Words of Colour Productions

12/05/2026

Our friend, ally and collaborator, award-winning civil rights lawyer Marcia Willis Stewart KC (Hon) has recently been appointed as a trustee of , to support equity, justice and opportunity within the music and creative industries - which is sorely needed.

Image - Left to right: Camilla George (artist, TW Trustee) Marcia Willis Stewart (TW Trustee) Janine Irons OBE (TW Co-founder & CEO) Tove Okunniwa (TW Chair)

Tomorrow’s Warriors has shaped UK jazz for the past 35 years and is looking to work with Marcia to strengthen the charity's focus on women in leadership and its deep commitment to equity of opportunity for future generations of talent - particularly Black and female musicians and those from underrepresented communities.

Excited to see the developments.

21/04/2026

16/04/2026

and Words of Colour announce the launch of Alex Wheatle Day on Monday 4th May 2026 (5pm-8.30pm) to celebrate the literary legacy of the multi-award-winning author who died on 16th March 2025.

The inaugural Alex Wheatle Day, which will be an annual event, includes a staged adaptation of 's YA novella WITNESS written by Theatre Peckham’s .mclean and writer David Fielding. 

Commissioned by Alex before he passed away, the play explores courage, loyalty and the price of telling the truth against a backdrop of knife crime.

There'll be a post-show panel featuring award-winning writer and poet , actors (who played Alex) and (who played Alex’s best friend Valin) in Small Axe, Steve McQueen’s anthology film series, and , film and TV industry executive.

Alex Wheatle, aka the ‘Brixton Bard’, wrote 21 books, including a novella, and won the London Arts Board Writers Prize 2000 for Brixton Rock, the Guardian’s Children’s Fiction Award in 2016 and the Renaissance Quiz Writers’ Choice Award for Crongton Knights.

The BBC’s adaptation of Crongton, written by  and directed by , won the RTS Award for Best Children's Programme 2026 and has been nominated for a BAFTA Television Award 2026.

Alex Wheatle Day will also host a foyer exhibition on Alex’s legacy, a special reggae, dub, Lovers Rock and grime set by DJ Hybrid J, alongside food stalls and raffles for prizes, including Alex’s award-winning Crongton book series donated by .

18/03/2026

‘Powerful Acts of Creative Resistance’

Jhalak Prize Announces Longlists for its 10th Year

The Jhalak Prize announced its longlists for the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize, the Jhalak Poetry Prize and the Jhalak Prose Prize. The longlists mark a decade of the Jhalak Prize and exemplify the excellence that the Prize seeks to celebrate.

In 10 years, the Jhalak Prize has grown from a single all-encompassing prize to a portfolio of three awards: the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize, the Jhalak Poetry Prize and the Jhalak Prose Prize, all celebrating the creativity, imagination and scholarly achievements of writers of colour in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Prize director Sunny Singh commented: ‘The past decade of the Jhalak Prize is a testament to the range and quality of work by writers of colour in Britain, and their commitment and determination to publish and reach readers.

Jacob Ross, the first ever Jhalak Prize winner (and judge this year) described each book on the 2026 Jhalak Prize longlists as a powerful act of creative resistance.

In robust and passionate discussions, the judges found it challenging to select only twelve books for each longlist, describing the process as ‘an honour and heartache.’

The Jhalak Prize is an act of love, of family-making with our fellow authors, and I am incredibly proud of the writers who have become part of the Jhalak family as long and shortlisted authors, winners and judges.’

The Judges for the Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize 2026 are authors Sita Brahmachari, Lanisha Butterfield and Christine Pillainayagam. Brahmachari was longlisted for the Jhalak Prize in 2018. Butterfield was shortlisted for Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize in 2025 and Pillainayagam in 2023.

The Judges for the Jhalak Poetry Prize 2026 are poets Romalyn Ante, Nikita Gill and Kadija (George) Sesay. Ante was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize in 2021.

The Judges for the Jhalak Prose Prize 2026 are authors Catherine Johnson, Ami Rao and Jacob Ross. Johnson was a founding judge and returned for the Prize’s 10th anniversary. Rao was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize in 2024. Ross won the inaugural Jhalak Prize for his novel Bone Readers (Peepal Tree Press).

