Agbabi, Patience (1965- ) poet

Patience Agbabi was born in 1965 to Nigerian parents living in London, but was fostered by a white family and grew up in Sussex and North Wales. She remained in touch with her biological parents, however, and her early life was characterized by numerous dualities. She has called herself bicultural, and themes of identity dominate her work.

Agbabi studied English at Pembroke College, Oxford, and began performing on the London Spoken Word circuit around 1995. In 2002, she earned an M.A. in creative writing, the arts and education at the University of Sussex in Brighton. Her published work owes much to her work as a performance poet; she has sometimes appeared at more than 100 events per year. From 1995 to 1998 she was a member of Atomic Lip, a group of female rappers who gave multimedia performances.

Her first book, R.A.W. (1995), won the 1997 Excelle Literary Award. It confronts a variety of difficult subjects, all having to do with contemporary British society: drug addiction, repressive government, and questions of sexuality predominate. Agbabi, “always a poetical activist,” has said that she wrote this book “to right the wrongs of the world.” Formally, the poems owe much to the rhythms and verbal and associational genius of rap.

Agbabi’s second book, Transformatrix (2000), was enthusiastically received for its formal variety. In contrast with her first book, Agbabi included a number of poems in traditional forms such as the sonnet and sestina. She also played with these forms, exploring their possibilities and limitations in relation to the kind of energetic, anarchic verse she has become famous for in her performances. Many of the poems are dramatic monologues from a range of personae, only some of whom resemble Agbabi. Her subject matter in Transformatrix is again the realities of modern Britain, especially its cultural collisions.

Agbabi has been awarded numerous residencies and has taught at the universities of Greenwich, Wales (Cardiff), and Kent at Canterbury. She travels widely, performing around the world and introducing students to slam poetry, sometimes for the first time.

Other Works by Patience Agbabi:
Bittersweet: Contemporary Black Women’s Poetry. Contributor. London: Women’s Press, 1998.
The Virago Book of Wicked Verse. Contributor. London: Virago, 1992.

Works about Patience Agbabi:
“Patience Agbabi.” Crossing Borders: New Writing from Africa. British Council. Available online. URL: http://www.crossingbordersafricanwriting. org/writersonwriting/patienceagbabi. Accessed January 28, 2008.
Rajaratnam, Renuka. Interview with author. The Hindu Online Edition. Available online. URL: http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/06/24/stories/ 2007062450090500.htm. Accessed January 28, 2008.