Nols Nathankski talks community with Dean Atta on the podcast!

Dean Atta is a BAFTA-winning British poet, author and filmmaker, current chair of the Society of Authors Poetry and Spoken Word Group. Of Greek Cypriot and Jamaican heritage, Dean was named one of the 100 most influential LGBTQ+ people in the UK. He’s been commissioned by Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the National Portrait Gallery and Keats House. His novel in verse, The Black Flamingo, won the Stonewall Book Award. His memoir Person Unlimited was published by Canongate in 2024. His short film, Two Black Boys in Paradise, won the 2026 BAFTA Film Award for British Short Animation.

In this episode, Dean talks about his forthcoming collection "I Don’t March to That Drum", reads two exclusive poems written in a Joelle Taylor workshop, and discusses making work with soundscapes alongside Antosh Wojcik. He reflects on his time with Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, the Roundhouse Collective, and his residency at Keats House, and speaks to the importance of open mics and workshops for sharing and developing your writing.

Nols and Dean make poems live, using a prompt Dean created on the train as well as prompts from 48 Writing Prompts, out now on Burley Fisher Community Press.

Dean is chair of the Society of Authors Poetry and Spoken Word Group.

https://societyofauthors.org/groups/poetry-spoken-word/

Dean’s books

• I Am Nobody’s Nigger - The Westbourne Press

• The Black Flamingo - Hachette Children’s Group

• Only On The Weekends - Hachette Children’s Group

• I Can’t Even Think Straight - Hachette Children’s Group

• There is (still) love here - Nine Arches Press

• Person Unlimited: An Ode to My Black Queer Body - Canongate Books

• Confetti (illustrated by Alea Marley) - Orchard Books

• Auntie’s Bangles (illustrated by Alea Marley) - Orchard Books

Dean’s film

• Two Black Boys in Paradise, an animated short film, winner of the 2026 BAFTA Film Award for Best British Short Animation

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/two-black-boys-in-paradise

mentioned in this episode

• joelle taylor — poet, playwright, ts eliot prize winner, founder of slambassadors, host of out-spoken at the southbank centre

• antosh wojcik — poet, sound artist, drummer; one half of post everything; how to keep time: a drum solo for dementia produced by penned in the margins

• malika’s poetry kitchen — collective founded by malika booker; dean is a longstanding member

• keith jarrett — poet, former uk slam champion; new collection hide me under the blood and i shall be satisfied (bad betty press) is a pbs spring 2026 recommendation — dean and keith both came up through goldsmiths’ spoken word educators programme together

writing prompts

• 48 writing prompts — riso-printed a6 booklet, published by burley fisher community press, out now