Nii Ayikwei Parkes
Nii Ayikwei Parkes was born in the United Kingdom to Ghanaian parents. He was raised in Ghana and is a performance poet, writer, publisher and socio-cultural commentator. He is one of 39 writers aged under 40 from sub-Saharan Africa who, in April 2014, were named as part of the Hay Festival’s prestigious Africa39 project.
He had his start as an editor in his high school magazine and co-founded Ghana’s first national teen-run magazine, filla!
His debut novel, Tail of the Blue Bird, was published by Jonathan Cape in June 2009 and was shortlisted for the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. The novel has been translated into French and Spanish, getting nominations and awards in them.
