I think this episode with actor, writer, and director Kayode Ewumi was one of our most contentious ones. He said some things that either bothered me or challenged me as a Black writer. He's best known for inventing the character Roll Safe, which has become a meme we still love to use today and for co-writing the infamous Hood Documentary. Kayode also became a 2016 BAFTA Breakthrough Brit and created the BBC Three comedy series Enterprice in 2018 before he decided to take a step back from the spotlight.

Apart from learning more about where he has been over the last three years, we spoke about everything from big breaks, his call with British actor Daniel Kaluuya, why Jay from the Inbetweeners inspired Roll Safe, favourite TV shows, the business of writing and whether Black writers feel entitled or not.

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Produced by New Strange.

Artwork by Matt Munday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I had such a great time chatting with Yomi Adegoke at the London Podcast Festival this year. The journalist and author of Sunday Times bestsellers Slay in Your Lane and The List spoke about the impact of being a Croydon ride-or-die, her current relationship with social media, writing from a place of pain, the power of collaborative writing and why more of us should free ourselves from looking like a beginner. Yomi has a way of marrying both truth and humour when speaking about her writing journey, which I'm sure will uplift and challenge you to press play in your life and create the things that scare you.

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Produced by New Strange.

Artwork by Matt Munday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Diane Abbott has seen it all. That's why I was so excited to speak with her about her new memoir A Woman Like Me, which captures her voice and the way her upbringing has shaped her political career. Despite being the first Black woman elected to parliament in 1987 and the longest-serving Black MP in the House of Commons, Diane has still been a frequent victim of abuse, overlooked and undermined. She talks to me about how this has impacted her as a Black woman, falling back in love with writing, whether she will be retiring soon or not, the current state of the Labour Party, pardna, her previous relationship with Jeremy Corbyn and where her resilience comes from.

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Produced by New Strange.

Artwork by Matt Munday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caleb Femi used to be a teacher until he realised that his dreams wouldn't go beyond the classroom. It's why the poet, filmmaker, photographer and former young people's laureate for London spoke about growing up on a north Peckham estate in his debut collection Poor. And now explores the institution of shoobs or house parties and their vital role in working class communities in his second collection The Wickedest. During this episode, Caleb told me about the universe he's building and why he wants more Black writers to think about how we can contribute to the literary space. I really enjoyed our rich conversation about party culture, shoobs economics, hood proverbs, Boris Johnson, pushing boundaries in our writing and why we need to look after hope.

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Produced by New Strange.

Artwork by Matt Munday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nigerian novelist and singer-songwriter started writing stories around the age of 10 and less than a decade later, became the youngest woman ever signed by Faber. Her debut novel, The Spider King's Daughter, was published when she was 21 and ever since she has continued to write compelling stories, including her second novel Welcome to Lagos, the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Sankofa and her debut children's book Mayowa and the Sea of Words. In this episode, we spoke about how her Christian faith has informed her writing, placing our identity in our careers, the benefits of people watching, what makes a great children's book, "writer math" and how we can better deal with our emotions.

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Produced by New Strange.

Artwork by Matt Munday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When George the Poet — also known as George Mpanga — decided to be a poet and not a rapper, he wanted to undermine the expectations that come with it. So after leaving Island Records to develop his BBC Sounds Peabody award-winning podcast Have You Heard George's Podcast? he found a way to use fiction, non-fiction and music to tell expansive stories about society, history and culture. In his latest book, Track Record: Me, Music, and the War on Blackness, he continues to tell our side of the story through his anti-colonial messaging and elegant use of words. In this episode, we speak about his complex relationship with rap music, how becoming a dad changed the way he measures success, why language can be political, and the responsibility Black writers have to our community.

Listen to George's podcast Have You Heard George's Podcast?

Order George's new book Track Record: Me, Music, and the War on Blackness.

Buy tickets to The Poets' Revival at Royal Albert Hall.

Follow George on Twitter and Instagram.

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Produced by New Strange.

Artwork by Matt Munday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

DJ, writer and artist manager Elijah is someone who prioritises original thinking, doesn't like to waste time making things perfect and wants other writers to just write the thing. It's probably why his Yellow Squares project has been such a huge success. He's managed to take the art of writing and translate it across to a social media platform that was primarily made for images and build a community where people love to have thought-provoking conversations in the comments. This has led him to university lecture theatres across the world and has even seen his work on billboards and football stadiums. In this episode, we speak about his unconventional writing style, why we need to make the most of our lives, the impact lockdown had on his worldview, building our own lanes, and taking the risks that scare us.

Listen to Elijah's album Make The Ting.

Watch Elijah's Yellow Square project lecture.

Follow Elijah on Twitter and Instagram.

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Subscribe to the Black Prose Podcast newsletter on Substack.

Produced by New Strange.

Artwork by Matt Munday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.