Because Stories are Life.
PUBLISHING NEWS
Super excited to announce we’ll be releasing Ify Adenuga’s critically acclaimed autobiography Endless Fortune in PAPERBACK on 29th July + have done a deal with Audible for the AUDIOBOOK. Get your pre-orders direct from us for a personalised signed copy https://ownit.london/shop/endless-fortune-by-ify-adenuga/
Read more here
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.⠀
Get your copy of USE WORDS FIRST here.
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.
AGENCY SPOTLIGHT
THE GUARDIAN CELEBRATES ITS 200th BIRTHDAY WITH A TRIO OF ROUSING FILMS
Environment. Equality. Stories.
This evoking short film, Equality, looks at civil rights and gender issues and is accompanied by a striking voiceover from writer, performance poet and activist Salena Godden.
Click here for more info and to watch all three short films.
Each film is dedicated to a different topic, all of which tie into the Guardians editorial mission.
Retirement Hell: Why many Nigerian pensioners are denied access to their pensions.
BBC Africa Eye goes undercover to expose an ineffective and corrupt pension system in Nigeria, which leaves some elderly people sick and penniless, yet grants some politicians outrageous retirement packages.
Reporter Yemisi Adagoke travels to Cross River State to meet “Ghost Pensioners” – elderly people whom the state declared dead and deprived of their pensions.
Some of them are forced to rely on financial support from their relatives and are subjected to dehumanising treatment from the state officials for petitioning for their pensions to be reinstated.
LISTEN TO THIS…
#FIRSTFRIDAYS
On the First Friday of every month, we release a playlist carefully curated with songs exploring the featured book of that month. ⠀
May’s playlist looks at the themes within the book NO PLACE TO CALL HOME, the debut novel by JJ Bola.
Head over to ownit.london/first-fridays/ to check out the full playlist and for links to listen via Spotify or Apple Music.
Visit our shop ownit.london/category/playlists/ to view all previous playlists.
MAY HIGHLIGHTS
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK
In celebration of MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK (10-16 May 2021) we’d like to suggest some OWN IT! reads for you:
REMEMBERING TY
A year ago, May 7th 2020, our good friend Ty sadly passed away. His ‘Pass the Torch’ events meant so much to him and said so much about him. A chance to support a new generation of hiphop emcees and poets that he put everything into. It was an honour for us to be able to host them with him.
