The humorous cusses bandied about by the main characters are like a book version of a rap battle, and as always with Alex Wheatle’s writing, there’s a core of morality and exploring the real feelings of teenagers honestly. He now visits schools, colleges, universities, libraries and prisons facilitating creative writing classes and performing inspiring speeches. He has also narrated an audio guide to the streets of Brixton for soundmap. Since being eliminated from season 15, Princess Poppy said the following in an interview with Entertainment Weekly: “I want to fall off the face of the planet. I don’t want to be famous. I want to fade into obscurity. That’s not a bad thing. I think people put so much emphasis on success and fame, and it’s okay to not want to be famous. It’s totally valid to not want to be known by a bunch of people. That’s just not what I want. I don’t want that for my life.”

Yes I do, I keep it in here (points to bag) I'm not going to show you but I have a little pencil and notepad in there just in case. When I'm walking from Clapham Junction to BookTrust offices, who knows what phrase or cool saying I'll come across. I bank that or I write it down in my little notepad! How important is humour in your novels? Sometimes it keeps me awake at night, and that's okay because sometimes being British we have to maintain the stiff upper lip, but it's okay to feel that at times because you're getting in touch with your younger self and you're processing the pain of your younger years. When I hear people say you must not dwell on that I think that's wrong. Sometimes we have to look at those instances of our younger life, process the pain and hurt in a healthy way. So I'm always doing that with my books and my characters. It's a long journey, I'm able to talk about it freely today because I've done that work and that processing in my poetry and so forth, when I was a teenager and up to the present day when I'm writing characters such as Mo and Naomi, because part of me is in them. What would it have been like for you to have books like the Crongton series when you were a child?Wheatle, Alex (29 December 2021). "I felt so alone and rejected – until my prison cellmate taught me about belonging". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 29 December 2021. It's crucial. We see how the world is today, with lots of hate going on, lots of misunderstanding, lots of people with opposing views screaming and shouting at each other and not giving eachother time to understand each other's point of view. But books help... it's not the final solution, it's not that if you give someone a book, they'll totally understand each other's point of view but at least it will help other people sympathise or empathise with someone who's not from your world, or your social world. The more children read of other, the more empathy and understanding they'll have of other. What effect does it have on children to have an author come into their school - and particularly for a child of colour to meet an author or illustrator of colour? Books are absolutely crucial in getting us to think about new worlds': we speak to the award-winning author, Onjali Q Rauf

Touring Literature Festivals & Theatres in 2012 marking the 50th year of Jamaican Independence". Uprising (2011 & 2012) . Retrieved 9 December 2020. [ permanent dead link] Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Frank Cottrell Boyce on why reading for pleasure is the most important thing you can pass on to a child As a new gang war breaks out on his estate, Lemar discovers that South Crongton’s notorious gang leader has taken an interest in him. Before he knows what’s happening, he’s running errands. When he puts his own family in danger, Liccle Bit will be forced to question his choices. How can he possibly put things right? Alex Alphonso Wheatle MBE (born 3 January 1963) [1] is a British novelist, who was sentenced to a term of imprisonment after the 1981 Brixton riot in London. [2] Biography [ edit ]

This is a brutal, bloody, terrifying story, compellingly written and heartstopping to read. Moa’s life before the rebellion makes the violence of the uprising feel like a release in the novel. Cane Warriorsisa book about doing the right thing, unbelievable bravery and deep friendship; but most importantly this book is about a part of British and Jamaican history that is hardly known, and the stories of these hard-won human rights need to be heard even though it’s uncomfortable. JRR Tolkien in 1956: He created new words, new phrases and indeed, two or three different languages. Photograph: Haywood Magee/Getty Images Wheatle has since spoken about the Brixton riots, most prominently in the 2006 BBC programme Battle for Brixton. [6] His early books are based on his life in Brixton as a teenager and his time in social services' care. [7] Tell us about the world of Crongton, the setting for all of your children's books Liccle Bit, Crongton Knights, Straight Outta Crongton, Kerb-Stain Boys and now your latest book Home Girl? I can only speak for myself, when I enter a school it might be more BAME populated than white working class or whatever, the children look at me with open eyes. You're a writer, you write those books? I say: yeah. So for me the very presence in the school opens up, not necessarily a writing career but for a child to believe in themselves. So Alex Wheatle came to my school and he's a writer. Maybe I could be that sculptor, that scientist, that whatever. I really think it broadens their horizons when they see people of colour coming in being successful in a particular field. For me it really helps when young people, especially working class children are exposed to all kinds of careers and they can see themselves in that career in terms of whoever is coming into the school reflecting themselves. It's a great thing for them to see and be exposed to. What advice do you have for writers and illustrators who want to be published but don't know where to start?

His second novel, East of Acre Lane (2001), has a similar setting, and won a London Arts Board New Writers Award. A prequel, Island Songs, set in Jamaica, was published in 2005, and a sequel, Dirty South, in 2008.

Today we have a variety of narratives and different perspectives. It's very diverse now. We've been talking about diversity for a number of years but I think we're getting there now. So really if we see a troubled young person in a school now, a very good librarian can say: try reading this. This might help you get over whichever issue you're contending with and I think that's a great place to be right now. I think YA and children's books are on the march on this, I think they're in front of adult literature which can sway away from these issues. In fact now I've been immersed in children's writing and young adult narratives I find it very difficult to get into adult literature. For me, it's too slow, the plot doesn't get going, and I can find it very hard to engage with what the author's trying to do or say. Again I think that evade and avoid the issues of today, issues that children have to go through. Breathing new life into a genre currently obsessed with vampires, dystopian visions or mawkishly sentimental stories, this tale set in a contemporary high-rise estate is topical and also a triumph of language ... Wise as well as witty, understanding rather than blinkered, this novel is a joy to read - Independent This book is a blast of fresh air and will appeal to all types of teenagers, from the booky to absolute reluctants (Barrington Stoke’s dyslexic sensitive publishing standards also help here). He wrote and performed UPRISING, a one man play based on his own life at TARA ARTS STUDIOS, Wandsworth, London. F or all the latest reality TV news and gossip and for the best memes and quizzes, like The Holy Church of Love Island on Facebook. Related stories recommended by this writer: