Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo

poet, vocalist

Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo is a performance poet/vocalist and a recipient of the 2008 National Performance Network/NCCC Residency Award. A first-generation Nigerian-American, Iyeoka was a practicing pharmacist before launching her career as a poet, performer, activist, and educator. Among Iyeoka’s individual lists of credits is performing at the Kennedy Center for an award event honoring activist and actress Mia Farrow, being commissioned by Discovery Channel for their 2008 brand campaign, being commissioned by a top-twenty ad agency to write a piece for a diversity training tool, receiving a Massachusetts Industry Committee Hip-Hop Award for Spoken Word Artist of the year, and a New England Urban Music Award for the Best Female Spoken Word Poet. She holds the distinction of being the only member of the nationally competing Boston Lizard Lounge Slam team to have earned her position nine years in a row. Iyeoka is currently partnering with selective arts organizations to present the ART AS LIFE Professional Development Workshops on a 2010 nationwide tour.