I was in the new years honors list to receive an MBE and was the first visiting poet of the brand new Antrim Library in Northern Ireland.

Back in England Gil Scott heron’s performance at my house, Southbank Centre, marks his triumphant return. I missed it cause I was resident at Virginia Tech in USA where I met and work alongside Nikki Giovanni – Giovanni wrote the introduction to Tupac Shakur’s book of poetry.

I travelled to the beautiful country of Namibia Southern Africa for a series of performances. Back in the UK I became the Ancient Mariner in Rime of The Ancient Mariner at The Queen Elizabeth Hall with Bellowhead.

Later in the year I toured Why I Don’t Hate White People around the UK. On returning I visited Buckingham Palace to receive my award. From The Queen of England. I performed original work with Dennis Bovell at Southbank Centre and became the first poet commissioned and to write for The Olympics 2012.

I became Associate Artist at Southbank Centre. After an holiday in Sardinia I stopped smoking. It changed my life. In autumn the radio adaptation of my play Why I Don’t Hate White People is broadcast on BBC radio 3, Shiver a show I conceived and wrote for tours UK and I spend six weeks performing my play Something Dark in South Africa at Market Theatre, one of the iconic theatres of the world .

Most of the family that I spent my adult life searching for refuse to speak to me. All my brothers and sisters on my late fathers side and most of my aunts and uncles. I am informed that their bitterness will puncture and punctuate my life skidding through it like a flat stone on a pond. There's always a big splash at Funerals. Here they carry the narrative like a dead dog and throw it onto the table. They call it names and then feast on it. Let them eat.