Joy Francis (Hon) RSLF is co-founder and executive director of Words of Colour, and co-founder of the award-winning Synergi Collaborative Centre. Joy curates, co-produces and leads on UK-wide, national and regional initiatives that straddle the media, literature, heritage, the arts, creative industries, academia, research, digital entrepreneurship and creative wellbeing at this Immersive Change Agency.

The former journalist, academic and editor is a creative entrepreneur, curator, producer and cultural strategist with a diverse career – from collaborating with the Media Diversity Institute to co-design and launch the UK’s first Diversity and the Media MA at the University of Westminster in 2012, to being appointed as the media liaison lead for the Hillsborough Inquests by award-winning civil rights law firm Birnberg Peirce.

She has co-founded, co-produced and collaborated on a raft community focused initiatives that are holistic, hybrid and impactful, and is passionate about centring and amplifying lived experience, particularly from racialised communities, as co-producers in research for systemic change.

Among them is The Covid Race and Ethnic Inequalities Programme, one of the UK’s most ambitious research portfolios responding rapidly to the crisis posed by Covid-19, and its social, cultural and economic impact on racial and ethnic minorities, led by the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE). Concurrently she worked on Evidence for Equality National Survey (EVENS), is the UK’s first and largest survey of its kind to document the impact of Covid-19, and the lockdowns, on the lives of ethnic and religious minority people, and secured 14,200 survey responses in four months.

Joy is invited to speak and write on intersectional developments in the arts, heritage and Global Majority communities, including as a contributor to the Creatively Minded, Ethnically Diverse report in February 2021, published by the Baring Foundation.

She co-founded the Poets of Colour Incubator with Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, and the city-wide Remembering What’s Forgotten hybrid heritage programme and digital exhibition centring mental health and racial justice in Leeds with the Synergi-Leeds Partnership. Joy is also a curator at the Museum of Colour and co-curated My Words (2022) and Keeping it Real (2025).

Joy was elected to the Royal Society of Literature as an Honorary Fellow for services to literature in 2022.  In November 2023, her work on mental health, racial justice and creative interventions through the Creative Spaces methodology won the HSJ Award for Mental Health Innovation of the Year as part of the Synergi-Leeds Partnership.

In her spare time, Joy is a genre-fluid DJ (DJ Hybrid J) with a monthly residency on G-Shock Radio. Formerly represented by The Literary Good Agency (Rukhsana Yasmin), Joy is writing her first creative non-fiction book and is working on a dystopian, supernatural TV series.

Suzanne is a psychosynthesis psychotherapeutic counsellor, personal development coach and social change agent with a particular interest in empowering women and people of colour. Suzanne has worked in the health and social field for nearly 40 years in a variety of roles, including as a social worker, care services manager, social work educator, organisational consultant, a former director of a public involvement charity and trustee of a multi -cultural counselling charity. She has experience of group work and community building. She works in the field of healing trauma resulting from terrorism or disasters.

Her personal background led her to explore the interplay between the individual, groups and society, and she is very active in new approaches to inclusion, equalities and personal empowerment. She has written practice guides for the Department of Health and facilitated a variety personal development programmes, Suzanne is developing work in the field of conscious ageing and is responsible for Word of Colour’s Creative Wellbeing Hub.

Adrianne has been with Words of Colour for over 10 years. A photographer and award-winning videographer, she is also the founder of AMC Media, a London-based company specialising in studio and event photography and videography. A former art student at the University of the Creative Arts and Central Saint Martins, she has since worked on a number of high profile projects, including Time to Change, the national anti stigma mental health campaign, Queen Mary University of London’s national policy initiatives on public health as well as a camera operator for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. She was part of the production team of the critically acclaimed documentary, On the Ground at Grenfell, which won the Portobello Film Festival 2017 Best Film Award.

Fatema has over 10 years’ experience of branding and communications in the creative sector. She currently works with a host of organisations, including arts, mental health and education organisations, consulting them on their branding and marketing strategies, producing digital content around their projects and leading on project management for several creative education projects. Fatema has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with Biosciences and went on to read Persian Language, Middle Eastern Art and Literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Shameika Byfield is a multifaceted entrepreneur with a passion for numbers. She has single-handedly built her own company ShyFigures, whilst at the same time providing invaluable support to other SMEs. She has a wealth of experience in accounting, finance and business management in a variety of industries. Shameika is a modern day business woman, one whose practices reflect the agile philosophy. Not only is she the managing director, she sits on the board for numerous community groups and not-for-profit organizations.