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JHALAK PRIZE LONGLISTS 2026

Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize

A Taste of Home, Maryam Hassan, Anna Wilson (Hodder Children’s Books)
Augmented, Kenechi Udogu (Faber Books)

Girl, Ultra-Processed, Amara Sage (Faber)

How to Catch an Idea, Forest Xiao (Orchard Books)

I Can’t Even Think Straight,Dean Atta (Hodder Children’s Books)

My Name is Samim, Fidan Meikle (Kelpies)

My Soul, A Shining Tree,Jamila Gavin (Farshore)

Roar, Manjeet Mann (Penguin Books)

Songs for Ghosts, Clara Kumagai (Zephyr)

Supa Nova, Chanté Timothy (Nosy Crow)

The Shell Keepers, Truly Johnston (Chicken House)

Wild Journey, A.M. Dassu, illustrated by Joe Lillington (Zephyr)

Jhalak Poetry Prize

Dante’s Inferno, Lorna Goodison (Carcanet)

Foretokens, Sarah Howe (Chatto & Windus)

Fragments, Tara Singh (Five Leaves)

Heirloom, Catherine-Esther Cowie (Carcanet)

Holy Boys, Andrés N. Ordorica (Polygon)

I Sing to the Greenhearts,Maggie Harris (Seren)

Leaning Against Time, SuAndi (Carcanet Press)

My Dearest Friend, Lady Red Ego (Verve)

Nature Matters, (eds) Mona Arshi & Karen McCarthy Woolf (Faber)

Pulling Faces, Zakariye (Little Betty)

The New Carthaginians, Nick Makoha (Penguin)

Why I am not a Bus Driver, Ashley Hickson-Lovence (Bad Betty Press)

Jhalak Prose Prize

Act Normal: Joy and Despair in Postcolonial Britain, Pete Kalu (Hope Road)

Before We Hit the Ground, Selali Fiamanya, (BoroughPress)

Call Me Ishmaelle, Xiaolu Guo (Vintage)

I Want to Talk to You, Diana Evans (Chatto & Windus)

The South, Tash Aw (Fourth Estate)

Love Forms, Claire Adam (Faber)

Saraswati, Gurnaik Johal (Serpent’s Tail)

The Science of Racism, Keon West (Picador books)

Foreign Fruit, Katie Goh (Canongate Books)

Minority Rule: Culture Wars and the Rentier Class: Adventures in the Culture War, Ash Sarkar (Bloomsbury Publishing UK)

Hail Mary, Funmi Fetto (Magpie Books)

Shamiso, Brian Chikwava (Canongate)

11/03/2026

Our final Spotlight Interview features theatre producer and mental health innovator Sandra Griffiths

Sandra Griffiths is a social entrepreneur, mental health innovator, systemic change specialist, and a theatre producer centring mental health lived experience narratives. Sandra is the founder of The Red Earth Collective which uses the arts to inspire stories, stimulate thinking and create conversations that support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of marginalised and racialised communities.

She is also the co-founder of the acclaimed Catalyst4Change.CIC. For over 30 years this social entrepreneur has created innovative and sustainable programmes, campaigns and events centring the mental wellbeing of African and Caribbean communities. Sandra is also a Non-Executive Director at Maternity Engagement Action, a community- led organisation that provides safe spaces and peer support for Black Women alongside founder Amanda Smith and Lorna Armstead.

Sandra speaks to Joy Francis about the importance of co-production to tackle the enduring ethnic inequalities in mental health care, and the importance of disrupting the strong black woman trope that is “alive and kicking in the mental health space”.

Read the full interview: https://bit.ly/SandraGriffithsSpotlight

13/10/2025

Spotlight Interview with leading civil rights lawyer Marcia Willis Stewart KC (Hon)

Our new Spotlight Interview series has launched with the multi award-winning civil rights lawyer Marcia Willis Stewart KC (Hon), managing director of the prestigious civil rights law firm Birnberg Peirce.

During a long and celebrated career, she has represented the families of Dawn Sturgess, the Grenfell Tower fire, those killed at Hillsborough, Mark Duggan and Jean Charles de Menezes, among others.

An arts lover, avid reader and champion of young people, Willis Stewart speaks to Words of Colour’s executive director Joy Francis about how her Jamaican background shaped her passion for social justice, pressuring public institutions to be accountable in the wake of a tragedy, what these miscarriages of justice say about Britain and why wellbeing and creativity plays an important role in her work and life.

https://bit.ly/MarciaWillisStewartSpotlight

20/09/2025

, aka Junie Rankin, DJ, researcher, cultural historian, womanist, activist and co-founder and co-owner of has left us to join the ancestors.

