Inside: Archives
Harare North, by Brian Chikwava
Debut novelist Brian Chikwava has an approach to the complex issues around Zimbabwe that is grittier, nuanced, and ultimately more honest and brave than many writers tackling the subject of political exile.
Tags: Black Writing & PoetryInside: Archives
Book review: The Global Village – Tell Tales 4
Courttia Newland, a writer and literary activist, established the Tell Tales Collective in 2004. He is devoted to promoting the short story form, and this the 4th anthology. Co-editor Monique Roffey runs a writing centre in Devon for the Arvon Foundation. Full to the brim with offerings from writers around the world, Tell Tales is [...]
Tags: Black Writing & PoetryInside: Archives
‘With novels you can go much further, take people on a much broader journey’
Singer / Author / Poet Gemma Weekes on her first novel
Tags: article, Black Writing & PoetryInside: Archives
Book reading: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Co at the South Bank Centre, 3 April 2009
In celebration of women across the globe, WOMANKIND Worldwide, a charity that empowers women in developing countries, hosted its 20th anniversary at the distinguished Southbank Centre. This all female panel comprised of an inspirational group of writers, poets and singers, including the 2007 Orange Broadband prize for fiction winner, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. With the atmosphere [...]
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It’s a joke ting! A review of spoken word night Rum Punch
It is in the midst of the bustling streets of Soho, in the basement of Rudy’s Revenge, where a small room is prepared, packed with a few tables and plastic chairs, ready to accommodate the February edition of spoken word night Rum Punch. Saran Green, the nominated spoken-word artist and guest host for the night, [...]
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Spoken word: The 14th Tale @ Arcola Theatre, 18 – 20 March 09
Poet and graphic artist Inua Ellams hit the Arcola Theatre to perform his free-flowing narrative The 14th Tale. This auto-biographical play is the result of what sounds like a difficult writing process. Inua remarks in the programme note, “I considered throwing in the towel” but he eventually came to find something original to write about: [...]
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Book reading: Bernadine Evaristo @ Soho Theatre, 25th March 09
Writer Bernadine Evaristo, working in association with spoken word organisation Apples and Snakes, read an excerpt of her latest novel Blonde Roots, which is longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2009. Hosted by writer Nick Makoha in an intimate studio at the Soho Theatre, the event got off to a relaxed start with Denise [...]
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‘The bittersweet world of the expatriates tastes the same whether you’re in Paris, Nairobi or in San Francisco’
Sarah Ladipo Manyika’s debut novel, In Dependence, was featured as Waterstone’s top choice for Black History Month. She was also extended a special invite to speak at the World Affairs Council, ‘Voices of the World’, in San Francisco earlier this year. Having travelled many countries and been exposed to many things, I wondered if her [...]
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Zena Edwards on her play Security
Zena Edwards brings her many talents to a new one-woman show – Security – at the Battersea Arts Centre until the end of November. The well-travelled writer, spoken word artist and musician – who uses traditional African instruments in her thoughtful performances – has developed a piece that now showcases her acting and storytelling skills. [...]
Tags: Black Theatre, Black Writing & PoetryInside: Archives
Michael X – A Life in Black and White
Who was Michael X, born Michael de Freitas, and later known as Michael Abdul Malik? Was he simply a man with a big-time hustle, trying to make his way in Britain in the ‘50s and ‘60s? Or was he Britain’s Black Power leader who experienced a Damascene conversion after the visit of Malcolm X to [...]
Tags: Black Arts & Heritage, Black Writing & PoetryInside: Archives
Urban Literature: Keeping It Real?
The recent publications of 50 Cent’s G-unit books and Snoop Dogg’s Doggy Tales along with the success of a plethora of other books have shown that urban literature is a lucrative enterprise. Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines – whose books are now considered as classics – are viewed as the godfathers of this gritty and [...]
Tags: Black Writing & Poetry
