Oberlin College and Conservatory

Sugarcane Writers Workshop with Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene, '02

Sunday, February 24, 2013 at 1:00pm to 3:00pm

Price House
100 Forest Street, Oberlin, OH 44074

Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene ’02 is an Ijaw and Urhobo Nigerian dyke performance activist, poet, dancer, essayist, playwright, actress, video blogger, and mixed media visual artist, who was born with a mouth full of dynamite and sugarcane. She uses her poetry to chisel a verbal sculpture of her soul for listeners while addressing issues of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, war, imperialism, love, self-esteem and family. Etaghene has self-published three collections of poetry, toured nationally and performed in more than 30 U.S. cities. She has toured nationally with her multimedia one-woman show, Volcano’s Birthright{s}. Etaghene has produced four solo art exhibitions. In June 2012, she founded Sugarcane, an LGBTQ of color writing workshop based in the principles of June Jordan’s Poetry for the People. She has shared stages with Amina Baraka, Bonfire Madigan, Sharon Bridgforth, Staceyann Chin, and innumerable other brilliant magic-makers.

Etaghene will lead the Sugarcane Writers Workshop at 1 p.m. February 24 at Third World House, and will speak on “Nigerian Dyke Holy Text,” at 7:30 p.m. at the ’Sco.

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