Jamati: Can you tell us about your background includig your origin, childhood, education, etc.?

I was born in Ikom, Cross River State in Nigeria. My people are Yakuur from Ugepland. I left Nigeria when I was about 4 years old for Stillwater, Oklahoma. I started writing in Stillwater when I was 8 years old because it was such a culture shock for me. When I was 13 my family and I moved to Maryland (in the DC area) which was a whole other kind of culture shock. I went to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, for college but I moved to New York to start writing before I had a chance to finish school. As you can probably imagine, my Naija parents are THRILLED!

Jamati: When did you begin to write and read poetry?

I started writing age 8. I had my first reading at 11 for a talent show at my mother’s work. It was horrifying and I vowed never to do it again. At that time, I thought that nobody read their work out loud. Not that I even considered “work” back then but all the other children were dancing and singing and I was reading this stupid poem my mother made me write about grandmothers. It’s funny that one of my most well known poems was written for my grandmother. I guess I wasn’t that turned off from it. But as a child, I was always struggling to fit in. I never felt like I quite fit and since nobody else wrote poetry or even liked studying it in school, writing made me feel more like an outsider. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I stumbled upon an event that my favorite professor, Dr. Acklyn Lynch, was throwing called Poetry & Jazz in the Pub. I saw so many people get up and read from their notebooks. It was so really inspiring and encouraging. I actually didn’t’ get the courage to read until the next semester but once I did, it was so liberating and freeing and I haven’t looked back since.

Jamati: What is the core message of your work and what do you hope to achieve?

I’m not sure if I have a core message. I know that when it comes to my writing and why I write, I often say that I write to “figure it out”. And “it” can mean anything, life, relationships, my emotions, politics. Whatever!!! But often, I start a poem because there’s something that I need to understand whether it be myself or the people around me. I’m a very shy person; I keep a lot to myself. I know people dont’ really buy that but it’s true. For every 200 words I share, there are thousands that I don’t. Growing up, I always felt like I was just on the outside of everything. On the surface, I was popular and had friends and participated in activities but because we were poor or not from this country, or black in Oklahoma or not “black enough” once I moved to DC/Maryland, I never fully invested my whole being in things. Writing allows me to invest my whole self without fear of being rejected or misunderstood. Even to this day, 20-some odd years late, I’m better at putting things in writing (or text–LOL) than I am at verbally expressing it. It’s a thing I have to work on. As far as what I’d like to achieve–while I was on the Def Poetry Tour a woman came up to me after a show and said, “I didn’t know how to say it until I heard you say it,” and that was such a huge compliment for me because it meant that I was communicating something to someone who felt it, and understood it, and needed someone to say it so she could understand it. That was really amazing for me. So, if anything, my goal is to give some voice to the things we don’t know how to apply words to. I hope that’s not arrogant. I really don’t mean it like that. I think it’s the work of the artist.

Jamati: What shows/performances have you participated in?

In high school, I was on a show called Teen Summit on BET. That was my first taste of public/media speaking. I was on the O’reilly Factor a few years ago. That was horrible. He’s such a mean man. But I think what most people recognize is the 5 seasons of Def Poetry Jam on HBO that I appeared in. I also toured with the Original Broadway Cast to Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. That was amazing. After we returned for the summer, we began the DPJ National Tour where we just hit a bunch of cities around the country. That was taxing. I’m not a rock star. I live a very sedate life and different city, different hotel room with no real stability, really took its toll on me emotionally and physically.

Jamati: Do you have any events coming up?

I’m always doing something. You can check my myspace page or my website for my dates. I co-host a poetry show every first Wednesdays called The Attic. It’s located in Washington DC. For information on that you can check this site.

Jamati: Any book in your future?

Hopefully, I’ve been working on a poetry book for ages. I’m still so nervous about publishing. I’m a perfectionist to the point of paralysis. If something isn’t perfect, I end up not doing it at all. I’m trying to break myself out of that. I’m way too hard on myself. But then sometimes I feel like I’m not hard enough on myself. All that to say, hopefully, I’ll have a book done by 2008. God willing.

Jamati: What is your favorite book?

I read so much that it’s difficult to choose a “favorite”. A book that means a lot to me is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. It’s an amazing transformative book. It’s about the journey of life and how you can control your destiny. The resounding theme is having faith in your journey. It’s something that I often struggle with.

Jamati: Who is your favorite inspiration? Poet/Author?

So many… the above mentioned Paolo Coelho, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, of course, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka… it’s such a huge list. And I hate naming folks because ultimately by the time this is published, I’ll be kicking myself because I didn’t list “so and so” so I’ll refrain from widening the list. I’ll just say that I find inspiration everywhere. Some of my peers. I’m privileged to know some of the most amazing writers of our time. Who are simply just waiting for the opportunity to become literary icons. I’ve been blessed to walk amongst them and call them friend. My son inspires me to get out of bed every morning. And sometimes, that’s the only thing necessary to make sure the pen continues to move and the words are encouraged to come.

Jamati: Words of encouragement for up and coming poets?

Read. Read. Read. Read. And listen. You can’t call yourself a writer if you don’t read other work. All work. Novels, essays, the back of cereal boxes. Not just poets and poetry because there is poetry everywhere and once you realize that it’s a part of you, you will start to find it in the most unlikely places. One of my favorite lines in a poem I wrote is, “… like mercury spilling over surfaces/like time inching towards forever…” and the image of the “mercury spilling” came from a TV Guide interview of Mira Sorvino that I read like 10 years ago. The image was so full that I wrote it down and years later, added my interpretation to what she was saying to a poem. There’s poetry every where. Read. Read. Read. And find your authentic voice. The goal isn’t to write like me or anybody else, the goal is to write like you. What do you have to say that hasn’t been said? What do you bring to the larger picture? There are many poems that I haven’t written because I don’t need to write it. I’ve sat down to write something and then happen to read something that better illustrates what it was I wanted to say so I put it away. It’s not for me to write. Find what’s for you to write and express and then do that like only you can. Tell your own story.