Contact: Francis Phan Phanai Entertainment 304 Newbury Street #537 Boston MA 02115

francis@francisphan.com 617-851-1899 www.iyeoka.com www.myspace.com/iyeoka Booking: bookingiyeoka@gmail.com

“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. 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.

Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo – Curriculum Vitae

Selected Publications Books Seventeen Conversations in a Poem. Poetry. In Progress

Multimedia Next On the Mic. “3rd Degree Burns” CD Poetry. Rounder Records 2007 Hum the Bass Line. CD Poetry/music. Phanai Records Press 2007

Rwanda Rising. “ Poem For Rwanda” Film Soundtrack. GoodWorks Production 2007 Attack of the Urbanabots! Best of Urbana. “In the Blink of an Eye” CD Poetry. The Wordsmith Press 2006 Black and Blues. CD Poetry. Phanai Records Press 2004 Some Nights. CD Poetry. Blackout Arts Collective 2000

Spoken Live: At the Lizard Lounge “Tangled Up in Blue” CD Poetry. Arula Records 1999 Newspaper “Hum the Bass Line.” Spare Change News. Page 6. 22 December 2005 Awards 2007 Mass Industry Committee Hip-Hop Awards spoken word artist of the year 2006 New England Urban Music Award for best female poet 2006 National Poetry Slam Individual Finalist

2003 Cambridge Poetry Awards, Performance Poet of the Year 2003 Cambridge Poetry Awards, Slam Poet of the Year 2002 Cambridge Poetry Awards, Performance Poet of the Year 2000 National Poetry Slam Individual Finalist 1998 Fine Arts Award, Northeastern University 1997 The JDOBAAI Dean L. Roland Oratory Competition, 1st Prize 1995 The JDOBAAI Dean L. Roland Oratory Competition, 1st Prize 1993 Cornelius M. Sullivan award for Declamation Boston Latin School

1992 Francis Gardner prize for Declamation Boston Latin School Featured Readings/Performances & Workshops Conducted (partial list)

Conferences Health Affairs/Narrative Matters Conference. Warrington Va. September 2007. The Interaction Institute for Social Change: Laboratory for New Thinking on Foreign Policy at the University of Massachusetts. February 2007 Malaria Foundation International's Business Leadership Conference At Emory University. December 2007 Leon H. Sullivan Summit VII in Abuja, Nigeria July 2006 The Identity Mash-up Conference at the Harvard Law School June 2006

Universities and Other (partial list) Cal Poly San Luis Obispo March 2006/June 2007

Esalen Institute June 2007 Vassar College April 2007 George Washington University April 2007 Wheaton College March 2007/February 2006 Northwestern University February 2007 Northeastern University February 2007/February 2006 University of Massachusetts February 2007 SUNY Oneonta University March 2007 Fayerweather Street School March 2007 Boston Latin School April 2006/April 2007 Wayland High School January 2006/January 2007 Tufts University November 2006/March 2006 Team Academy December 2006 Beaver Country Day School 2006 Ball State University March 2006 Brookdale College September 2006 Stonehill College November 2006 Emory University December 2006 Harvard Law School June 2006

Clouds Place (Boston) 2006/2007 New Jersey Performance Arts Center (September 2006)

Def Poetry Jam, HBO (September 2001) Colonial Theater (Boston) 2005 94.5 Radio Station (Boston) 2005 Education Northeastern University Bachelors in Pharmacy, 1999 Boston Latin School, 1993 Articles, Appearances & Citations

“The Scene is Slamming”. Article by Ethan Gilsdorf. In Boston Globe, Living Arts. 4 January 2006 FETCH! WGBH (PBS) Children’s TV series (21 June 2007)

Urban Update WHDH TV (Boston NBC affiliate) (18 June 2006) “Slamming Genres Together.” Article by Jon Petitt. In Bostonist, 27 May 2005

“As good as their word; Poets, both nonconformist and purist, find a growing audience.” Article by Aiden Fitzgerald. In The Boston Herald, 11 April 2003.

Writing Commissions

“Poem for Malaria Awareness” presented for Malaria Foundation International Atlanta Ga. December 2006. “For Rwanda.” Presented for the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation Washington DC. May 2006 “Birth of a Brighter Sun: Diversity orientation.” Arnold Worldwide advertising Boston Ma. 2005

Hum The Bassline, 2007 Phanai Records

Next On The Mic, 2007 Rounder Records

Black and Blues, 2004 Phanai Records