Zena Edwards

Zena Edwards is a poet and performer who uses song, movement and global influences as a jump-off for her words.

She defines the fusion of poetry and music by including traditional African-instrumentation (the Kalimba and Kora) and new technology, to create her own sound tracks for her poems and stories, producing a body of work that reaches culturally and generationally diverse audiences on an international level. She fuses Jazzy Hip-Hop grooves, heavily influenced by her world music collaborations, with South African musicians including Pops Mohamed, one of her most important mentors.

She has performed at Festivals worldwide and also works in schools and colleges, supported by the Apples and Snakes poetry organisation, 57 Productions and the British Council, and has shared the stage and anthologies with some of her most admired predecessors, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Sonia Sanchez, Lemn Sissay, Jean Binta Breeze and Roger McGough.

Originally, she studied theatre management and technology, then joined Rhythm Writers followed by an all-girl acapella group, Shades, before becoming a solo performer. Her work is often inspired by travel, particularly in Africa. She has performed her own one-woman show, Broken Words, and has produced work for several BBC radio broadcasts, and short films for Sky Digital.

She was recently Resident Poet at the Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden, and shortlisted for the first Arts Foundation Award for Performance Poetry. She has also produced two CDs, entitled Healing Pool and Mine 4 Life.