Poet, playwright, performer, graphic artist and designer Inua Ellams is without doubt one of the most inspiring and eloquent creators I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with so far.

There’s so much in this short conversation, recorded remotely during lockdown. Inua talks about his childhood in Nigeria, and the black privilege he only became aware of later; he talks about finding inspiration in sources as diverse as Terry Pratchett, Tolkein and 90’s west coast hip hop; he tells me why his plays are really poems which have gone wrong; why he never really gets writer’s block and he makes a compelling case for the similarities between a poem and a basketball team.

Witty, wise, and hugely talented, he is Inua Ellams.