Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is an internationally touring poet, playwright and performer. He has eight published books of poetry and plays. Poetry includes ‘Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars’ and ‘Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales’. His first play ‘The 14th Tale’ (a one-man show which he performed) was awarded a Fringe First at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and his third, ‘Black T-Shirt Collection’ ran at England’s National Theatre. He is currently working on two volumes of poetry: #Afterhours – a pamphlet and ‘Of All The Boys of Plateau Private School’, his first collection.
Poet’s note: “I was writing an essay that involved visiting the grounds of my old secondary school and suddenly remembered early interactions with members of the opposite sex. This was a fleeting memory of a something that happened, that seemed heroic at the time, but later I came to see for what it really was… one of the many illusions men share with other men.”