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About Me
Hi, welcome to Life of Poet. I am Poet. I go by Zizipho Bam.
I am an award‑winning author, cultural producer and performance poet.
My work lives at the intersection of storytelling, sensory memory and healing. In my poetry, I explore themes of love, longing, loss, and belonging - an attempt to respond to my childhood, girlhood and navigating the world as a black woman. I am inspired by the body and its experiences and through examining sense memory, I weave stories into poetry, art and curated experiences.
Sunflowers For My Lovers is my debut poetry collection, self-published in 2022 and is available at independent bookstores nationwide. My publishing journey led me to hosting sold-out book launches across the country, from Cape Town to Johannesburg, Durban to Pretoria and Bloemfontein. I have had the honour of sharing my self-publishing knowledge on panels, with fellow poets, consulting and offering guidance on the process.
As a curator and arts advocate, I create spaces for poetry to thrive in the gaps. I have curate the poetry showcases for Open Book Festival for two years. I am the co-founder of Slam City, a slam poetry platform that fosters camaraderie and healthy competition among poets. Hosting events at the Baxter Theatre and Theatre Arts, Slam City nurtures young talent and contributes to the development and sustainability of poetry as a career.
Some commissioned work and performances have landed me on stages like the Western Cape Sports, Arts & Culture Women’s Day (2020–2022), the UCT Neuroscience Institute Heritage Day (2024), the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (2024), the Santam Leadership Conference (2025), and the Wordworks Gala Dinner (2025), Mandela Sobukwe Leadership Camp (2026).
My performances have graced stages like Open Book Festival, Cape Flats Book Festival, Poetry Africa where I served as a judge for the 2023 National Poetry Slam Competition, Poetry On The Lawn, and most recently, the National Arts Festival. I curated The Poetry Jam, an immersive poetry and music showcase staged at Pangea, Wolfkop Weekender, Tribe In, and Kunda Valley. Rooted in improvisation, the performance blends poetry, rap, and live instrumentation to create a contemplative experience. Designed as a retreat within the high‑energy pace of popular genre‑driven festivals, The Poetry Jam offers audiences a calm, reflective space where words and music restore balance and depth.
My practice extends into sensory workshop design, where I use taste and other sensory categories as creative tools for inspiration and collective reflection. I facilitate poetry workshops for schools, institutions, and festivals, blending performance and community to nurture emerging voices. My multi-sense poetry workshop called Senses continues to expand amongst diverse groups of varying writing expert levels. I have hosting workshops for the grade 8 students at Springfield Convent School and Good Hope Seminary Girls’ High School, Cape Cultural Collective, Inclusive Affirmative Ministries, Pangea, Go Sauna and IKamva Youth at the Open Book Youth Festival.
Beyond poetry, I work as a PR and media communications officer for leading festivals such as the National Arts Festival (NAF) where I craft narratives, manage press relations, and amplify the voices of artists and cultural practitioners. My communications work ensures that creative communities, independant artists and alternative genre are fairly represented in media.
My work has been recognized with the 2020 New Coin Prize, the 2021 New Contrast National Poetry Prize, the 2023 Thomas Pringle Award and the 2026 Mail and Guardian 200 Young South Africans recognition.