Nii Ayikwei Parkes writes poetry, lyrics, prose and articles. Former Poet-In-Residence at the Poetry Café, he 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 in Ghana. Nii also co-edited the groundbreaking Tell Tales Volume I short story anthology with Courttia Newland and regularly edits x magazine.
A versatile performer who is not afraid to 'act the fool' on stage, Nii has performed all over the world on major stages like the NuYorican in New York, The Royal Festival Hall in London, Java in Paris and Paradiso in Amsterdam as well as at festivals such as the Lancaster Literature Festival and the Austin International Poetry Festival. He completed a sell-out six-week tour of the United States in 2002, followed by a US West Coast tour in 2004. His accolades include finalist in the 2000 Unisong International Songwriting Competition for his song "The Sweetest Minute", sung by Yaa Asantewa Ofori, a 2003 Arts Council Award for his just completed novel, The Cost of Red Eyes, the 2003 and 2004 Farrago Best Overall Poetry Performance Award, and a high commendation in the 2004 New Writer Short Story Prize for his story, "Scotch Bonnets."
Nii is a former associate Writer-In-Residence on BBC Radio 3 and is the featured face for poetry in the 2004 Time Out London Guide. His novel 'Tail of the Blue Bird, will be released in June 2009 by Jonathan Cape.
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