BASSEY IKPI: BIO
Bassey Ikpi is a Nigerian American writer and mental health advocate. Her debut essay collection, I’m Telling the Truth, But I’m Lying, was an instant New York Times bestseller. She appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and joined the touring company for their Tony Award-winning Broadway show, and has appeared on numerous stages across the globe. Bassey is an active voice in the mental health community and a pop culture connoisseur; Her essays on both topics can be found on platforms including The New York Times, The Root, and Okay Africa. She is also the creator of #NoShameDay, an initiative that normalizes conversations surrounding Black mental health in order to reduce stigma. In short: Bassey Ikpi is a Nigerian American writer, ex-poet, constant mental health advocate, underachieving overachiever, and memoir procrastinator. She lives in Maryland..

Recognition and Awards:

New York Times Bestselling Author

Reading Women’s Nonfiction Award Nominee

Washington Post Bestselling Author

WSJ+ Book of the Month

Amazon: Top 100 Books

Essence Magazine’s Woke 100

The Root 100 Public Figure

GOOP: 10 New Favorite Books

Bitch Magazine: Most Anticipated Books of 2019 

Bustle: 21 New Memoirs That Will Inspire, Motivate, and Captivate You
Publishers Weekly Spring Preview Selection
Electric Lit: 48 Books by Women and Nonbinary Authors of Color to Read in 2019

Bookish: Best Nonfiction of Summer Selection

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