Listen to this recording from the Museum of Colour exhibition.
Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a Ghanaian-British writer, poet and editor. Born in London, he grew up in Ghana and returned to the UK, where he became a vibrant new voice in British performance poetry. In 2001 he founded flipped eye, an independent publishing house which has played a key role in the development of many black British poets. He is the author of five poetry books, the most recent of which - The Geez (2020) - was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, described as navigating ‘the blurred lines between age and youth, the real and the imaged; what is seen and what is’. A constant advocate for African writers, Parkes was awarded Ghana’s National ACRAG award for poetry and literary activism. A trustee of the Caine Prize for African Writing, Parkes has also held teaching posts at the University of Southampton and California State University.
Nii Ayikwei Parkes
Biography
Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a Ghanaian-British writer, poet and editor. Born in London, he grew up in Ghana and returned to the UK, where he became a vibrant new voice in British performance poetry. In 2001 he founded flipped eye, an independent publishing house which has played a key role in the development of many black British poets. He is the author of five poetry books, the most recent of which - The Geez (2020) - was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, described as navigating ‘the blurred lines between age and youth, the real and the imaged; what is seen and what is’. A constant advocate for African writers, Parkes was awarded Ghana’s National ACRAG award for poetry and literary activism. A trustee of the Caine Prize for African Writing, Parkes has also held teaching posts at the University of Southampton and California State University.