AWARD-WINNING spoken word artist Inua Ellams performs The 14th Tale at Lighthouse in Poole on March 23, a comic and moving self portrait of life growing up across Nigeria, Dublin and London.

Still only 28, Inua has achieved considerable success as both a poet and performer.

The 14th Tale, his first full-length show, won a Fringe First for at Edinburgh in 2009 before going on to tour nationally and internationally. His subsequent shows Untitled and Black T-Shirt Collection have both toured nationally and sold out the National’s Cottesloe Theatre.

This piece, which was developed at Battersea Arts Centre and the Arcola Theatre in London, references his collection of poems 13 Fairy Negro Tales, published when he was just 22 years old.

Lighthouse spokesman Paul Tucker said: “This one-man performance traces Ellams’s memories of life growing up across three countries, telling stories of his upbringing, friends and family and of his experiences of moving to the UK, all against the background of a hospital waiting room.

“Combining comic dialogue with poetry and prose, this autobiographical account looks to encapsulate the trials of adolescence alongside a depiction of life as a young, black male in the UK today.”

Inua loved visual art as a child and began writing in his late teens. He works as a graphic designer/visual artist and his client list includes The Royal Opera House, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, The National Theatre, BAC, Roundhouse, Interrogate Festival, Soho Theatre, British Council, BBC Radio 1 through to 4, BBC TV, The Mayor of London and Tate Modern. The 14th Tale is at Lighthouse on March 23 – call 0844 406 8666 for tickets and details.