Michael Jackson featured on June edition of Writers Hub

The June edition of my new monthly radio show for Brighton community radio station Radio Reverb 97.2 FM- Writers’ Hub – aired on Sunday 14 June.

My main interview is with Brighton scriptwriter Sarah Naomi Lee, a BBC radio producer who’s first lucky break into Radio 4 broadcast was with her radio play “I Can See You”, which tells the story of a mixed race woman who has three voices inside her head: a Jamaican man, a white English woman – and the sadly recently deceased Michael Jackson, who passed away yesterday.

Sarah talks to me about the process of writing the script and how she got it on air, as well as some interesting facts about MJ.

She also discusses what music switches her on to writing – tracks played include Alabama3’s hit song “Woke up this morning” from “The Sopranos” soundtrack and The Smiths’ “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others”.

With June being the real start of the festival season in the UK, with Glastonbury now well under way, I decided the theme for this month would be music.

I got a tremendous response from local writers and the show features original short stories and poetry about music from Neal Pearce, Yassin, Josie Darling, and Sally Latter.

Bridget Whelan

The show also features extracts from novels from Brighton writers, Bridget Whlelan and Tim Lay.

Bridget Whelan’s A Good Confession, which came out in hardback in November 2008,  tells the story of an Irish single mother, struggling to bring up her children in 1960s London, who meets and falls for a priest, to whom she accidentally confesses her troubled love to.

The book is coming out in paperback this summer so watch her website for more details.

Tim Lay’s The Sewerside Chronicles, which was published in August 2008 and has become a cult hit on the literary underground scene, charts the rise and fall of Che Capri’s underground fashion label, co-run with best friend Travis, in deepest darkest Devon.

Tim Lay, author of Sewerside Chronicles

After a stretch of runway success, the business plummets and to salvage their slipping fortunes, their friends pitch in their soundsystems, DJ, MCs and creative talent to put on raves.

The novel covers Glastonbury to May Day riots in London to the counter culture skateboard scene in 2000.

Both authors read extracts from the book.

Radio Reverb show Writers’ Hub – 14 June 2009 (right click to download)

The next Writers’ Hub airs on Sunday 12 July from 1-2pm on 97.2FM or www.radioreverb.com. The theme for July is seaside towns – send me your submission (700 words max) to amy@brightonfusion.co.uk.