June co-founded Nzinga Soundz, one of the longest running, female-led sound systems, over 30 years ago with her soul sister and fellow vinyl head DJ Ade (). A huge achievement.

Playing music that traversed the globe, from reggae, rare groove and soul to calypso and soca, sprinkled with Latin, African, Latin and jazz vibes, June and Lynda supported Burning Spear and the Mighty Diamonds, and were consistently invited to major international festivals.

June co-launched and co-hosted the popular Sunday afternoon community radio show on SLR (Sophisticated London Radio) featuring interviews with reggae artists, including Ziggy Marley, Augustus Pablo and Betty Wright.

She was a postgraduate candidate at Goldsmiths, in MA Cultural Studies, researching African Caribbean Female Sound System Operators and a History PhD candidate, researching 1960s/1970s Reggae music production.

In 18th September 2019, in association with , we hosted From vinyl to digital: The [forgotten] women DJ pioneers, an intergenerational discussion with June and Lynda, producer and composer DJ Chillz, DJ, radio presenter and promoter Lady TT and DJ Adibah (B***y Bass Bristol).

Three months later Nzinga Soundz rocked our Christmas party at The Mi istry, three months before the Covid Pandemic.

We miss you June. Our hearts and condolences go out to June's son, family and sista pioneer Lynda.

RIP June Reid ✨️🙏🏽💖

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19/09/2025

The Keeping it Real History Quiz at in Bath tonight was so much fun.

Co-hosted with the Bath Black Supplementary School's young people, there was no chance to cheat as they made sure there was a head and deputy head of security who took their roles seriously.

The start was halted when a quiz contestant was asked to put their mobile phone away. Hilarious.

We were also treated to lovely acapella singing and a keyboardist - so much young talent was in the room.

Photo 1. VR test viewing of Museum of Colour's digital gallery, featuring stunning portraits from previous exhibitions including actresses Carmen Munroe and Judith Jacobs.

Photo 2. Footage of Yasmin, one of the three young quiz masters, keeping the teams in check.

Photo 3. Some of the wonderful young co-hosts (from left to right), Yasmin, Raheem, Shoshoni and Hania

Photo 4. 's Monica and Emily sifting through the quiz answers. The winners were the 'We Dunno' team, when they surely did.

5. Monica and Emily receiving their (literal) and well deserved flowers.

6. Keeping it Real's co-curators, and

19/09/2025

Getting ready for tonight's Keeping it Real History quiz , Bath. Co-curated by and , participants will be competing for prizes by answering questions on the 20 non-fiction writers of colour featured in the Keeping it Real Hybrid exhibition launching online very soon.

19/09/2025

AI, Home, Sleep and Me
Saturday 27th September 2025 | 6.30pm-800pm | Northern Stage Newcastle

Tickets cost £12 via https://bit.ly/NorthernPoetryShowcase

Audience reviews
"The work was astounding in its quality and innovativeness."
"Absolutely loved the mixed media element to the poetry."
"Each poet grabbed your attention."

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We are excited to announce the return, for one night only, of 'AI, Home, Sleep and Me', the immersive, multimedia showcase featuring original work by lauded Poets of Colour Incubator alumni - Newcastle's Ilisha Thiru Purcell, Manchester's Jeremy Pak Nelson and Salford's Princess Arinola Adegbite.

A poetic exploration of the power of sleeping and dreaming, what home means to us and technology’s ability to connect and divide, this first anniversary performance is a partnership between Words of Colour, Manchester Poetry Library Manchester Metropolitan UniversityUniversity, and New Writing North, in association with Northern Stage.

The Poetry for Change showcase will feature Sleep (e)Quality, performed by Ilisha Thiru Purcell, a poetic exploration of the power of dreams and sleep as a growing health inequality in response to the question: ‘Who is able to rest?'

Jeremy Pak Nelson’s The Homes We Carry asks: ‘How do we make a place, where we have no history, feel like home? as part of his experimental soundscape inspired by ancestral homelands, rituals and past selves.

The showcase ends with Princess Arinola Adegbite’s Algorithms of Meaning. This surrealist deep dive into AI, romantic relationships, family, health and colonial perspectives ruminates on ‘Whose future is being served?’

From large-scale projections of poems-as-paintings, film and musical interpretations to performance poetry designed to simulate sleep stages, discover the power of poetry to inspire answers to global issues.

The Poetry for Change Showcase was first performed in Manchester in association with Contact to rave reviews.

Tickets cost £12 and can be booked here: https://bit.ly/NorthernPoetryShowcase

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