The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by Theresa Ikoko. Theresa is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Her awards include the Alfred Fagon Award for Best New Play and the George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright. With Clare Wilson, she co-wrote the screenplay f...
Dec 20, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 10
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by novelist, short story writer, editor and educator Leone Ross. She is the author of This One Sky Day (UK), Popisho (USA), All The Blood is Red, Orange Laughter and short story collection, Come Let Us Sing Anyway and editor of Glimpse: A Bla...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 9
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by writer and journalist, Patrice Lawrence. She is the author award-winning YA books, Orangeboy, Indigo Donut and Eight Pieces of Silver. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...
Oct 25, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 8
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by three Titans of black british publishing. Margaret Busby CBE, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Verna Wilkins, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and Susheila Nasta MBE, Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Lit...
Oct 11, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 2Ep. 8
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by author, screenwriter, playwright, creative writing tutor and literary activist Courttia Newland. In this episode we learn how and why Courttia evolved writing in different genres and formats. Plus, we learn why recycling has paid off for h...
Oct 05, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 7
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by the award-winning poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer, Inua Ellams. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplifywriters/ Twitter: https://twitter....
Sep 14, 2023•54 min•Season 2Ep. 6
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by Crime writer Dreda Say Mitchell MBE. Author of sixteen novels, with her debut scooping The CWA’s John Creasey Dagger in 2005, the first time a Black British author has received this honour. She writes with her life partner, Ryan Carter. He...
Aug 30, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 2Ep. 5
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by Ben Tagoe. In 2016, Ben’s episode of CBBC’s JAMIE JOHNSON was shortlisted for the Children’s BAFTA awards, International Emmys and Royal Television Society awards. He currently has various TV projects in development. For the stage, Ben’s p...
Aug 16, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 4
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by Dean Atta, a British author and member of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen and a patron of LGBT+ History Month. His young-adult novel in verse, The Black Flamingo (Hachette Children’s Group / Balzer + Bray), won the 2020 Stonewall Book Award and wa...
Aug 09, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 3
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by Roy Williams OBE FRSL, who began writing plays in 1990 and is now arguably one of the country's leading dramatists. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplifywriters/ T...
Aug 02, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Season 2Ep. 2
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by storyteller Yomi Sode who tells us about starting out as a musician and why he gave up being in a band so he could concentrate on his craft as a poet and theatre maker and why he thinks of himself as a malleable storyteller. Instagram: h...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. A special podcast from hosts Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker at the Common Threads: Black and Asian British Women's Writing International Conference Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplifywriters/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amplify_writers Website: www.theamplifyproject.co.uk Subscribe to podcasts in the series: https://theamplifyproject.libsyn.com/rss...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 12
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. Hosts Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker wrap up series 1 sharing some of their memorable moments from the series and looking forward to series 2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amplifywriters/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/amplify_writers Website: www.theamplifyproject.co.uk Subscribe to podcasts in the series: https://theamplifyproject.libsyn.com/rss...
Feb 04, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by playwright and academic Oladipo Agboluaje who talks about creating comic books as a child, the inspirations for his plays and why he’s an unapologetic writer. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: htt...
Jan 28, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 10
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by children’s writer and writer for theatre, TV, Radio and film, actress Trish Cooke, who tells us how winning a competition set her on the path to become a professional writer, the collaborative nature of writing pantomimes, and why writing ...
Jan 21, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by poet, novelist, musician, creative writing lecturer Anthony Joseph, who tells us about being a surrealist poet and mixing genres, what makes him a Caribbean writer and introducing his students to Caribbean and Black writers. Instagram: htt...
Dec 16, 2021•56 min
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by poet Rachel Long, who tells us about being inspired by Jean “Binta” Breeze, wanting to write poems that sound and feel real and why she set up Octavia Poetry Collective. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Fa...
Dec 06, 2021•58 min•Season 1Ep. 7
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by debut novelist Hafsa Zayyan who tells us about winning the #Merky Books New Writer’s Prize, how she researched her story about immigrants and why she’s reticent to call herself a writer yet. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify...
Nov 05, 2021•47 min•Season 1Ep. 6
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by memoirist and biographer Colin Grant tells us about writing his memoir Bageye at the Wheel; how he was inspired to write about Jamaican greats Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer; and the importance of his platform, Writ...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 37 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by Juliet Gilkes Romero who speaks about her revolutionary parents, starting out as a journalist before switching to playwriting and how her identity as a black woman writer is integral to her writing. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/th...
Oct 03, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by novelist Alex Wheatle who discusses how reading became his saviour, when he started writing novels before moving into developing a successful career writing YA fiction and how his life was put on the screen in acclaimed director Steve McQu...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 3
The Amplify Project. Black writers in their own words. We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by novelist Diana Evans who discusses how she started writing novels, juggling her twin careers as novelist and journalist, her writing process and winning awards. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: h...
Sep 17, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 2
We’ve invited writers for the stage, page and screen to tell us about themselves, their work, what inspires them and why they write. In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by poet and playwright Nick Makoha to discuss his love of language, how he became a poet, the power of storytelling and his commitment to pursuing a career as a writer without a safety net. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_amplify_project/?hl=en-gb Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ampli...
Sep 07, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 1
