Occasional thoughts on life, learning and creativity
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The thing about films, especially the great ones, is that they’re revelatory; they unveil the human experience, annotate humanity. Something I was reminded of when attending the previews for Barry Jenkins’ mercurial debut feature, Moonlight, in Manchester these past few weeks. I was there to film vox pops for the distribution company, capturing audience responses… Continue reading Dancing in the Moonlight
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So you may recall that I’d mentioned interviewing Samm Henshaw a while back for The Nubian Times, which, on a personal level, was a very fun experience. I mean, the guy’s arguably the most talented soul artist to emerge from these shores in the last two decades. Not only that, he was a seriously fascinating… Continue reading ‘Music is For People’: An Interview With UK Soul Singer, Samm Henshaw
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Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to give the reader a story worth reading in 500 words or less… So said the email I received requesting I submit a piece of flash fiction for inclusion in an anthology to be published by Crocus Books. And so, never one to shirk a challenge,… Continue reading Elevator Fiction
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If American hip-hop – along with dancehall and garage music – are the parents, grime has since emerged from their shadow as the rebellious adolescent ready to forge its own path, becoming the voice of choice for British millenials tired of hearing tales of streetlife narrated from across the Atlantic. It’s for this reason I’ve… Continue reading Grime, Hip Hop and the City
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Originally a rapper, and then a poet, for the last year Tom Bishop has been occupying that loose sliding space that lingers between the two, the stripped down art known as spoken word. After connecting with him during one of his live performances last month at Sandbar’s grime and hip hop night, Mic Check, I… Continue reading There’s Nothing New About The News
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I think covering the Black Lives Matter rally in Manchester earlier this week is an experience I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Seeing people of every colour and from a range of communities gathered under one cause was both sobering and inspiring, as was listening to a range of speakers including community leaders, activists and… Continue reading Thoughts and Images from the Manchester #BlackLivesMatter Rally
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So I had the recent pleasure of sitting down with upcoming UK soul artist Samm Henshaw to interview him for Manchester-based newspaper, The Nubian Times. Samm, recently signed by Columbia Records, is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player… basically he’s a ridiculously talented artist and, pleasantly, incredibly humble too. You can check out some of… Continue reading “Music is for people”: The Wisdom of Samm Henshaw
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I don’t own a television. The one I had broke four or five years ago and with technology being as it is (with smartphones and the internet and so on) I could never really figure a good enough reason to replace it. Which is likely the reason I only recently saw this commercial (see below)… Continue reading Who Do You Think You Are?
Micah Yongo 