Bassey Ikpi

Bassey Ikpi is a Nigerian-born American spoken-word poet, writer, and mental health advocate. She has appeared on HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry five times and her poetry has opened shows for Grammy Award-winning artists. She's also the New York Times bestselling author of "I'm Telling the Truth But I'm Lying. When she was around 21, Ikpi moved to New York City for more opportunities. It was there she discovered "the Louder Arts Movement", the Nuyorican Poets Café, and later the Def Poetry Jam. It was also there where she learnt how to take her writing seriously. She became a successful spoken-word artist in the city and was featured on the Def Poetry Jam TV show for 5 seasons, touring with the company for a year starting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and then for another year doing the National tour with the original Broadway cast. She was on tour with Def Poetry Jam from 2001 to 2004