Unapologetic woman

KS2/3 teacher in LDN. Works closely w/ @AkomaAsa. Mum. She/her. Michael Burnham stan. Purple. ☮️ 🌈 🐝 𐚁

[Misan Harriman @misanharriman]

Massive congratulations to #bcdsproject for being nominated for a National Diversity Award. It was my honour to photograph these earth angels. Black children with Down Syndrome must never be invisible.

[Danny Boy @Care2much18]

Almost 10,000 likes for straight-up lies by Annunziata Rees-Mogg, quote:

"Asylum seekers make up 0.08% of Dorset's population and 44% of alleged sex offences. So unbelievable I had to check. It's true."

It's not true, it's utter garbage.

I'll go through facts and figures. /1

[二重作 拓也 @takuyafutaesaku]

What Lies Beyond the Sound: A Classical Musician Listens to Prince
— Daisuke Kitaguchi, Cellist
@cellokitaguchi
“What is the purpose of life?”

This question, so fundamental and universal, is one that this book compelled me to confront once again—on a deeper level.

Prince. A superstar whose name is etched into the history of music.

I am a classical musician, a cellist performing in orchestras. Even so, I have always known that Prince was a legendary artist. But reading this book, I was struck by a profound realization: despite being adored by fans around the world—and surely by the gods of music themselves—Prince may not have been fully aware of his own greatness.

As someone working in the music industry, I’ve occasionally encountered individuals who carry an unfortunate air of arrogance with their success. But with Prince, there is not a trace of such vanity or conceit.

On the contrary, it seems he simply immersed himself—utterly and endlessly—in what he loved, what he felt called to do. He pursued it, mastered it, and lived it.

As martial artist Yuki Nakai said in this book, I too have never grown tired of playing the cello. It doesn’t feel like work—it feels like fulfilling a mission. I’ve never once fallen out of love with the cello. It may be presumptuous to draw a comparison, but perhaps Prince, too, simply loved music with a passion that far exceeded our own. He lived for it. He gave himself to it. Entirely.

And isn't that kind of heart the very essence of art?

“For oneself.”

That is the answer I arrived at, in response to the question that opened this reflection. Through Prince—a towering figure in music—I was guided to that answer. This book, for me, was an unforgettable purple experience.

After finishing it, I listened to Prince’s “Condition of the Heart.”

What a pure soul he was.

The music goes beyond lyrics—it is transparent. Rich and dense, yet crystalline. Sparkling, yet simple. Vast in its vision, yet humble in its execution. There is no ego in it—only the pure heart of someone who gave everything to music.

I had no idea such miraculous music existed.

Daisuke Kitaguchi
Principal Cellist of the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra. Guest Principal Solo Cellist of the Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo. Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Osaka College of Music. In addition to his work in orchestras, he actively performs as a soloist, pushing beyond the conventional boundaries of classical music.

His impression of Why Prince? 01

[lemn sissay OBE FRSL @lemnsissay]

If you are going to buy any books between now and the end of May then please buy them from Afrori Books. They need the support to stay alive. They need to sell 1,000 books by the end of May.

#afroribooks

https://t.co/mbaeUqkXMN

[Ronke Lawal @ronkelawal]

Katherine El-Salahi who has died aged 80 was a publisher, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist who championed independent publishing in the global south.

I am only discovering her impact through this obituary.

May she rest in perfect peace.

https://t.co/pbrNeSj1gx

[Ronke Lawal @ronkelawal]

Challenging Britannia, which showcases seven ground-breaking older Black women creatives who have carved out remarkable careers in directing, photography, acting, dance/choreography, music, poetry, publishing and children’s books has been published. https://t.co/IHEilBHo2T

[💙🙏🏿🌹Ivor Etienne @ivoretienne]

Hi all, #AfroriBooks is running a campaign to sell 1,000 books in April to help them stay open.
They’re an award-winning Black woman-owned bookshop that specialises in books from Black authors. Based in Brighton. Please pop in and say hello to Carolynn and most importantly if you have any books in your Amazon basket get them here instead:
https://t.co/X35mg1eW28

[Lenny Kravitz @LennyKravitz]

This man was a great inspiration and big brother. We had love and respect for each others work and I was blessed to know him. He encouraged and elevated me as you see here. How you are missed in the flesh but the music and spirit lives on.

[Official Cat Glover @realcatglover]

Day 4 of 7
Their chemistry on stage was perfection. 💜

Prince and Cat at the Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany on Aug. 27, 1988, during his Lovesexy Tour. (AP Photo/Udo Weitz)

[a. @Abzsm121]

BBC 3 at 7:45pm tomorrow!

[Sayo Thee Succulent @Simply_Sayo]

Heyyyy🥰

I’m having a cute & quick little blood drive at Brixton Donor Centre, Sat 11th April, 2-4pm. Please come and donate.

Globally, the news cycle is heavy af! But being active in your community is one way to maintain hope 🫂

book your slot here:
https://t.co/P0s3YfNgjR

[✦ @blackarchivo]

A rehearsal of the Trinidad Folkloric Ballet in Trinidad, Cuba, 1998, by David Alan Harvey.

[✦ @blackarchivo]

Lauren Anderson as the Swan Queen, 1996.

In 1990, Lauren became the first Black woman to be promoted to principal dancer at the Houston Ballet, and one of the first African American prima ballerinas to lead a major ballet company.

[Melissa Sigodo @melissasigodo]

A swim school launched to boost the number of Black swimmers has sold out its weekly aqua aerobics classes since launching last year. Penguins Palace Swim School in South London is ‘getting the aunties moving’ & creating a real sense of community https://t.co/YLAPNLpM87

[martin @martin37725365]

Radio 6 will be devoting the whole day of music on 21 April on the 10th anniversary of the death of music god his royal badness prince Rodgers nelson ... #prince4ever

[Smithsonian Magazine @SmithsonianMag]

For the first time, a series of Toni Morrison's Princeton lectures has been compiled into a book. Now, readers can engage with Morrison, not only through the lens of her fiction or essays, but through her role as a teacher. https://t.co/cC0eBWLuhK

[Brandon Ousley @brandonousley]

Album of the day. What I admired most about Prince's later work was his ability to churn out contemporary music that didn't stray too far from his retro Minneapolis funk roots. While he was miles away from his creative peak by this point, he still made worthy music that more or less showcased his incredible pop craftsmanship. This is greatly evident on solid late-career gems, such as his 31st (yes, he was that prolific) studio album, 2006's 3121, which was released 20 years ago today. Similar to its successful predecessor, 2004's Musicology, 3121 was consciously helmed as a radio-friendly, mainstream release meant to revisit facets of his past glories while whetting the appetites of the large pop following he won over again. Only this one went a few steps ahead of Musicology, thanks to the Purple One stretching out and toying with Latin-tinged numbers ("Te Amo Corazón," "The Dance," "Get on the Boat"), mininalist, futuristic funk ("Black Sweat," "Love"), optimistic love songs ("Beautiful, Loved, and Blessed"), guitar-laden rockers ("Fury"), and bedroom burners ("Satisfied," "Incense and Candles"). It's the kind of album a veteran makes when they have nothing left to prove. And thanks to Prince, it never fails to be an engaging portrait of a master at the top of his game, making well-crafted music in the fourth decade of his storied career and having fun doing it.

[Leo’s grooving 🪩 𐚁 💜 @Purepurplehoney]

@prince

[Emma Grae @emmagraeauthor]

Every time I log onto the internet right now, it hurts me.

Today it was Education Scotland. They are encouraging TEACHERS to create AI-generated children’s books.

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here as a children’s author trying to muster every bit of strength I’ve got to keep going.