Writing for the People: Black Joy Revisited

Hear from a panel featuring Timi Sotire, Vanessa Kisuule, Tobi Kyeremateng, Jason Okundaye and Roy McFarlane on the many forms and many layers of Black joy.

In this panel celebrating the young adult anthology Black Joy, edited by Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff and Timi Sotire, contributors to the book are joined by special guests to discuss their different approaches to writing Black-centric projects.

Timi Sotire is a writer and editor, specialising in topics ranging from music, pop culture and politics. She co-edited the Black Joy anthology.

Jason Okundaye was born to British-Nigerian parents in south London in 1997. He writes for publications including The Guardian, the London Review of Books and British Vogue. He co-curates the digital archive Black and Gay, Back in the Day documenting Black LGBTQ+ life in Britain since the 1970s. His first book, Revolutionary Acts, a social history of Black gay men in Britain, is published by Faber in spring 2024.

Vanessa Kisuule is a writer and performer based in Bristol. She has won over ten slam titles, appeared on TV and radio programmes, written for publications including The Guardian, NME and Lonely Planet, and performed around the world. Her poem ‘Hollow’ on the historic toppling of Edward Colston’s statue was viewed more than 750,000 times in the aftermath of BLM protests in 2020. She has written two poetry collections and is working on an essay collection and her debut novel.

Tobi Kyeremateng is a BAFTA-winning film and TV producer from south London. She has produced work internationally for renowned broadcasters and media such as the BBC, British Vogue, Channel 4 and more, including the BAFTA-winning E4 comedy-drama series How to Be a Person. She is currently developing and producing a slate of film and TV projects, including a series of short films for major broadcasters, and a docu-film to be shot across the Middle East and East Africa.

Roy McFarlane is a poet and playwright born in Birmingham of Jamaican parentage, living in Brighton. He’s the National Canal Laureate, a former Birmingham Poet Laureate and performed in the Opening Ceremony for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022. His debut collection, Beginning With Your Last Breath, was followed by The Healing Next Time, shortlisted for the Ted Hughes award. His third collection, Living by Troubled Waters is out now.