Anna and Sam chat to Women's Prize 2022 short-listed author Jacqueline Crooks about her creative process, keeping her writing free and we hear a reading from her novel Fire Rush.
Jacqueline was born in Jamaica and grew up in 70s and 80s Southall, part of London's migrant community, carving out a space through music, where she raved at dub reggae dances. She has carved out a career for herself in the community sector working with Black and minoritised charities. Her stories have been longlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, the Wasafiri New Writing Prize and the BBC National Short Story Award. Named as a 2023 top ten debut author by the Guardian/The Observer. Her book, Fire Rush, is set in 1970s and 1980's London, Bristol, and Jamaica and is about the role of women in the underground world of dub reggae.