Speaking Volumes – Sharmilla Beezmohun, Nick Chapman and Sarah Sanders – for all the work they have put in to helping me develop and for commissioning the residency that sparked this book; the George Padmore Institute and New Beacon Books – Sarah Garrod and Sarah White – for all their support and assistance in the archive and in the book shop; LAGNA archive in Bishopsgate; The Carmelites – the delightful bunch who attended my queer archives and poetry course, and in doing so helped me understand what this collection was about. Massive thanks to Mayday Rooms and Statewatch. Many thanks to long-time friends Kayo Chingonyi, Yemisi Blake and Inua Ellams. Thanks Parisa Ebrahimi for all of the early encouragement and interest. Thanks also to Yaddo for time and space, to the K Blundell Trust and the judges of the Ted Hughes Award 2017. Much appreciation to The Complete Works, as ever, and to Kate Birch at IS&T for her continued enthusiasm and support. Many thanks to the crew who worked on the film that accompanied the early scratch show Surge: Side A: Harley Yeung Kurylowski, Tabitha Benjamin and Rufai Ajala, and to everyone at Philomela’s Chorus. Thanks to Rex Obano and Selina Thompson for their invaluable advice. Finally, thanks to my friends: Sita Balani, Melissa Cespedes del Sur, Deborah Grayson, Nazmia Jamal and Natasha Nkonde, for their support over the years.

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Footnote

Songbook II

1 Text message from Sita, 9 June 2017, 22.02pm

Ha-my-ca

1 C. Riley Snorton, Black on Both Sides

Pride

1 BBC Newsnight, July 12 2017