Inua Ellams, Writer & Performer

“It’s a thankless thing to do but whilst you’re in the grip of it, it feels like the only thing worth doing.”

Photo credit Henry Nicholls

I’m delighted to be able to mark the 21st episode of The Wind Thieved Hat with this very special conversation with poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist and designer Inua Ellams. He is without doubt one of the most inspiring and eloquent creators I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with so far.

There’s so much in this short conversation, recorded remotely during lockdown. Inua talks about his childhood in Nigeria, and the black privilege he only became aware of later; he talks about finding inspiration in sources as diverse as Terry Pratchett, Tolkein and 90’s west coast hip hop; he tells me why his plays are really poems which have gone wrong; why he never really gets writer’s block and he makes a compelling case for the similarities between a poem and a basketball team.

For more on Inua visit his website. And you can pre order his next collection The Actual here.

Also available to listen to on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud.