Originally published at Fantasy Faction to accompany the press release for Lost Gods… When I was a kid my mother would tell me and my siblings fables, these sort of half made up Nigerian folktales-come-bedtime stories that often began and ended with a fantastical twist. Like the tale of how the sky came to be so… Continue reading Tales Mama Would Tell
Tag: creativity
Chaos Theory
Current headspace: I wake up at 5:30am this morning, write this on my phone in about 5 mins, then go back to sleep. Go figure. Think I'll call it Chaos Theory. Seems apt somehow... There's a season for the sun And a season for the rain There's a season to have fun And a season… Continue reading Chaos Theory
The Habit of Art
There's this strange nebulous space you tend to occupy as a writer, or even, perhaps, a creator or storyteller of any kind; a sort of hovering furtive interstice between here and elsewhere, wakefulness and daydream, vivid yet vague; like a mental version of twilight. Which is why I loved stumbling across this excerpt from Jane Vandenburgh's Architecture… Continue reading The Habit of Art
‘Music is For People’: An Interview With UK Soul Singer, Samm Henshaw
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
The Future is Bright, The Future is… Social Media?
I'm told public speaking is consistently ranked as many people's greatest fear... yeah, that's right - above heights, spiders, snakes, clowns (I still don't get why anyone likes clowns) etc. In fact, in many surveys public speaking is even ranked above the fear of death. Which, in my opinion, is all the more reason for… Continue reading The Future is Bright, The Future is… Social Media?
There’s Nothing New About The News
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
Anatomy of a Self Portrait
So, in the lead up to Christmas I stumbled upon a drawing set someone had given me the previous year; a neat shallow tin of sketching pencils which, I thought, was a pretty cool gift, the kind of nostalgia-laden offering that had conjured up notions of taking stock and adjusting my lifestyle, i.e., I used… Continue reading Anatomy of a Self Portrait
‘When We Write Well, We Bear Witness to the Times’: An Interview With Poet & Author, Peter Kalu
So I recently had the good fortune to meet and then later interview playwright, poet and novelist, Peter Kalu. As well as publishing multiple short stories and several novels, Kalu has worked with the BBC and also been involved in a variety of initiatives to support young writers through his work at Commonword; a community project to promote and… Continue reading ‘When We Write Well, We Bear Witness to the Times’: An Interview With Poet & Author, Peter Kalu
‘Finding new ways to find new ideas’: An Interview with Songwriter & Recording Artist, Josephine Oniyama
Josephine Oniyama’s debut album, Portrait, is described by The Daily Mirror as ‘musically abundant’ and by The Times as ‘stunning’ whilst she herself has been described by none other than Elbow’s Guy Garvey as ‘an old soul singer in a beautiful young girl.’ She’s been featured in The Guardian, she’s performed on Later With Jools Holland, and alongside being… Continue reading ‘Finding new ways to find new ideas’: An Interview with Songwriter & Recording Artist, Josephine Oniyama
Why Does Art Matter?
Cue the credits, then the music, and our numbed seats rise slowly in unison, and a room of strangers together arch their spines, stretch their legs, and spread their arms, as though for flight, as the cosy dimness finally lifts and ushers us back to reality with the sated sigh of having been, for a… Continue reading Why Does Art Matter?
Micah Yongo 