Auckland Writers Festival Schools Programme 2018 Proudly supported by Freemasons Foundation
The Guardian Fiction Prize winner and MBE recipient Alex Wheatle grew up in an English children’s home and earned himself the moniker of the Brixton Bard in his teenage years when he started writing lyrics and poetry, and performing as a DJ. His three novels - Liccle Bit, Crongton Knights and Straight Outta Crongton – explore the struggles of pursuing dreams while living on a council estate in writing which The Guardian Fiction judges praised as “poetic, rhythmic and unique, remaking the English language with tremendous verve”. Alex talks about his life and the ways in which stories can both entertain and save you.
