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 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. Follow Kayode on Instagram.Follow Kayode's production company on Instagram.Follow Yolanthe on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.Follow Black Prose on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.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.

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.Order Yomi's debut novel The List.Follow Yomi on Twitter and Instagram.Follow Yolanthe on Twitter and Instagram.Follow Black Prose on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.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.

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. Order Diane's new memoir A Woman Like Me.Follow Diane on Twitter and Instagram.Follow Yolanthe on Twitter and Instagram.Follow Black Prose on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.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.

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.Order Caleb's new book The Wickedest. Follow Caleb on Twitter and Instagram.Follow Yolanthe on Twitter and Instagram.Follow Black Prose on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.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.

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. Order Chibundu's new book Mayowa and the Sea of Words. Follow Chibundu on TikTok and Instagram.Follow Yolanthe on Twitter and Instagram.Follow Black Prose on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.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.