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A composite image of the presenters of The Amplify Project. Black, female artists both wearing headphones and grinning at each other on a Zoom call.

Pat Cumper & Pauline Walker

The Amplify Project Series 1 wrap-up

The hosts of The Amplify Project, Pauline Walker and Patricia Cumper, passionately believe that the Black British canon is fragmented and rarely recognised particularly in the UK. In this episode, they reflect on the first series of The Amplify Project in which they interviewed 10 esteemed Black British writers for the page, screen and stage.

A composite image of the presenters of The Amplify Project. Black, female artists both wearing headphones and grinning at each other on a Zoom call.

Wrapping up Series 1 of The Amplify Project co-hosts Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker reflect on what they’ve learnt during the production and release of their first series of 10 podcasts during a pandemic.

They talk about the thrill of being cited in The Guardian as a cultural highlight by Adjoa Andoh, the joy of being trusted by their guests, how much they love finding out about their guest writers’ inspiration and processes, and their most memorable, inspiring and entertaining moments from the podcasts.

We have loved creating these podcasts. Series 2 is in the pipeline. The reading, researching and thinking continues. Please stay with us!

There is a Black British canon. We want people to understand the lives, the work, the craft of these people.

PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Co-hosts of The Amplify Project podcast Pauline Walker and Patricia Cumper are both writers who share a fascination with the people, process, and the art and craft of writing.

The discussions that led to setting up the podcast began before the pandemic, before the summer of George Floyd, before the world took its current shape.

Both women passionately believe that the Black British canon is fragmented and rarely recognised particularly in the UK.

Their practical response, and one that required a bold and brave decision to put their heads above the parapet, was to create The Amplify Project, a podcast series in which they consider the lives, work and practice of Black British writers.

By creating a safe space in which to interview these writers as thinkers and artists in their own right, they are exploring and highlighting the Black British canon, and expanding Black literary capital.

 

All Podcasts

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For this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by novelist and journalist Diana Evans.

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For this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by award-winning author Alex Wheatle who shares with us how reading became his saviour.

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Juliet Gilkes Romero

Soy Negra

For this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by Juliet Gilkes Romero who speaks about how her identity as a Black woman is integral to her writing.

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Colin Grant

I've been a ventriloquist

For this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by memoirist and biographer Colin Grant. He tells us about writing his memoir Bageye at the Wheel and how he was inspired to write about Jamaican greats Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.

A portrait of the writer Hafsa Zayyan. She has long curly hair and is wearing a khaki long sleeved top and gold necklace.

Hafsa Zayyan

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For this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by debut novelist Hafsa Zayyan, winner of the #Merky Books New Writer’s Prize.

An image of the Black writer Rachel Long. She has chin length black hair and is wearing a sleeveless black pleated black top with a high neck.

Rachel Long

Black Joy

For this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by poet Rachel Long. She tells us about being inspired by Jean “Binta” Breeze, wanting to write poems that sound and feel real and why she set up Octavia Poetry Collective.

An image of Caribbean writer Anthony Joseph. He is wearing a black trilby, black shirt and is bearded. This image is a side profile and features a yellow background.

Anthony Joseph

Infiltrating The Canon

For this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by award winning Caribbean poet, novelist, musician, and creative writing lecturer Anthony Joseph.

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Trish Cooke

My Caribbean Heart

In this episode writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by children’s writer and writer for theatre, TV, Radio and film, actress Trish Cooke

A portrait of the Black writer and academic Oladipo Agboluaje. He has close cropped hair and a greying beard and is wearing a blue sweatshirt.

Oladipo Agboluaje

The Unapologetic Writer

In this episode, writers Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by playwright and academic Oladipo Agboluaje.

A composite image of the presenters of The Amplify Project. Black, female artists both wearing headphones and grinning at each other on a Zoom call.

Pat Cumper & Pauline Walker

The Amplify Project Series 1 wrap-up

The hosts of The Amplify Project, Pauline Walker and Patricia Cumper, passionately believe that the Black British canon is fragmented and rarely recognised particularly in the UK. In this episode, they reflect on the first series of The Amplify Project in which they interviewed 10 esteemed Black British writers for the page, screen and stage.

CommonThreadsImage

Common Threads: Black and Asian British Women’s Writing International Conference 2022

The Amplify Project at the Common Threads Conference 2022

In this special podcast we speak to writers and academics attending the conference at Brighton University in July 2022.

Yomi Sode

The Malleable Storyteller

Introducing the first episode in this, the second series of The Amplify Project. Our podcast hosts Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker are joined by award-winning Nigerian British writer, Yomi Sode.

Roy Williams

Climbing The Racial Mountain

In this second episode in the series, our hosts are joined by one of the country's leading dramatists Roy Williams OBE FRSL

Dean Atta

Claiming His Tick Box

For the third episode of this series, our hosts are joined by YA writer Dean Atta.

Ben Tagoe

The Pragmatic Optimist

BAFTA nominated writer Ben Tagoe joins our hosts Pauline Walker and Patricia Cumper for episode 4 of The Amplify Project.

Dreda Say Mitchell

Honouring Oracy

Crime writer Dreda Say Mitchell MBE, joins hosts Patricia Cumper and Pauline Walker for episode 5 in Series 2 of The Amplify Project.

Inua Ellams

Icaraus' Wings

Our guest for Episode 6, S2 of The Amplify Project is award-winning poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer, Inua Ellams.

Courttia Newland

Cyclical Evolution

For Ep 7, S2 our hosts are joined by author, screenwriter, playwright, creative writing tutor and literary activist Courttia Newland. In this episode we learn about Courttia's drive for diversifying his writing using different genres and formats.

Titans of Black British Publishing

Titans of Black British Publishing

In this special podcast we meet three women - Verna Wilkins, Susheila Nasta and Margaret Busby - who, over the last half a century, wrote, published, edited, curated and blazed a trail for today's writers.

Patrice Lawrence

Mind Mapping

Joining us for Ep 8, S2 is writer and journalist, Patrice Lawrence. She is the author of the award-winning children and YA books, Orangeboy, Indigo Donut and Eight Pieces of Silver.

Leone Ross

Leone Ross

Strangeness as Metaphor

Novelist, short story writer, editor and educator Leone Ross join our hosts for ep 9, S2. In this episode we learn that being a writer comes from the impulse to tell stories to try to make sense of things with sentences.

Theresa Ikoko

The Characters Are In Charge

Screenwriter and playwright, Theresa Ikoko, joins our host for ep 10, S2. Theresa shares her journey from winning awards for her first theatre play to writing for the screen.

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