Part of a Story That Started Before Me: Poems about Black British History

Award-winning spoken word artis, George The Poet brings together this exciting, timely and thought-provoking collection of poems by established and new wordsmiths from across the diaspora, exploring people and moments from Black British history.

With so much of Black British history remaining buried, this collection brilliantly uses poetry to link readers to the past and allow us to look forward to the future.

Featuring: Abi Simms, Adesayo Talabi, AFLO. the poet, Amina Jama, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Benjamin Zephaniah, Bridget Minamore, Cara Thompson, Casey Bailey, Derek Walcott, Dorothea Smartt, Eno Mfon, Evan the poet, Fred D'Aguiar, Grace Nichols, George The Poet, Henry Stone, Ife Grillo, Inua Ellams, Irenosen Okojie, Isaiah Hull, Jade LB, Jeffrey Boakye, Jenny Mitchell, Jeremiah Brown, John Agard, Joseph Coelho, Jude Yawson, Kat François, Keith Jarrett, Kelechi Okafor, Khalid El Sheik, M. NourbeSe Philip, Malika Booker, Michael Groce, Miles Chambers, Muneera Pilgrim, Nick Makoha, Nii Ayikwei Parkes, Nile Faure-Bryan, Phillis Wheatley, Priss Nash, Olaudah Equino, Olivette Otele & Stretch the Top Boy, Rakaya Fetuga, Raymond Antrobus, Reece Williams, The Repeat Beat Poet, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa, Samuel King, Sophia Thakur, Thembe Mvula, Theresa Lola, Tré Ventour, Vanessa Kisuule, Wretch 32 and Zena Edwards.

George the Poet is a London-born spoken word performer of Ugandan heritage. His innovative brand of musical poetry has won him critical acclaim both as a recording artist and social commentator and has seen his work broadcast to billions of people worldwide. In the summer of 2018, he opened the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with his poem 'The Beauty of Union', and in 2019, his audio offering 'Have You Heard George's Podcast?' won a prestigious Peabody Award and 5 Gold British Podcast Awards, including the highly-coveted Podcast of the Year. The podcast was described by BBC R4 as "a story that could change the world". In 2021 George launched chapter 3 of the podcast, and is embarking on a PhD.
Christienna Fryar is a writer and historian. Formerly a lecturer in Black British History at Goldsmiths, University of London, she works as a historical consultant, including bespoke curriculum development for primary schools and secondary schools. An BBC Radio 3/AHRC New Generation Thinker, she writes for the Observer and London Review of Books, among others, and appears regularly on TV and radio. She is a trustee of the Black Cultural Archives and the Tudor Trust, and a member of the Church Commissioners Oversight Group, a group that advises the Church Commissioners as it responds to its historic links with African chattel enslavement.