Shameika was appointed as Words of Colour’s finance and business manager in 2020. She has since streamlined the company’s financial management procedures. Her input in respect of financial governance is imperative to the continued effectiveness, efficiency and compliance. In addition to this, she also facilitates finance workshops for creatives.

Milos has been with Words of Colour since 2012. After graduating with a degree in Graphic Design from the University of Belgrade in 2005, he entered the field of web design, 3D modelling and rendering in line with his passion for graphic design. With over 16 years of experience, his portfolio includes a variety of projects, from advertising and social media campaigns, brand identity development to brochures and publications design. Before joining the Words of Colour, he worked in London as a freelance designer and also has marketing agency experience. For Words of Colour, he led on branding for a range of clients and partners, Spread the Word, Synergi Collaborative Centre, The UCL funded Take Flight Hub, Jacaranda Books’ award-winning #Twentyin2020 initiative, and most recently My Words, the UK’s first hybrid exhibition celebrating 250 years of poets of colour.

Cherise has been with Words of Colour for six years, including as reviews editor, working to increase the space for reviewers of colour in our industry. She is also commissioning editor for Tate Children’s Publishing where she has re-envisioned the list to put inclusivity and accessibility at its heart, and has helped establish Tate Story Space – an inclusive family library space within Tate Britain filled with children’s books by people of colour from around the world. Originally from California, she is now based in London. She earned a Law degree from Durham University, with a focus on international human rights, and a Masters in Publishing from UCL, with a focus on diversity in children’s literature. Cherise is also a Bookseller Rising Star 2021 and co-founder of Desert Rose Literary Magazine, an intersectional feminist literary magazine.

Mike joined the Words of Colour team in 2015 and leads on digital projects. With many years experience in both design and development, working with partners and collaborators to bring ideas and concepts to life is what he does best. Since graduating with a BSc in Multimedia Technology and Design, Mike has worked with a wide variety of organisations, from start-ups to larger corporations including many international projects.  Some recent projects include designing and developing the Museum of Colour digital exhibition along with Peoples Palace Projects and Queen Mary University, working with UCL to redesign their COVID-19 Longitudinal Research Hub and working with Roehampton University to develop the multimedia knowledge ehub RAFA2.

Kenny Mammarella-D’Cruz is the “Man Whisperer” (Newsweek) who helps men achieve their life, relationship and career goals. As a personal development consultant, Kenny runs workshops and sees individuals and couples for private consultations. He’s been running men’s groups since 2002. He runs groups in London and online, and also teaches people how to facilitate a men’s group. Kenny’s incredible life journey has taken him from refugee camps, through overcoming OCD and mental health issues, to working with Mother Teresa and becoming one of the UK’s leading men’s personal development consultants. He loves helping men (and women) gain the awareness and tools to consciously embody their potential and meet all of life’s challenges and is also a published author.

Patsy is a mother of one and a freelance writer, editor and media skills trainer with more than 30 years of experience in book and magazine publishing. She has worked as a journalist on national weekly and monthly magazines at IPC Media, Time Inc and Bauer Media. She was commissioning editor at Tamarind, part of the Random House Publishing Group, where she commissioned a range of multicultural children’s books. She is co-founder of The Black Love Project and podcast, which takes a cross-generational look at black British relationships, parenting and our passions as black Brits. Patsy has also trained as a yoga teacher, holding 200hr teaching certificates in Hatha and Kundalini yoga and a 500hr in traditional yoga. She now works as a content writer and editor, a corporate editorial coach and trainer and, in her spare time, as a yoga teacher.

Dr Angela Martinez Dy is an internationally recognised thought leader in digital entrepreneurship and intersectional critical realist feminism. An experienced educator, researcher, social entrepreneur, mentor, public speaker, scholar-activist, and digital creative, she has a history of creating impact through actionable research insights and building community-based organisations. Her expertise has driven University strategy in equity, diversity and inclusion and measurably advanced institutional practice.

