Simon and Rachel speak with Nels Abbey, a British-Nigerian writer, media executive and satirist who co-founded the Black Writers Guild in 2020 in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd. A former banker, Nels's first book, "Think Like a White Man", was published in 2019. Penned under the alter-ego ‘Professor Boulé Whytelaw III’, the book is a satire of modern racial discourse and politics in the corporate world. Nels is now working on "Hip Hop MBA - What the Empires, Moguls, and Business of Rap Can Teach the World", an examination of how rap music has come to influence and dominate the fields of art, commerce, and culture the world over. Canongate will publish "Hip Hop MBA" in 2024. Nels has also written for publications including the Guardian, Metro and the Voice. We spoke to Nels about leaving the corporate world for creative pursuits, "Think Like a White Man", and the development of the Black Writers Guild over the past three years.

This episode of Always Take Notes is sponsored by Curtis Brown Creative. Go to www.curtisbrowncreative.co.uk to find out more about their creative writing courses. Use code ATN20 for £20 off the full price of any four-, five, six- or ten-week online course.

You can find us online at alwaystakenotes.com, on Twitter @takenotesalways and on Instagram @alwaystakenotes. Our crowdfunding page is patreon.com/alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, and produced by Artemis Irvine. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.

#162: Nels Abbey, author and co-founder of the Black Writers Guild