Writer-In-Residence on BBC Radio 3. Sefi will be reading excerpts from her novel, while Nii will be reading some new poems; they will both be responding to questions from the audience. As usual there will be poets and writers from all over Africa sharing poetry on the open mike and it all happens at The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2. To reserve a seat send an e-mail to: events [at] x-bout [dot] com

Author Biographies:

Sefi Atta is a Nigerian writer whose short stories and plays have won awards from the BBC, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association and PEN International. Her debut novel Everything Good Will Come is published in Nigeria, Britain, and in the United States where she lives.

"You can feel the dust and the sun. This award-winning novel is an iridescent introduction to a fascinating nation." - The Observer

Ghanaian author Nii Ayikwei Parkes writes poetry, prose and articles. He co-edited the groundbreaking Tell Tales Volume I short story anthology with Courttia Newland and regularly edits x magazine. Nii is currently Associate Writer-In-Residence on BBC Radio 3 and is the author of three poetry collections; eyes of a boy, lips of a man (1999) and M is for Madrigal (2004) and the self-published shorter (2005), which is a vehicle to raise money for a writers' fund he is launching in Ghana in September.

Once again, please send me that OK e-mail if you haven't touched base with me and you are London-based. Thank you.

Much Respect,
Nii

Spoken Soul - Friday 10 June 2005

2005-06-09T00:30:00.000Z

Web: http://soul.x-bout.com/
Spoken Soul is the place where poetry meets soul, they have a drink and go off to make beautiful things. At each show 5 poets pick 2 classic soul songs draw inspiration from them and write new original pieces that are presented to a lively audience. Before the poems are dropped DJ Nevada plays about 30 seconds of the original song, and fades out as the poem kicks in. As the poet leaves the stage, the song comes back on and the audience comes alive. Come and join the fun at the next Spoken Soul where we feature 5 outstanding young writers sharing poetry inspired by the old skool. How cool is that?

Friday 10 June 2005, 7.30pm
Spoken Soul
featuring Leeto Thale, Zawe Ashton, Antonio Quinn (Texas), Heather Taylor and Inua Ellams
@ oh! art (Oxford House), Derbyshire St, London E2 6HG (Tube: Bethnal Green)
Door: £5/4
Info: soul.x-bout.com or events [at] x-bout [dot] com

PLAYLIST:

Timmy Thomas - Why can't we live together?
Clarence Carter - Girl from Soweto (Album: Messing with my Mind)
Jimmy Ruffin - What becomes of the Broken Hearted?
James Brown - This is a man's world
The Supremes - You Keep Me Hanging On
Knight Gladys (And The Pips) - Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me
Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack - Tonight I Celebrate My Love For You
Stevie Wonder - I Just Called To Say I Love You