Use Words First edited by Jude Yawson

BBC Radio 1Xtra and Asian Network have teamed up with BBC Contains Strong Language for Words First, a scheme aimed at finding the best emerging spoken word talent in the UK. USE WORDS FIRST is a collection of 12 poets from Words First brought together in this brilliant anthology edited by Jude Yawson, co-writer of Stormzy’s Rise Up: The Story So far and contributor to the SAFE anthology edited by Derek Owusu.

Exploring themes of identity, connectivity and mobilisation, USE WORDS FIRST brings together eclectic styles and people all exploring humanity in their own unique ways. This is a snapshot of some of the struggles, inspirations and muses of young Britain today expressed through poetry that spans from the personal to the political and is always full of beauty and power.

The 392 by Ashley Hickson-Lovence

ABOUT THE BOOK


Set entirely on a London bus travelling from Hoxton to Highbury and taking place over just 36 minutes, the events of The 392 unfold through a cast of charismatic characters coming from very different worlds, but tied together through a shared suspicion as the threat of terrorism looms. On the 392 are all the familiar faces you might expect to see on any bus ride through inner-city London in the grips of gentrification: delinquent school kids, the high-flyers, the weird, the wonderful and the homeless. The 392 is primarily about uncovering the passengers’ hidden stories; agendas and ambitions. Switching between the different perspectives – told using first person – powerfully places the reader in the shoes of each character as they observe and make their way to work, school or court. The 392 is a journey through gentrified London and the experiences and feelings that gentrification creates along the way, but ultimately, it’s the story of people, places and perceptions. The roads are real; the locations mentioned are actual local landmarks and the position of bus stops are based on the real route giving the world of the fictional The 392 a brilliantly authentic feel.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Ashley Hickson-Lovence is a former secondary school English teacher who grew up on a Hackney council estate and now resides in Norwich while he completes a Creative and Critical Writing PhD at the University of East Anglia. He is particularly interested in capturing the incessantly changing cultural landscape of urban Britain. Hickson-Lovence is also a poet, football referee and a keen marathon runner.


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Soccology by Kevin George


Soccology by Kevin George

This book will change the way you live and play

Football focuses heavily on physical prowess and talent, but the great players possess something extra: The ability to make good decisions on and off the pitch. To unlock their true potential coaches and players need to go beyond their gifts with the ball at their feet and focus as much on their heart and mind. Soccology is an indispensable guide to understanding your psycho-emotional story in order to unlock your potential and make the most of your skills. Invaluable for the modern footballer Soccology contains lessons far beyond the beautiful game in how to be the best version of ourselves.

“I loved this book! Reading it made me stronger minded and helped me to understand my feelings.” – Thaisa Moreno, AC Milan and Brazilian international

“The perfect football guide! This book will change how people experience and behave in football.” – Bradley Wright-Philips, New York Redbulls

“Soccology gives players a much deeper understanding of the game and educates those who care for players on how to better teach, manage and support them” –  Akala, rapper, poet, former West Ham Utd player

“Kevin has used his experiences as a young professional football player to challenge traditional practices and views for the betterment of the young people he works with, encouraging them to take control of their own lives to make the best of life’s opportunities.” – Martyn Heather, Head of Education at the Premier League

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KEVIN GEORGE spent eight years as a professional footballer, including for clubs such as West Ham United and Charlton Athletic FC. After retiring as a professional footballer, Kevin used his experience and insight to develop Soccology, a human performance programme that has been widely endorsed by key footballing and sports figures around the world.

Kevin regularly works with prisons and schools on conflict resolution and the Soccology programme has been delivered across all Premier League football clubs. He is a passionate advocate for how understanding human behaviour can have a significant impact on decision making both on and off the pitch.


PRESS/VIDEOS

Kevin George interview: Soccology Waterstones Launch


Audience Reaction: Soccology Waterstones Launch


Kevin George on Channel 5 News


Kevin George on RT TV

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REFUGE: The Collected Poetry of JJ Bola

ABOUT THE BOOK

JJ Bola has published three collections of poetry; Elevate (2012), Daughter of the Sun (2014) and WORD (2015). Refuge brings together, for the first time, all of JJ Bola’s poetry in one definitive collection.


ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS

JJ BOLA is a Kinshasa born, London raised writer, poet, educator and workshop facilitator. He performs regularly at shows and festivals around the world. JJ Bola’s work is centred on a narrative of empowerment, humanisation, healing of trauma as well as discovery of self through art, literature and poetry. He believes that the true purpose of art is to expose the reality of this world and how to, most importantly, survive it. No place To Call Home is JJ Bola’s debut novel.


VIDEOS/PHOTOS

JJ Bola in conversation with actress Cate Blanchett in Switzerland for the UN Refugee Agency

Storytelling and the Power of One – A conversation hosted by Cate Blanchett

Our Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett is speaking live with refugee Aya Abdullah and former refugee JJ Bola on the power of storytelling.

Posted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency on Monday, January 22, 2018


NEWS/PRESS

JJ Bola headlines at the MBIFL 2019 Literary Festival in Kerala, India


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No Place To Call Home by JJ Bola

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jean starts at a new school and struggles to fit in. He develops an unlikely friendship with rowdy class mate James, who gets him into a string of sticky situations; fights, theft, and more. At home, his parents, Mami and Papa, who fled political violence in Congo under the dictatorial regime of Le Marechal, to seek asylum as refugees – which Jean and his star-student little sister, Marie, have no knowledge of – pressure him to focus on school and sort his act out. Jean is then suspended, and Marie, who usually gets on his nerves, helps him keep his secret, which draws them closer together.

As the family attempts to integrate and navigate modern British society, as well as hold on to their roots and culture, they meet Tonton, a sapeur, womaniser, alcohol-loving, party enthusiast, who, much to Papa’s dislike, after losing his job, moves in with them. Tonton introduces the family – via his church where colourful characters such as Pastor Kaddi, Patricia and Nadege congregate – to a familiar community of fellow country-people, making them feel slightly less alone. They begin to settle, but the reality of their situation unravels a threat to their future, whilst the fear of uncertainty remains.

With colourful characters and luminous prose, No Place To Call Home is a tale of belonging, identity and immigration, of hope and hopelessness, of loss –not by death, but by distance– and, by no means the least, of love.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JJ BOLA is a Kinshasa born, London raised writer, poet, educator and workshop facilitator. He performs regularly at shows and festivals around the world. JJ Bola’s work is centred on a narrative of empowerment, humanisation, healing of trauma as well as discovery of self through art, literature and poetry. He believes that the true purpose of art is to expose the reality of this world and how to, most importantly, survive it. No place To Call Home is JJ Bola’s debut novel.


VIDEOS/PHOTOS

JJ Bola in conversation with actress Cate Blanchett in Switzerland for the UN Refugee Agency

Storytelling and the Power of One – A conversation hosted by Cate Blanchett

Our Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett is speaking live with refugee Aya Abdullah and former refugee JJ Bola on the power of storytelling.

Posted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency on Monday, January 22, 2018


JJ Bola’s words are read out in the House of Commons by MP Angus MacNeil


NEWS/PRESS

JJ Bola headlines at the MBIFL 2019 Literary Festival in Kerala, India

No Place To Call Home picked as one of Media Diversified Top 15 Books published in 2017


JJ Bola takes us back to his childhood home and tells us why, as a refugee, he always felt like one of the bad guys from the movies in this personal account on the BBC World Service ‘The Cultural Frontline’ radio programme: 14:40 minutes in



No Place To Call Home long listed for The Guardian ‘Not The Booker Prize’


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