"An important collection of poetry about Black British history from an acclaimed spoken word performer and social activist"
July Book of the Month
From Ancient Rome to the Tudors to the 2020 Euros football final, Black people have always lived and contributed to British society. In this exceptional anthology George the Poet has collected poems and examples of the Black British experience. The impressive list of contributors includes: Patience Agbabi, Jeffrey Boakye, Sophie Thakur, Derek Walcott and Benjamin Zephaniah.
A number of the poems are new and written specifically for this anthology, whilst others have been curated from older collections, such as Sunrise by Grace Nicholls, first published 1993. Throughout the collection historical notes are added for each era by writer and historian Dr Christienna Fryar. In addition, a number of the poems benefit from enlightening notes from the poets themselves, giving context and further info about their subjects.
The subjects covered by the poems are varied and full of interest – from celebrating Black trailblazers, such as Maggie Aderin-Pocock, to commemorating Belly Mujinga. I challenge anybody to read this anthology without being inspired to learn more! And there’s an extensive reading list provided to guide you forwards. Not only are the subjects of the poems varied and interesting, but innovative use of style and formats mean the structures of the poems themselves add further depth.
Highly recommended, this is an anthology to contemplate, revisit and relish.
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