My reading is at 2pm at Marble Arch Thistle Hotel. I take a walk up Oxford St. Man this place is busy. People come from all over the world to shop on this street. I buy a pair of Nike's. All hail the sale. Everything must go. I'm gone. Within a couple of hours I’ll be in drenched in tears. Read more [...]

Back in the dressing room Arthur says "hey Lemn, have a look at this." He’s a brilliant comedian and good spirited man. He takes out a copy of his new book, due out in May The Autobiography of Arthur Smith and finds in it my name Lemn Sissay. I am chuffed to bits. Read more [...]

I get chance to do a little work, in my office which is a minute away from waterloo train station. At 2.30pm my phone's ringing. I pick it up and hear a gravelly voice “Lemn?”. It’s Gil Scott Heron calling from New York. Read more [...]

The Visa appointment staff at the embassy are officious and not unfriendly. The process progresses: Que take a seat, take a ticket interview, seat ticket interview... each stage reminds me of the ape to man picture. Read more [...]

In fact – he opens The Sun Newspaper which he just happened to have bought – one of these two is in the newspaper today. “What’s that?” he says and sure enough he’s there. The story unfolds Read more [...]

The week is steaming ahead. I arrive at Southbank centre at 9.30am to meet Elizabeth Alker the producer of the radio documentary on Gil Scott Heron. We are sorting out visas and all for New York. Read more [...]

It's my first full day here. I’m back in London and nothing changes: The squash of the tube, the frown of the commuters, the wail of police sirens, but the thames like time rolls beneath waterloo bridge Read more [...]

The Thames river slides past outside my window and I wonder if it is the river moving or The Riverside Rooms. Read more [...]

As I sat back and clicked myself in the neighbour to my left had obviously been stewing “ oh you’re in the arts” she said. Her accent was a sort of Basingstoke whine. “and what ‘arts’ is that then” . It was to be a long journey. Read more [...]

I still have their emails of veiled threats. My own sister, the day before the following Christmas, sent me an email informing me that I should get a DNA test. “I have people watching you” said my brother “you should know that I know people” said an highly educated aunt. Read more [...]