Just when you thought it was impossible to be anymore in awe of Stormzy, the south London MC leading the second generation of grime went and launched #Merky Books, a platform helping to publish new writing by young people.
Now, you can get acquainted with this new generation of writers, as well as the grime superstar himself, at #Merky Books Live - an evening of discussion, innovative spoken word and performance poetry at the Barbican.
#Merky Books, a publishing imprint in collaboration with Penguin Random House, was announced earlier this year to help find the best new fiction, non-fiction and poetry. The first book published under initiative will be Stormzy’s own ‘Rise Up: The #Merky Story So Far’ featuring personal photos, annotated lyrics and contributions from his friends and family.
This evening will be the only chance to catch the Grime superstar chatting about his new book in the UK. He’ll also touch on the power books have in our lives and whose stories we hear in literature with a special panel of guests, including musician and activist Akala and co-author of ‘Taking Up Space’ the first book to be commissioned for #Merky Books, Chelsea Kwakye.
What’s more, your ears will be treated to a showcase of cutting-edge spoken word curated by Stormzy and performance poetry organisation Apples and Snakes and each ticket includes a copy of ‘Rise Up‘ - it’s a win-win.
Tickets go on sale at 10am on October 12.