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NOWAC Friend's Event, January 20th
Watch for NOWAC's First Anniversary "Got Diva˜tude?" Women's Poetry Night, coming in Fall, 2008.
Sign-up for our mailing list to get news of this upcoming event.
(See the original "Got Diva˜tude?" here and here.)
My goal is simple... I just want to move the world one poem at a time."
Boston-based Nigerian-American performing artist and award winning poet Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo is at the forefront of creating a new artistic genre that gracefully interweaves spoken word poetry with jazz, blues, gospel and neo-soul influenced song. Embracing the power of words from writers such as Sonia Sanchez, Patricia Smith and Alice Walker, Iyeoka is a powerful songstress whose lyrical prowess invokes the spirit of the renowned soul-shaker Nina Simone.
A story teller to the core, Iyeoka's hope-filled poems come from within and build momentum with truth transformed into songs that reemerge as unique, emotionally complex gifts to her audience, touching on a wide range of issues-love, women, culture, struggle, relationships, among many others.
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| Iyeoka's Web Site | Iyeoka's MySpace Site |
The buzz surrounding her poem-songs has garnered her national attention through performances at the TBS Trumpet Awards, the CBS hip hop show The Source All Access and Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam airing on HBO. Iyeoka also has opened for the Tony Award winning Def Poetry Jam on Broadway tour at the Colonial Theater in Boston. Sharing the stage with recording artists Chuck D of Public Enemy, Musiq Soul Child and Vivian Greene to poets Gil Scot Heron, Sonia Sanchez, and Amiri Baraka — Iyeoka has more than held her own.
Across the nation, at venues ranging from universities, large concert halls, and neo-soul clubs to venerable spoken word haunts like the Nuyorican Poets Café, Iyeoka's warm spirit, stirring lyrics and passionate performances leave audiences not only entertained but visibly overcome with emotion. Widely considered one of the top performance poets in the country, Iyeoka has earned her reputation by performing on the National Poetry Slam circuit for the past eight years, with the Jeff Robinson Trio and as a member of the acclaimed Bull Horn Collective and Blackout Arts Collective.
A gifted performer, Iyeoka's acting prowess has been featured as the title character in a PBS documentary on Harriet Tubman, as well as an off-Broadway play produced by Thema Bryant Davis. Her poem on Rwanda will also be featured in a new documentary film "Rwanda Rising" that is being Executive Produced by Andrew Young the former ambassador to the United Nations.
In 2004 Iyeoka released her second album LP "Black and Blues" through Phanai Records. Black& Blues is the solo debut album from nationally award winning slam poet Iyeoka (sounds like - tapioca), formerly one of the leaders for one of Boston poetry's most artistically proactive groups, BlackoutBoston. The record is full of groove-laden, contemporary R&B singalongs, most recorded with a full band — heavy on the bass, keys, and poetry — and no reliance on sampling. Much of Black & Blues focuses on the songwriting and delivery with just enough attention paid to the groove.
Photo Credits:
Bio of Iyeoka courtesy of Phanai Entertainment. Pictures of Iyeoka copyright Iyeoka and Anh Dao Kolbe.
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