Back in 1995, when 'A Matter of Chatter' was but an eclectic pile of typewritten nonsense, rhymes and verse, I was fortunate to be befriended by a kindly gentleman called Molefe Pheto. Molefe was the Head of Watford Town's arts and culture team and founder of its writer's group, 'The Inkwell'. Being introduced to the writers group opened my eyes to the complexity of the writing world, and it inspired me to chase my dream of becoming an accomplished writer. So, to get myself known, I became a performance poet/recitalist. Performing at a variety of venues, including Watford's Coliseum, Waterstones national year of reading event and the Rainbow festival, I gained a lot of attention and followers amongst the town's dignitaries of the moment. Their interest and Molefe's support and belief in my ability, encouraged me to compile and publish what was to be my first book. At that point, Molefe arranged an opportunity for me. A one night only event. To be on stage at Brixton Academy along side another young, up and coming writer of the time called Benjamin Zephaniah. Molefe told me, he felt I was Benjamin's 'white' equivalent and that we would work well together, to bounce our respective work off each other. Excited by the prospect of widening my performance horizons, I practiced my recitation delivery, so as to be the best I could possibly be, come the night. But, the fickle finger of fate can be a cruel digit. And it was. It poked me good and hard! For the day arrived I was due to perform and events which are too personal to elaborate on transpired, colluded against me. Needless to say, I didn't get on the train. I never made it to the event. In the audience that night, a talent scout discovered Benjamin. And since, I've often wondered what might have been.
Now, here I am, so many years later, an Indie author. With thanks to modern technology, I've been able to re-publish the pieces I was going to perform that fateful night. If you are interested, you can find them in the revised and expanded second edition of 'A Matter of Chatter'.
Why not purchase a copy and see if you can figure out what those pieces were.
Available on Amazon, Google Play and Barnes and Noble.