Some days just need to be recorded. Today was one of them, the day my book went on the shelves at the Black Cultural Archives bookshop. Oh yeah. Books on a shelf. In a shop.
Wonky grins all the way: it was a big day for me. My grandad lived in Brixton for more than 30 years, he would have been so proud!
I will never forget the journey it took to get here. The many patient hours of writing, editing, proofing… ALL worth it! So grateful to Black Cultural Archives for making space for Songs of My Soul. And excited to have the opportunity to share my words and work with many more people!
It would be a perfect gift for mother’s day (check out some of my older posts for snippets of my poems on motherhood) and if you miss mother’s day, it would make a lovely gift for anyone travelling this road of life. Yup – that’s all of us. Next time you’re in South West London, swing buy the Black Cultural Archives, as well as a book with a yellow painted cover, you will also find some great exhibitions, fabulous homemade cakes in the cafe and people just like you who are interested in finding out more about Black history and culture.
I took a moment to thank Len Garrison too, whose bust is at the top of the stairs. Way back in the 80’s when I used to swing my hips to Duran Duran and the Police (pop-shaming myself here!), Len set up a young writers’ competition which got me started on this whole writing journey. I’ve donated a couple of books to the archive and also done a recording, which I will share in a future blog, about my experience as a Black Youth Penmanship winner!
It’s a great place to meet people too – I spotted a group of students, a couple of young mums with their babies, and a community radio presenter!
Songs of My Soul – on the shelf pretty near the top, with an eye-catching cover – happy writer alert.