Courttia Newland is an acclaimed author, scriptwriter, editor and playwright who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Born and bred in west London, his first novel, The Scholar, was published in 1997 and was an instant success. Newland was shortlisted for the CWA Dagger in the Library Award 2007, the Alfred Fagon Award 2010 and… Continue reading Interview with Courttia Newland
Author: Joy
West of no East
Author: Bobby Nayyar Publisher: Glasshouse Books Price: £7.99 Review by Andrea Enisuoh Protest is alive and kicking. With striking images of sprawling tent cities outside St Paul’s Cathedral in London, railing against big business, and students marching over tuition fees, Bobby Nayyar’s debut novel West of no East is timely. This compact but enlightening novel not… Continue reading West of no East
Writing from the danger zone
In the first of a two-part series on Egyptian women writers, Julie Tomlin speaks to writer, feminist and activist Nawal El Saadawi who received the Women of the Year Outstanding Achievement Award in London on 17 October 2011. The Egyptian writer, feminist and activist Nawal El Saadawi has said that danger has been part of… Continue reading Writing from the danger zone
Writer-in-waiting
Our writer-in-waiting has been on the Royal Court Theatre’s Critical Mass Programme, Invitation and Super Groups and has been informally attached to the Clean Break Theatre. She has had rehearsed readings of her plays at the Royal Court Theatre, Soho Theatre, Young Vic, Young Actors Theatre and Tristan Bates Theatre.
Wah! Wah! Girls
A British Bollywood Musical Written by Tanika Gupta and inspired by the world of the Mujra dancers, Wah! Wah! Girls tells a passionate and playful story of love against the odds, set against the vibrant background of the East End in 2012. Date: 24 May – 23 June 2012 Venue: Peacock Theatre (Sadler’s Wells) Price:… Continue reading Wah! Wah! Girls
Royal Court Theatre
Spring-Summer 2012 season The Royal Court Theatre spring-summer season 2012 includes new work from returning award-winning writers Bola Agbaje, Mike Bartlett, David Eldridge, Nick Payne and Joe Penhall, new plays from first-time writers Luke Norris and Hayley Squires as part of the Young Writers Festival, a Royal Court debut from Vivienne Franzmann in her second… Continue reading Royal Court Theatre
The missing link
The diversity of the UK wasn’t on display at the recent BFI film festival. With government funding cuts hampering film development in the UK, what are the chances of this dire picture changing? Olu Alakija asks some awkward questions and offers some solutions.
Dim Sum Nights
Dim Sum Nights is a new Yellow Earth initiative to showcase the best of emerging British East Asian talent with a view to developing new relationships and work for the future. Six short plays will be performed including works by Rosaline Ting, Daniel York, Paula Siu, Katy Wong, Supradya Aursudkij and a collaboration between Paul… Continue reading Dim Sum Nights
‘Fashion’s Best Kept Secret’ at Hackney Black History Month 2011
On Thursday 27th October, at the new Dalston C.L.R. James Library, Words of Colour Productions made history by hosting the first ever event in the as yet unopened landmark library. The exciting panel debate, ‘Fashion’s Best Kept Secret: Black people, culture and the fashion industry’, attracted a full house, including Diane Abbott MP for Hackney,… Continue reading ‘Fashion’s Best Kept Secret’ at Hackney Black History Month 2011