A former scholar in residence for Words of Colour’s 10 year Digital Women UK initiative, she is now collaborating on grief technologies and community impact.

Hawa Khan is a multidisciplinary creative and educator with over 25 years’ experience in education, and a strong background in creative practice, including being the lead co-facilitator and performance co-director on Futureland, a four year creative learning programme co-founded by Words of Colour and Theatre Peckham engaging up to 200 Year-8 students through workshops and live performance. A firm believer in the transformative power of creativity, she uses drama, movement and dialogue to encourage self-expression, confidence and connection.

Since 2005, Hawa has worked with young people, educators and communities, designing programmes, consulting, collaborating and delivering creative education, curriculum enrichment, PSHE, leadership and wellbeing programmes. Her practice uses play, writing, directing, producing and performance, with a focus on creating inclusive, engaging and meaningful learning experiences, which includes:

• Community engagement: Hosted and facilitated festivals, events, panels and community discussions, including Be Heard, working with local residents, young people and community organisations.
• Young people: Worked with more than 4,000 young people through creative education, leadership, wellbeing, PSHE, empowerment and youth voice projects.
• Workshops and focus groups: Facilitated workshops, group discussions and focus groups in a range of educational, community and heritage settings, creating spaces for people to share their experiences, ideas and views.
• Film and audiovisual: Produced, directed and facilitated short films and audiovisual projects, working with participants to capture their stories and experiences.
• In the Beginning: Co-Director, producer, writer and voice artist, of five-time award-nominated podcast In the Beginning, exploring creation stories from different cultures around the world through immersive audio storytelling.

Weyland McKenzie-Witter is an archivist, multidisciplinary audio artist, creative producer, and writer and was co-funded by Words of Colour and Hackney Archives to research C.L.R. James.

He is the Digital & Oral History Archivist at Hackney Shed, where he is helping to develop their archive, in collaboration with participants in their theatre programme, to create an exhibition and a digital timeline showcasing their 25-year history of inclusive theatre for young people.

Weyland is also the lead Web-archivist of the Black British Artists on the Web project and Assistant Archivist at 198 Contemporary Arts & Learning. In 2025, he guest lectured for UCL’s Archives and Records Management MA course on creative approaches to making archives accessible.

As a creative producer specialising in audio, he has developed, produced, and sound-designed original podcasts and radio for the national broadcaster, national heritage institutions, and commercial clients. He produced the BBC 1Xtra Rap Show, The 1Xtra Dancehall Show, and has produced audio projects in collaboration with The Stephen Lawrence Research Centre, Bsix College, The National Maritime Museum, Tower Hamlets Archive, Somerset House, South London Gallery, Haringey’s Black Men’s Health Group.

As Executive Producer on A Dialogue of Equals, he worked in collaboration with Queen Mary University, Tottenham Rights and Haringey’s Black Men’s Health Group on the experience of this participatory public health project to highlight the experience of Black men within the NHS.

Tamera Heron is a storyteller, curator and cultural producer with a specialism in digital engagement and vast experience as a writer. Tamera works with creative teams and individuals to help elevate their vision and facilitate the successful production of their creative projects.

Tamera, who was Words of Colour’s Assistant Cultural Producer for three years, predominantly focuses on the Global Majority community, enabling them to authentically tell their stories. Her work includes workshops at Bow Arts guiding freelancers through the exploration of how their core values shape their practice. Tamera is an advocate for archiving our histories and operating within systems of care and wellbeing.

As part of this work Tamera has hosted community viewing days at THLHLA as part of ‘Undocumented’, sessions with Black Londoners delving into what is missing in the archives and how to respond to gaps and multi-activity days on archives and identity at BLOC cinema. Tamera is also the founder of Cold Islanders CIC, a community initiative that curates moments of connection for and with the Caribbean community.

