Kwame Dawes, Ugochi Nwaogwugwu, Jive Poetic & Young Identity

Join us for an evening of poetry and music featuring an all-star line-up of international artists.

Ghanaian-born Kwame Dawes has published 24 collections of poetry including Nebraska and Wisteria as well as fiction, criticism and essays. His poetry has been described by Martin Espada as the ‘the music of survival and transcendence.’ He is also the Artistic Director of the Calabash International Literary Festival, Professor of English at the University of Nebraska and Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. 

Ugochi Nwaogwugwu is a Nigerian American poet, musician, playwright, activist and founder of Spirit Speaks. She has produced, written and co-arranged three highly acclaimed albums: African Buttafly, A.S.E. (Afro Soul Effect) and Love Shot. 

Jive Poetic has been a member of the Nuyorican Poets Café’s National Slam team and has collected grand slam championship titles from Florida to Munich. He is the founder of Insurgent Poets Society and teaches performance poetry and hip-hop to young people in his home city, New York.

Members of the Manchester-based poetry collective Young Identity (Nasima Bee, Maya Chowdhury, Princess Arinola Adegbite & Billie Meredith) will present a specially commissioned ensemble piece celebrating the life and legacy of the American writer and civil rights activist Audre Lorde.

Hosted by Nasima Bee and Reece Williams.