This episode is the second in the 'My Writing Process' diaries.

A review of the sold-out show "For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy" and is informed by the landmark 1976 theatre piece by Ntozake Shange "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf"

https://blackballad.co.uk/views-voices/playwright-director-ryan-calais-cameron-for-black-boys-who-have-considered-suicide-when-the-hue-gets-too-heavy?listIds=591b37f155fd6dc14e461ae7

A play written by babirye bukilwa and directed by Malakai Sargeant that evaluates themes of diet culture, antiBlackness, fatphobia and misogyny.

Podcast with Stratford East: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4tkQAJQHgRCsojYrpLhBEk?si=0bd115fbac47488f

Ruby Tandoh articles: 

https://ruby-tandoh.medium.com/empire-of-seeds-ee4308a529c4

https://heated.medium.com/your-hands-are-your-greatest-kitchen-utensil-3246caaab79c

How I write.

Review: Small Island at the Olivier Theatre at National Theatre

In this episode, I review the Waterstone Piccadilly event featuring Oliver Bullough in conversation with Serena Kutchinsky where he talks about his new book: 'Butler to the World: How Britain Became the Servant of Tycoons, Tax Dodgers, Kleptocrats and Criminals - drawing connections with the Suez Canal crisis as the origin of the financial industry which later came to become attractive for oligarchs to move their money. 

Using Oliver's point as a launching pad, I talk about related news like trends in the wider finance industry, the Ukraine v Russia war, ex-Chelsea owner Abramovich, metaphors in popular culture (Ask Jeeves as a metaphor for Butlerism), the breakdown of Empire, the Middle East and offshore accounts.

Review of exhibition of Caribbean-British art at Tate Britain, ending on April 3rd.

This episode is a mixture and politlcs, hopscotching a variety of shows I've watched and articles and books I've read, including but not limited to:

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy - BBCTwo - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0bncnd5/stanley-tucci-searching-for-italy-series-1-1-naples-and-the-amalfi-coast

The Dropout - DisneyPlus - https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/series/the-dropout/5C0gjGwyRTeZ

Courttia Newland's talk about 'A River Called Time'

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/03/21/the-anti-elizabeth-holmes

https://blackballad.co.uk/views-voices/magic-system-premier-gaou-iconic-cross-cultural?listIds=591b37f155fd6dc14e461ae7

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/writing-controversial-opinions-journalism/627014/

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-interview/cornel-west-sees-a-spiritual-decay-in-the-culture

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/04/21/474847921/the-arctic-suicides-its-not-the-dark-that-kills-you?t=1646960631186

Review of BBC drama: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/mar/01/mood-review-songs-sorrow-and-sex-work-in-nicole-leckys-bold-fresh-drama

This episode includes a mini-review of Stanley Tucci's new series: Searching For Italy https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0bncl3n , engaging with different cultural views on death, the impact of cultural forces like Jamal Edwards, Andre Leon Talley and Virgil Abloh before they passed, and the role of mental health in the Black community.

Catapult Magazine extract by Eloghosa Osunde https://catapult.co/stories/rain-short-fiction-by-eloghosa-osunde