Ahsan has worked with Words of Colour since 2009 on community impact projects, supporting programmes on design for systems change, social and climate justice. Ahsan is also the design director and co-founder of Climate Labs, a multidisciplinary design consultancy that focuses on design for sustainability. Forming teams to deliver digital products, services and programmes with clients across business and academia – Design Council, Power to Change, Futerra, PA Consulting, PwC, Kingston and Exeter University, he uses Design Thinking and Systems Practice to drive transformation and innovation for transitions towards sustainability.

With the Design Council, Ahsan is also part of 100 experts working on the Design for Planet strategy. He also consults for Culture Heroes and IAAAE focusing on strategic design, creating value through a systems practice approach to understand EDI challenges to benefit marginalised communities.

Ahsan has a BSc Hons in Product Design and MA in Sustainable Design with Distinction.

Lee has been with Words of Colour since 2009. He specialises in documentary and portrait photography, working primarily with third sector organisations both as a photographer and a workshop facilitator. He is passionate about promoting photography as an art form and is heavily focused on making it accessible to everyone. As a result, he founded both Lenses of Croydon, a photography group with in excess of 500 members, and the Croydon Photography Forum, which serves to create a platform for aspiring photographers to hear from practising professionals. Lee is a graduate of the University of Technology, Jamaica, and he has a BA Hons degree in Photography from the University of Westminster.

Damien has been working with Words of Colour for four years. An entrepreneurial and innovative filmmaker, Warner Bros. Entertainment supported his latest project, the film GRAPES. RADA presented his short film featuring the work of 2020 BA (Hons) Acting graduates and Theatre Production and Costume students and students, working alongside industry professionals. Sir Kenneth Branagh introduced the film.

His other work includes documentaries such as Black Lives Matter UK, which debuted at The BFI S.O.U.L. Celebrate Connect, and The People of Brixton, both distributed by KweliTV. He has filmed for Essence Magazine – featuring Tessa Thompson – and his documentary #BlackPride London, featured at film festivals in London, San Diego, Birmingham, Staffordshire, Reykjavik, Sacramento, Brighton, and others.

His podcast Filmmaking Conversations with Damien Swaby is a small fraction of the critical conversations currently taking place across the indie film community. The podcast reaches out to the next generation of filmmakers, who continue to look for inspiration and guidance. Guests include Oscar winners, Emmy-award winners, and the latest trailblazers in the indie film community.

Joy Francis (Hon) FRSL is co-founder and executive director of Words of Colour, co-founder of Digital Women UK and the award-winning Synergi Collaborative Centre. The former journalist and academic is a creative entrepreneur, curator, producer and cultural strategist with a diverse career – from collaborating with the Media Diversity Institute to co-design and launch the UK’s first Diversity and the Media MA at the University of Westminster in 2012, to being appointed as the media liaison lead for the Hillsborough Inquests by award-winning civil rights law firm Birnberg Peirce.

Joy is a longstanding activist for racial equality and cultural inclusion in literature, publishing and the media. She co-initiated Writing the Future (Spread the Word/The Bookseller, 2015) with Courttia Newland and curated the week-long industry-focused digital launch for Rethinking Diversity in Publishing (Goldsmiths Press/Spread the Word/The Bookseller, 2020). Joy was the inaugural project manager for the UK-wide Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowships, developing a creative entrepreneurship model since adopted by Jerwood Arts.

In 2019, Joy was selected for the UK’s first Museum of Colour’s People of Letters Digital Gallery as a literature influencer, alongside luminaries such as Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Busby. In 2022, she was a Judge for the British Book Awards and was elected to the Royal Society of Literature as an Honorary Fellow for services to literature. Joy will be judging the Trade category for the British Book Awards 2023.

In her spare time Joy pursues photography, DJing and is currently writing a TV series.

Sailesh Ram is the founder and editor of asianculturevulture.com, a digital arts and culture magazine, which is widely recognised for its high-quality arts and international festival coverage. Sailesh is a published novelist, who continues to write creatively, and his first feature film ‘Victor’, co-scripted with the director, is set to be released in 2022/23. His first novel, ‘Asian Triangle’ was commissioned and written for teenagers and ended up being shortlisted for a literary prize in Scotland. He was the only debut novelist featured. Since that time, he launched a lifestyle magazine, ‘GG2Life’ and later become editor of ‘Eastern Eye’, Britain’s best-known South Asian newspaper.

