Patience Agbabi FRSL (born 1965) is a British

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

and

performer The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfor ...

who emphasizes the

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

.. Although her poetry hits hard in addressing contemporary themes, it often makes use of formal constraints, including traditional poetic forms. She has described herself as "bicultural" and bisexual. Issues of racial and

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

identity feature in her poetry. She is celebrated "for paying equal homage to literature and performance" and for work that "moves fluidly and nimbly between cultures, dialects, voices; between page and stage." In 2017 she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Early life and education

Patience Agbabi was born in London to

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

parents. From a young age, she was privately fostered by a white English family and moved from Sussex to

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia N ...

at the age of 12, where Agbabi was then raised in

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...

. She studied English language and literature at Pembroke College, Oxford. She earned an MA in Creative Writing, the Arts and Education from the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

in 2002, and in September that year was appointed Associate Creative Writing Lecturer at the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

Poetry and performances

Agbabi began performing on the London club circuit in 1995 as a member of the performance group Atomic Lip, which was once described as "poetry's first pop group." Their final tour occurred in 1998, titled "Quadrophonix," which mixed live and video performance in each show. In 1996, she worked on a performance piece called ''FO(U)R WOMEN'', with Adeola Agbebiyi and

Dorothea Smartt Dorothea Smartt FRSL (born 1963) is an English-born poet of Barbadian descent. Biography The daughter of Caribbean immigrants from Barbados, Dorothea Smartt was born in London, England, and grew up there. She earned a BA degree in Social Scie ...

, first performed at the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an artistic and cultural centre on The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps and Admiralty Arch, the ICA c ...

and touring from 1995 to 1998. She has cited among her influences Janis Joplin,

Carol Ann Duffy Dame Carol Ann Duffy (born 23 December 1955) is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Poet Laureate in May 2009, resigning in 2019. She was the first ...

Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...

, and various aspects of contemporary music and culture. Agbabi's childhood love of cake is apparent in her poem "Eat Me". The poems in her first book ''R.A.W.'', published in 1995, focus on her experiences regarding Thatcherism, urban life, and racial and sexual politics. The style of these poems "owe much to the rhythms, verbal and associational genius of rap". Her next collection was ''Transformatrix'' (2000), a commentary on contemporary Britain that draws inspiration from popular music forms. "Transformatix" also contains Agbabi's first published adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer's '' The Canterbury Tales'', reimagining the Wife of Bath as the Nigerian "Mrs. Alice Ebi Bafa". In 2008, Agbabi published ''Bloodshot Monochrome'', a collection that, as described by one reviewer, highlights social and political issues, captures and considers moments in time through long-dead authors, and offers readers a diverse sampling of the author's views of life in a variety of places."

Carol Rumens Carol Rumens FRSL (born 10 December 1944) is a British poet. Life Carol Rumens was born in Forest Hill, South London. She won a scholarship to grammar school and later studied Philosophy at London University, but left before completing her ...

has said: "Agbabi characteristically makes poetry an opportunity for conversation with the past, not swamping it but setting new lexical terms." As

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

Laureate from July 2009 to December 2010, Agbabi received an Arts Council grant to write a full-length poetry collection based on Geoffrey Chaucer's '' The Canterbury Tales'',. The final product was published in 2014 as ''Telling Tales'', which retold each tale in the

Middle-English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...

work to offer a 21st-century take on the characters, its poetry and its performance elements. The reinterpretation used her critically acclaimed, lyrical poetic style to newly define British literary traditions. The book met with praise from poets including

Simon Armitage Simon Robert Armitage (born 26 May 1963) is an English poet, playwright, musician and novelist. He was appointed Poet Laureate on 10 May 2019. He is professor of poetry at the University of Leeds. He has published over 20 collections of poetr ...

, who described it as "the liveliest versions of Chaucer you're likely to read." Agbabi continues to tour ''Telling Tales'' as a performance-poetry production shown at literature festivals, arts spaces and libraries across the UK. She performed tales such as "The Wife of Bafa" or "Tit for Tat (Reeves's tale)". As well as performing in Britain, Agbabi undertook

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

reading tours of

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and Switzerland. She took part in ''Modern Love'', a spoken-word tour produced by Renaissance One, which explored love and modern relationships, touring the UK and Switzerland. Her poetry has featured on television and radio, including the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

series ''Litpop'' in 1998 and on the children's programme '' Blue Peter'' in 1999. She has also been a contributor to several anthologies, among them ''Jubilee Lines'' (2012), edited by

, which marked Queen Elizabeth II's 60th anniversary on the throne, and ''Refugee Tales'' (2016), a collection of stories based on accounts by

Gatwick airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...

detainees. She has taught and run workshops and also been poet-in-residence at various places, ranging from Oxford Brookes University and

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

to a London tattoo and piercing studio. In 2018 she was writer in residence at the

Brontë Parsonage Museum The Brontë Parsonage Museum is a writer's house museum maintained by the Brontë Society in honour of the Brontë sisters – Charlotte, Emily and Anne. The museum is in the former Brontë family home, the parsonage in Haworth, West Yorks ...

