Probably the most fun I’ve had being interviewed to date. I had the very rich and real pleasure of chatting with Rachael Kearney of the Call on Courage podcast (highly recommend). In short, we take in everything from Thundercats to the education system to philosophical ruminations on the creative process, on the way to talking through my… Continue reading Life, Learning & The Secrets of the Universe
Well... where to begin. There are all kinds of words I could use to try to describe the experience that was the Durban Book Launch of Lost Gods, and absolutely all of them will sound hyperbolic to anyone who wasn't there - transcendent, incredible, life-affirming - that kinda thing. But it's all true. It was… Continue reading The Durban Book Launch
Sooo... my very first time doing an author interview. I'll admit I was a tad nervous but Anton Marks was the perfect host. We sat down on a typically wet and chilly Manchester evening to discuss life, family, culture, writing, and my soon to be released debut novel, Lost Gods. And, I have to say,… Continue reading Creating Legends
Current headspace: I wake up at 5:30am this morning, write this on my phone in about 5 mins, then go back to sleep. Go figure. Think I'll call it Chaos Theory. Seems apt somehow... There's a season for the sun And a season for the rain There's a season to have fun And a season… Continue reading Chaos Theory
So you may recall that I'd mentioned interviewing Samm Henshaw a while back for The Nubian Times, which, on a personal level, was a very fun experience. I mean, the guy's arguably the most talented soul artist to emerge from these shores in the last two decades. Not only that, he was a seriously fascinating… Continue reading A Belated Interview With UK Soul Artist, Samm Henshaw
The funny thing is I'm used to asking the questions, not answering them. I mean, I've conducted a fair few interviews at this point, delving into the motivations and inspirations of artists, creatives, community leaders etc. - people who are passionate about what they do. But I've never been on the other side of the… Continue reading On Writing: An Interview with… Myself?
I'm told public speaking is consistently ranked as many people's greatest fear... yeah, that's right - above heights, spiders, snakes, clowns (I still don't get why anyone likes clowns) etc. In fact, in many surveys public speaking is even ranked above the fear of death. Which, in my opinion, is all the more reason for… Continue reading The Future is Bright, The Future is… Social Media?
Originally a rapper, and then a poet, for the last year Tom Bishop has been occupying that loose sliding space that lingers between the two, the stripped down art known as spoken word. After connecting with him during one of his live performances last month at Sandbar's grime and hip hop night, Mic Check, I… Continue reading There’s Nothing New About The News
A blue mini pedals along atop the water, a man’s head catches fire, a woman rows her bed along with twin oars whilst lampposts erect from submergence like surfacing U-boats, and that’s before we even get to the flame wielding pixies and naked gods. Yup. You go to watch something like Illotopie’s Water Fools, a… Continue reading What’s the Problem With Weird?
So, in the lead up to Christmas I stumbled upon a drawing set someone had given me the previous year; a neat shallow tin of sketching pencils which, I thought, was a pretty cool gift, the kind of nostalgia-laden offering that had conjured up notions of taking stock and adjusting my lifestyle, i.e., I used… Continue reading Anatomy of a Self Portrait
The Mancophile 