Anthony Joseph is a poet, novelist, academic and musician who has been referred to as 'the leader of the black avant garde in Britain.' Anthony Joseph is a Trinidad-born poet, novelist, academic and musician who has been referred to as 'the leader of the black avant garde in Britain.' He is the author of Kitch, which was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, a forthcoming novel, The Frequency of Magic, and four poetry collections. He is a Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellow for 2019/20 . As a musician and spoken word artist he has released seven critically acclaimed albums which blend Afro-Caribbean music, free jazz and funk. The most recent, People of the Sun (Heavenly Sweetness) was recorded in Trinidad and released in 2018. In the same year he curated 'Windrush: A Celebration', a series of five events which celebrated the literary and musical legacies of the Windrush generation, culminating in a gala concert at the Barbican as part of the London Jazz Festival. Anthony is the author of four poetry collections: Desafinado, Teragaton, Bird Head Son and Rubber Orchestras, and made his fiction debut with The African Origins of UFOs. In 2012 he represented Trinidad and Tobago at the Poetry Parnassus Festival on London's South Bank. He performs internationally as the lead vocalist for his band The Spasm Band. He lives in London. Anthony lectures in creative writing at Birkbeck College and holds a PhD in Creative and Life writing from Goldsmiths College, which culminated in Kitch. "afro-blue to astro-black and what glimmers in between" - The Times