Poem on the Maroon uprisings in Jamaica led by Nanny in the early 18th century

Warrior Queen

Poem on Edward Colston, Bristol and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

The Bristol Trade

It is a privilege to write the introduction to this thought provoking collection of poems and images.

Lawrence Hoo has spent most of his life living in Bristol, enough of it to call him a Son of Bristol. His reputation as a poet and artist subtly precedes him, yet his actual presence and his message hits you like water hits hot oil. It’s powerful stuff Lawrence’s story. His experiences of being who he is and growing up the way he did, seeing his world through the eyes of many and churning all his memorable life moments into a coherent format is reason enough to want to explore the mind of this maverick.

Lawrence brings together a medley of culture, identity, traditions and heritage and he cleverly uses social imbalances to justify or dispel or qualify behaviour. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not about blame culture, more about life culture.

Lawrence is embracing the opportunity to breath his story among the young and the old, indeed among anyone who dares to look and listen. Much of it is painful and confrontational. But to heal any pain and to quell any confrontation, you have to understand and to do that you have to dig deep and unearth all the hurt before real healing can happen.
Lawrence feels we have an opportunity to do this, take him up on this challenge. I urge you to embrace this moment open your mind and have the confidence to delve into the depth of history that will take you on a journey, a journey of understanding and enlightenment, a journey of pain and ultimately healing.

By doing this you get to the crux of the psyche of first-generation black Britain, displaced in history by slaveries handmaiden (racism); born from a dual medley of cultural entwining.

Through this collection, free up and lose yourself in Lawrence’s life, allow him to tell this story, possibly your story, ultimately Hoo’s story.

Sherrie Eugene Hart
Broadcaster

Nanny

Imhotep

Haiti

Silence

Storytellers

Abolition 200

Reparations

Commonwealth and Empire

An Illegal Trade

It is a privilege to write the introduction to this thought provoking collection of poems and images.

Lawrence Hoo has spent most of his life living in Bristol, enough of it to call him a Son of Bristol. His reputation as a poet and artist subtly precedes him, yet his actual presence and his message hits you like water hits hot oil. It’s powerful stuff Lawrence’s story. His experiences of being who he is and growing up the way he did, seeing his world through the eyes of many and churning all his memorable life moments into a coherent format is reason enough to want to explore the mind of this maverick.

Lawrence brings together a medley of culture, identity, traditions and heritage and he cleverly uses social imbalances to justify or dispel or qualify behaviour. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not about blame culture, more about life culture.

Lawrence is embracing the opportunity to breath his story among the young and the old, indeed among anyone who dares to look and listen. Much of it is painful and confrontational. But to heal any pain and to quell any confrontation, you have to understand and to do that you have to dig deep and unearth all the hurt before real healing can happen.

Lawrence feels we have an opportunity to do this, take him up on this challenge. I urge you to embrace this moment open your mind and have the confidence to delve into the depth of history that will take you on a journey, a journey of understanding and enlightenment, a journey of pain and ultimately healing.

By doing this you get to the crux of the psyche of first-generation black Britain, displaced in history by slaveries handmaiden (racism); born from a dual medley of cultural entwining.

Through this collection, free up and lose yourself in Lawrence’s life, allow him to tell this story, possibly your story, ultimately Hoo’s story.

Sherrie Eugene Hart
Broadcaster

Lawrence Hoo

Pinned to spotlight

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