Black Prose

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 creat...

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...

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. S...

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 collecti...

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 de...

I'm genuinely so proud of Shaé Universe. Even though I don't know the UK R&B sensation personally, it's been beautiful watching her slow yet steady rise. From going viral on Twitter in 2017 to her debut album Love's Letter, she has continued to wow fans and industry peers with her distinct and sultry voice. In this episode, we spoke about having a clear vision, why she was insecure about her s...

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...

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 comm...

Aniefiok Ekpoudom and I really nerded out over our love for the craft of writing. I can’t remember when I first came across the writer and journalist from south London who documents the people, voices and communities of modern Britain. But I do know how his words made me feel. It’s always rich yet delicate. Concise yet fluid. Illuminating yet intimate. In this episode, we speak about how he went a...

The Cameroonian-American singer Libianca knows her strengths when it comes to songwriting. It's why her breakout single People went viral on TikTok and changed the trajectory of her life overnight. But before the music therapist – as she likes to call herself – captured hearts around the world, she was already making music that feeds the soul. And with the recent release of her new EP Walk Away, L...

Rap is poetry for dynamic West London rapper, pianist and producer Keys the Prince. It's how he best articulates where he has come from, how tables have turned for him this year and where he's headed next. But things weren't always like this for Keys, and our conversation touches on some of the obstacles he's faced over the last few years as a musician. From feeling rejected by the industry to fal...

This conversation with Safiya Sinclair was sublime; it almost left me speechless. She was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica and has written a dazzling new memoir How To Say Babylon, about her family, education and resilience. But she is first and foremost an exquisite poet, who penned and published a poetry collection Cannibal and won a Whiting Writers' Award in 2016. We spoke about her Rast...

I'll always be grateful to Dorothy Koomson for joining me on the first-ever live show at the London Podcast Festival this year. Dorothy is celebrating 20 years as a published author and is known as the ‘Queen of the big reveal’. Her emotional thrillers have connected with readers all over the world, so it's no surprise that she was a judge for the 2022 Women’s Prize for fiction, and recently joine...

Kelechi Okafor has a track record of using her imagination to create something out of nothing. The multi-talented actress, orator, Say Your Mind podcast host, and now debut author of a short story collection called Edge of Here: Stories from Near to Now, talks to me about why writing is a spiritual practice, her Ayahuasca experience in Peru, what inspired the sex scenes in her book, why Black wome...

Ade Onibada is a girls girl. She’s frank, has got her wits about her and knows when it's time to advocate for herself. Until recently, the journalist, producer, and host, was an internet culture reporter at BuzzFeed UK. Prior to that, she worked as a news reporter at The Voice, Britain’s only Black national newspaper, where found her feet as a problem-solving journalist.  I think our conversation...

Caleb Azumah Nelson has carved out a lane for himself. He's an author, screenwriter and photographer who burst into the literary world with his debut novel Open Water in 2021, and has since won several awards and released his second book Small Worlds. What I loved the most about our conversation, is how Caleb articulates his creative writing process, love for words, and how music is a key componen...

Abraham Adeyemi believes his only limitation is himself. I ask the screenwriter, director, producer and retired playwright about his new short film ‘Chasing The Night’ with Film4, writing his way into new opportunities with his debut award-winning short film ‘No More Wings’, maintaining friendships despite his busy schedule, the creative writing process he swear by, and what kept him motivated whe...

Welcome to another episode of Perfect Prose! The new bonus series where I ask guests about their favourite words written by a Black writer. What do you all think of the concept so far? Do you love it or hate it? Either way, I'm really enjoying hearing guests gush over the pieces of writing that have moved and inspired them. Let's keep it one hundred, we don't always take the time to really process...

Tolani Shoneye, also known as your girl Tolly T from The Receipts Podcast, has a way with words. It's why she created Story Story in 2020, a platform dedicated to stories about relationships, life and everything in between. Put her in the back of an Uber, and you'll find her telling her driver a new fictional tale about her life's work. Sometimes she nails it, sometimes she doesn't. But it's Tolly...

Creative writing allows you to travel without moving your feet. It allows your mind to go to any place it wants to with no restrictions. It's why I geek out when I read, watch or listen to words being brought to life.  So I'm trying this new thing, where I ask every guest if they’ve ever come across a piece of prose that they would consider being absolutely perfect, because I know I'm not the only...

Nathan Bryon has a way with words. I think it’s one of the reasons why he’s “laugh out loud” funny. Seriously. I laughed so much during this episode whilst we journeyed through the ups and downs of his colourful writing career. The unofficial mayor of Shepherds Bush — where he grew up — is currently in a congratulatory season. Once his new film Rye Lane — which he co-wrote with friend Tom Melia —...

This was the perfect time for my old friend Jordan Edwards-Wilks and me to catch up after 12 years. We went to school together and sat next to each other in Religious Studies, where he used to copy my work. I didn't know he could rap, sing or even play an instrument at the time. I just remember him being very intelligent, funny and always up for having a good time. I guess this was one of his best...

When I first slid into Tobi Rachel Akingbade’s DMs in August 2015, she told me two things, right off the bat, that have never left me: don’t be afraid to approach new people and remove the word ‘aspiring’ from my everyday vocabulary. So it was only right to have my mentor as the very first guest on Black Prose. I speak to Tobi about navigating the newsroom as a Black journalist, her new role at Bu...

Join journalist Yolanthe Fawehinmi as she interviews Black writers — across all mediums — about their come-up, lessons learnt and writing rituals. Follow Yolanthe on Instagram and on Twitter . Follow Black Prose on Twitter , Instagram and TikTok . Produced by New Strange . Artwork by Matt Munday . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.