We, at The Poetry Lab, are so excited to announce our collaboration with Nigerian American film-maker, rapper, and spoken word artist, Amanda Eke (EH-kay) in sponsoring Season 3 of The Poet Speaks Podcast. In each episode, Amanda interviews a different poet from around the globe and highlights and celebrates the many ways spoken word poetry and oral traditions shape our unique communities. 

While living in Malta as a Fulbright Scholar, Amanda, who earned her MA in Pan African Studies from Syracuse University, called upon the power of poetry and rap to support migrants and refugees learning English in her Maltese community. This work evolved into her workshop, The Poet Speaks.

Why “The Poet Speaks”?

Amanda Eke (pronounced EH-kay)

Why “The Poet Speaks” as a title? It’s an homage to her younger self who remained nonverbal until age four, an acknowledgement that beginnings don’t have to determine the rest of the story, and so often don’t. Each person has the power to find their own “voice”—however that manifests—at any age. 

Amanda was touring The Poet Speaks workshop across the United States and globally in Trinidad and Tobago and Nepal before the pandemic hit in 2020, bringing travel to a standstill both domestically and internationally. To continue her work of building connections between individuals and communities through poetry, Amanda branched off into the world of podcasts. With guests including global poetry slam champions and poets laureate, within months The Poet Speaks Podcast began topping podcast charts and was included in Strategic Media Inc.’s Top 5 podcasts for celebrating Black History Month. 

The podcast features global poetry slam champions and poets laureate

“I’m pretty humbled by the response,” Amanda said. “I’m living in Japan recording the podcast from my kitchen table in my tiny one-bedroom apartment. I wasn’t expecting the podcast to receive the attention it’s been getting. It was totally unexpected, and I’m really humbled by it.” 

Meeting Poetry Idols

Through The Poet Speaks Podcast, Amanda has invited her guests to share their personal and regional histories, cultures, and ideas surrounding poetry. Guests have hailed from Colorado, Wyoming, and California in the States; and abroad from Canada, Nepal, India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.