He has appeared in the media, talking about community subjects and the arts. You might see him in Cannes chasing after Bollywood stars (for an acv video interview). He holds a Masters in Continental Philosophy from the University of Sussex and a BSC from the LSE. He writes comedy professionally.

Suzanne is a psychosynthesis psychotherapeutic counsellor, personal development coach and social change agent with a particular interest in empowering women and people of colour. Suzanne has worked in the health and social field for nearly 40 years in a variety of roles, including as a social worker, care services manager, social work educator, organisational consultant, a former director of a public involvement charity and trustee of a multi -cultural counselling charity. She has experience of group work and community building. She works in the field of healing trauma resulting from terrorism or disasters.

Her personal background led her to explore the interplay between the individual, groups and society, and she is very active in new approaches to inclusion, equalities and personal empowerment. She has written practice guides for the Department of Health and facilitated a variety personal development programmes, Suzanne is developing work in the field of conscious ageing and is responsible for Word of Colour’s Creative Wellbeing Hub.

Shameika Byfield is a multifaceted Entrepreneur with a passion for numbers. She has single-handedly built her own company ShyFigures, whilst at the same time providing invaluable support to other SMEs. She has a wealth of experience in accounting, finance and business management in a variety of industries. Shameika is a modern day business woman, one whose practices reflect the agile philosophy. Not only is she the Managing Director, she sits on the board for numerous community groups and not-for-profit organizations.

Shameika was appointed Finance Manager of Words of Color in 2020. She has since streamlined the company’s financial management procedures and its transition to Accounting Software. Her input in respect of financial governance is imperative to the continued effectiveness, efficiency and compliance. In addition to this, she also facilitates finance workshops for creatives on behalf of the company.

Annette Brook (Hon) FRSL is a playwright and a communications professional working within the arts sector. She has worked in arts admin for nearly 20 years at organisations including Laban, Arts Council England, Spread the Word, the Royal Society of Literature and Theatre Peckham. Annette has recently joined writing and education charity First Story as their Communications and Marketing Manager. She has BA English and MA Arts Administration and Cultural Policy, both from Goldsmiths.

Annette started writing plays in 2005 after making it through to the final 30 for Channel 4’s competition ‘The Play’s the Thing’. Her work includes: The Argos Delivery (Theatre503, 2022) about Rosemarie who now has her very own toaster and the chance of a new start; the critically-acclaimed how we love (Theatre Peckham, 2021; Arcola 2021; VAULT Festival, 2020) about queer Nigerian friends planning to wed each other to fool the authorities back home; Gala Mae (Matchstick Piehouse, 2019) longlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award, about mixed race sisters recounting their lively time in 1950s Soho; Cold Blow Lane (Matchstick Piehouse, 2018) a new musical about the Millwall Lionesses; The Marriage of Lady Mede (Ledbury Poetry Festival/Shoreditch Town Hall, 2017) a Penned in the Margins commission, part of the five-hour retelling of the epic Medieval poem Piers Plowman.

She is an alumnus of the Royal Court Young Writers’ Programme and the Royal Court Invitation Group, and in 2015-16 was a Jerwood/Arvon mentee and was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (Hon FRSL) in 2025.

Photo credit: Adrian Pope

Yvvette Edwards FRSL is a British novelist born in London, England, of Caribbean heritage. Her first novel, A Cupboard Full of Coats, was published by Oneworld Publications in 2011 to much acclaim and prize nominations that included the Man Booker Prize longlist, being named a Kirkus Reviews “2011 Best of Fiction” choice, and the Commonwealth Book Prize shortlist.

Edwards followed this debut work five years later with The Mother, published by Pan Macmillan, for which she received a nomination in the 48th NAACP Image Awards in the category “Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction”, and was also a nominee for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in 2017.

She is a contributor to the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in November 2020.

• • Bernardine Evaristo called it “massively entertaining, scorching, brilliant, witty, shocking”.
  • Diana Evans described it as “warm, funny, full of heart and very moving”.
  • Antonia Hodgson praised it as “wise, powerful, gripping and profoundly moving”. [1]

ago in a four way auction and is her first book in almost a decade.