Author Talk: Speech Debelle

Join us for an evening with Speech Debelle as part of her book tour for BLACK FISH: How to Fish, and Stories of the Wata, Kin & Community out May there will be a reading by the author, a Q&A, and a chance to have your book signed.

Friday 15th May, 6:30PM - The Folkestone Bookshop

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In this unique guide intertwining personal memoir with practical fishing advice, Mercury-award winning rapper Speech Debelle explores fishing as a powerful allegory for navigating life’s challenges and triumphs. Find patience, resilience and joy in every cast – whether in life’s journey or your next catch. Using fishing as a metaphor for personal growth, healing and belonging, Black Fish is a captivating blend of practical fishing guide, intimate memoir and cultural reflection, written by multitalented musician Speech Debelle. Speech’s story offers a unique perspective that inspires you to find inner peace within life’s tumultuous currents and become a steward to our abundant oceans.

For readers of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, Saltwater in the Blood by Easkey Britton, Salt On Your Tongue by Charlotte Runice, and How We Fish: The Love, Life and Joy of the Riverbank by Paul Whitehouse and John Bailey, this is a groundbreaking and inspiring book that will empower its readers to learn new skills, brave the ocean, and gain a new perspective on life and identity.

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Speech Debelle has been making waves since her debut album Speech Therapy won the Mercury Prize, making her the first female rapper to do so. Speech finished as a semi-finalist on Celebrity MasterChef in 2013. Her latest studio album Sunday Dinner on a Monday weaves a personal narrative of family, lineage and belonging – reflecting Speech’s social conscience and activism as exemplified by her community initiative “Black Fish”, whose mission is to preserve and celebrate our ancestral history with the water by empowering individuals to connect with nature through the art of fishing.

With 17k monthly listeners on Spotify, Speech Debelle has also recently featured in the BBC Two documentary First Ladies of Hip-Hop and was a guest on BBC Radio 2’s Romesh Ranganathan: For the Love of Hip Hop. Previously, Speech also hosted the BBC Three documentary Britain’s Hidden Homeless.

Speech is also motivated to raise awareness about her initiative “Black Fish”, which empowers individuals to connect with nature. Speech is socially active with several charities and has a prominent network, having featured in The Guardian, Vice and iNews. The author has the support of many high-profile brands, including The Southbank Centre, BFI, BBC Radio 1Xtra, V&A East and the Royal Court Theatre.

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If you pre-order your book here, we will send an email when the copies are ready to collect. If you buy a ticket-only option, then the £5 will act as a deposit against anything purchased on the evening.

Friday 15th May, 6:30PM - The Folkestone Bookshop

Refreshments will be available, and if you have any specific access needs or accommodations please do email us.