Awards and recognition

In 1997, Agbabi's first poetry collection, ''R.A.W ''(1995), received the Excelle Literary Award. In 2000, she was one of 10 poets commissioned by

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

to write a poem for

National Poetry Day National Poetry Day is a British campaign to promote poetry, including public performances. National Poetry Day was founded in 1994 by William Sieghart. It takes place annually in the UK on the first Thursday in October. Since its inception, it ...

. In 2004, she featured on the

Poetry Book Society The Poetry Book Society (PBS) was founded in 1953 by T. S. Eliot and friends, including Sir Basil Blackwell, "to propagate the art of poetry". Eric Walter White was secretary from December 1953 until 1971, and was subsequently the society's chai ...

list of

Next Generation poets The Next Generation poets are a list of young and middle-aged figures from British poetry, mostly British, compiled by a panel for the Poetry Book Society in 2004. This is a promotional exercise, and a sequel to the New Generation poets (1994). The ...

. In 2010, Agbabi was appointed as the

Canterbury Festival The Canterbury Festival is Kent's international festival of the arts. It takes place in Canterbury (England) and surrounding towns and villages (including Faversham, Whitstable and Margate) each October/November and includes performances of a vari ...

's Canterbury Poet Laureate. In March 2015,

The Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...

announced Agbabi as one of five poets shortlisted for the 2014

Ted Hughes Award The Ted Hughes Award is an annual prize given to a living UK poet for new work in poetry. It is awarded each spring in recognition of a work from the previous year. Background The award was established in 2009 with the permission of Carol Hughes i ...

for New Work in Poetry, for her book ''Telling Tales''. In 2017, Agbabi was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Selected works

*''R.A.W.'', Gecko Press (1995). *''Transformatrix'',

Canongate Books Canongate Books (trading as Canongate) is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is named after the Canongate area of the city. It is most recognised for publishing the Booker Prizewinner '' Life of Pi''. Canongate wa ...

(2000) *''Bloodshot Monochrome'', Canongate (2008) *''Telling Tales'', Canongate (2014) *''The Wife of Bafa'' (text); Analysis of ''The Wife of Bafa'' *''The Infinite,'' Canongate (2020)

Anthologies

, ed., ''Jubilee Lines'' (London:

Faber & Faber Faber and Faber Limited, usually abbreviated to Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, Margaret Storey, William Golding, Samuel ...

, 2012) *

Sasha Dugdale Sasha Dugdale FRSL is a British poet, playwright and translator. She has written five poetry collections and is a translator of Russian literature. Biography Sasha Dugdale was born in 1974 in Sussex. Between 1995 and 2000, Dugdale work ...

, ed., ''Best British Poetry 2012'' (Cromer: Salt, 2012) * Helen Ivory, ed., ''In Their Own Words'' (Cromer: Salt, 2012) *

Rob Pope Robert Pope is an American musician, best known as the bassist for Spoon and The Get Up Kids. History Rob Pope grew up in Olathe, Kansas. In the summer of 1994, he was in a band called "Kingpin" with his brother Ryan and future Get Up Kids band ...

, ed., ''Studying English Language and Literature: An Introduction and Companion'' (Oxford:

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law ...

, 2012) *

Tom Chivers Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

, ''Adventures in Form'' (London: Penned in the Margins, 2012) *''Refugee Tales'' (Manchester:

Comma Press Comma Press is a publishing house based in Manchester, United Kingdom, that publishes short story anthologies and single-author collections in paperback and eBook formats. History Comma Press was founded in 2002 by Ra Page, a former editor at Ma ...

, 2016) * Margaret Busby, ed., ''

New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...

'' (

Myriad Editions Myriad Editions is an independent UK publishing house based in Brighton and Hove, specialising in topical atlases, graphic non-fiction and original fiction, whose output also encompasses graphic novels that span a variety of genres, including me ...

, 2019)

References

External links

* *Patience Agbabi
''Telling Tales''
24 June 2015
Patience Agbabi
at GreenBelt
Reader comments on ''Bloodshot Monochrome''
Goodreads *Nisha Obano
"Patience Agbabi"
, Encyclopedia of Afro-European Studies
''Eat Me'' Poem Analysis and Commentary
Interpreture
Patience Agbabi
on BBC Radio 4 ''Front Row'' *Patience Agbabi readin
"1994 , Chunnel / Le Tunnel sous la Manche"
FaberBooks at SoundCloud. {{DEFAULTSORT:Agbabi, Patience Living people 1965 births 20th-century British poets 20th-century English women writers 21st-century British poets 21st-century English women writers Academics of the University of Wales Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford Alumni of the University of Sussex Bisexual academics Bisexual women Bisexual writers Black British women writers English women poets English people of Nigerian descent Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature LGBT Black British people English LGBT poets