My writing motto / mantra: Make it true, make it pretty, make it kind.
Motto - what do I mean?

The following is culled from various interviews I've given to academics or the media about my writing down the years. There's various other stuff on the web. I'll collate the most informative bits centrally here, over time. Click the questions to see individual answers, or click here for the full text, from the top.

Early writing/ background

Early reading/ Influences

Self-definition

Why I write?

Why novels?

My themes - Identity?

Who do you write for?

What would you change in your work?

Are the books autobiograpical?

Why novels?

What's different about your work?

My strengths

My weaknesses

A writer or black writer?

A black-British Canon?

What do you think of the current climate of black British writing – is it in a good place?

Do you see yourself as an African writer? In your opinion, is 'African writing' something different from 'black writing'?

How much is Nigeria an influence on your writing?

As an 'African' author writing in Britain, do you feel a responsibility to write about Africa? If so, why?

Newness and black writing

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