Telling the Untold

The story you  are never told. What are the real voices of Black and Brown men in Britain? There are so many narratives telling us who they are. This event will talk about the humans behind the media and stereotypes. Our guests: Richie Brave, Jason Allen-Paisant, Ekow Eshun, Iggy London & Jason Okundaye will tell you the stories they think have been untold.

Every year at Brighton Book Festival we gather a group of Black and Brown authors and celebrities and give them a space. Each year our Men's event has been an eye opener, an unforgettable evening. These are the conversations that change us forever.

Join us, it will be a night like no other.

Saturday 21st | 5pm

Richie Brave is a Presenter, Broadcaster & Writer hailing from South London. He is known for his hard-hitting interviews and honest social criticism, which challenges people to think and reflect on themselves. Aside from his media experience, he has amassed over a decade’s worth of work in the community and uses this to shape and create engaging dialogue and interviews. Richie is host of BBC 1Xtra's "1Xtra Talks" exploring the lived experiences of Black people across the UK.

Jason Allen-Paisant is a Jamaican writer, poet, and scholar who works as Professor of Critical Theory and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester. He’s the author of two critically acclaimed poetry collections: Thinking with Trees, winner of the 2022 OCM Bocas Prize for poetry; and Self Portrait as Othello, which took both the Forward Prize and the T. S. Eliot Prize for 2023. His philosophical treatise, Engagements with Aimé Césaire: Thinking with Spirits, is published with Oxford University Press, and his creative non-fiction book, The Possibility of Tenderness, will be out in the UK with Hutchinson Heinemann and in the US with Milkweed Editions, both in 2025.

Ekow Eshun is a writer, curator and broadcaster. He is author of the memoir Black Gold of the Sun, nominated for the Orwell Prize for its exploration of race and identity, and The Strangers, longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. Hailed by the Guardian as ‘a cultural polymath’, he was the first Black editor of a major magazine in the UK and went on to become the first Black director of a leading British arts institution. He has created documentaries for BBC TV and radio and his writing appears in publications including the Guardian, The New York Times and Financial Times.

Iggy London is an award-winning filmmaker, artist and writer, whose work touches upon themes of identity, community, race and coming of age. Known for his distinctive style and telling gripping surreal stories, his work crosses many mediums from film to poetry.

Jason Okundaye was born in 1997 in South London, where he remains. His essays and features have been published in the Guardian, Evening Standard, British GQ and the London Review of Books, amongst others. Revolutionary Acts is his first book.