Royal Literary Fund

Headshot of poet Kei Miller

Image of Malika Booker performing her commission on stageChris Bull

  • Headshot of poet Kei Miller
  • Image of Malika Booker performing her commission on stage

Kei Miller – Dear James
Kei Miller was commissioned by Manchester Literature Festival and the Royal Literary Fund to respond to the life and works of James Baldwin. Kei performed his new commission, a series of letters to James Baldwin, at the Cabaret for Freedom: A Celebration of the Life & Work of James Baldwin at St John’s Church, Old Trafford on Saturday 13th October as part of the 2018 Manchester Literature Festival.

Malika Booker – Difficult of Dawns
Malika Booker was commissioned by Manchester Literature Festival and the Royal Literary Fund to create a new collection of poems responding to a typical issue of the day. She chose four speeches made by prominent politicians in 2016 and 2017 as her subject, and composed a series of ‘couplings’ and poetic interventions*. Malika performed the poems on Sunday 8th October as part of the 2017 Manchester Literature Festival.