Not Quite Right For Us

Nov 23 2021

Not Quite Right For Us Podcast artwork

Not Quite Right For Us showcases innovative and diverse writers from under-represented communities, reflecting on experiences of outsiderness and their defiance against it. Celebrating ten years of the literature organisation Speaking Volumes, Not Quite Right For Us is a cri du coeur, a warning shot, an affirmation, an education in forty works. The anthology will resonate with readers who understand where it’s coming from, or who are allied to its purpose, or — hopefully — who are ready for some unexpected empathy. Available from all good bookshops, or order from www.flippedeye.net

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Childhood

Nov 23 2021 23 mins

Our early years should be carefree, stress-free, worry-free. Yet all too often we’re made to feel ‘not quite right’ in some way, whether that’s because of the way we dress, the music we like — or, more insidiously, because of the colour of our skin. School days bring their own issues of peer pressure too, teaching lessons way beyond the classroom. But what happens to our

Family

Nov 12 2021 23 mins

In this episode we hear ‘The Nod’ by Joshua Idehen ‘Prodigal’ by Maame Blue, and ‘Bodies’ by Shagufta Sharmeen Tania. Our guide is writer, curator and producer Amina Jama. We take family for granted, don’t we? Even when they may be dysfunctional, there’s always the odd memory of some happy moments, at least. But family – whether blood or chosen – can be hard wor

Friends

Oct 31 2021 16 mins

Friends, the people we choose to let into our lives, can be a joy and give us the support we need … but they can also make us feel ‘not quite right’. From the bonds and ties of friendships that develop over years or decades, to relationships forged in a moment; from the middle of an ocean of people and places to the bosom of family; what happens in moments of disjuncture and

Work

Oct 26 2021 24 mins

When is a job ‘not quite right’? For Colin Grant it was when he encountered structural racism in the heart of the BBC establishment; for Johny Pitts, it was when he learned the hard lesson that the 1990s wasn’t a post-racial world; and for Fergal Harte’s narrator, it’s when an editor suggests only certain people can be ‘bad guys’. Very few of us can avoid working but,

Travel

Oct 07 2021 18 mins

The idea of travel brings with it the promise of exotic places filled with interesting people, and images of glittering beaches and crystal clear water, or adventure, relaxation, or even a family holiday. But that’s for those who are able to come and go as they please: one person’s exploration is another’s exploitation. For many, ‘travel’ has been ‘not quite right’ fo

Love

Sep 30 2021 18 mins

Love touches us all at some point — from dependable familial bonds to the warm comfort of childhood pets, from the heady perfume of romance to the cherished appreciation of community, culture, country. The physical and emotional connections transcend barriers, cross generations and borders. And yet, love can sometimes be ‘not quite right’, taking where it should be giving, ca

YesterdayToday

Sep 27 2021 18 mins

In these days of restrictions, the quieter, slower pace of the world is a good time to reflect on how our yesterdays have created what we are today. From the personal trials of overcoming prejudice and creating ground-breaking, often lonely, paths, to the political decisions to stand up for equality and make visible that which has been hidden, these are stories of being ‘not quit

TodayTomorrow

Jun 26 2021 23 mins

Looking back at history and relating it to today helps us all reach for tomorrow. Although things may have been ‘not quite right’ at one time or another (or even now) there is always hope — and there are always things we can do to come together to make real change. Today & Tomorrow collide as our three unflappable authors shake off the burdens of the present; examine and expl