The Empire Cafe

Each story will focus on one product of Empire -

Kei Miller kicks off our series with a clever and multilayered story drawing together themes of slavery, Glasgow's Empire past in Jamaica and the most traditional of British drinks, tea. Kei Miller is a Jamaican poet and fiction writer based in Glasgow. He was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First book. His recent poetry collection The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion is shortlisted for the 2014 Forward Prize for Best Collection.

The series will continue with Jackie Kay who has chosen ginger, playfully weaving in connections between Scotland and the Caribbean in a story set in Saint Kitts. Finally Fred D'Aguiar's 'Black Gold' brings us back to Glasgow with a slave brought back to Scotland in a story that looks to sugar.

The authors will be reading at the Empire Cafe in the Briggait in Glasgow's Merchant City (where the merchants would have kept look out for their ships docking with goods from the commonwealth and sent an assistant running to greet them).

Produced by Allegra McIlroy.

Kei Miller's clever and multilayered story explores Glasgow's empire past in Jamaica.

Three stories that trace Glasgow's connections to empire and the products of slavery.

Jackie Kay continues our series of three brand new stories recorded in front of a Glasgow audience at The Empire Cafe in Glasgow. Each of our authors will be turning their attention to some of the products of Empire and the Atlantic slave trade at this commonwealth themed cafe and literary venue. The Empire Cafe is opening specially for the Games period and is run by award winning thriller writer Louise Welsh. Each story will focus on one product of Empire.

Jackie Kay has chosen ginger, playfully weaving in connections between Scotland and the Caribbean in a story set in Saint Kitts.

Leading Scottish writer Jackie Kay grew up in Glasgow. Her award-winning memoir Red Dust traced her journey to meet her Nigerian birth father. Her recent short story collection Reality Reality is published by Pan Macmillan.

Jackie Kay, Fred D'Aguiar and Kei Miller will be reading at the Empire Cafe in the Briggait in Glasgow's Merchant City (where the merchants would have kept look out for their ships docking with goods from the commonwealth and sent an assistant running to greet them).

Produced by Allegra McIlroy.

Jackie Kay chooses ginger, weaving in connections between Scotland and the Caribbean.

Three stories that trace Glasgow's connections to empire and the products of slavery.

Fred D'Aguiar's 'Black Gold' is set in Glasgow with a slave brought back to Scotland in a story that looks to sugar - from the Jamaican plantations across the Atlantic to Glasgow. British-Guyanese writer Fred D'Aguiar has won prizes for both his poetry and novels, and his work contemplates issues of race and belonging. His most recent novel Children of Paradise is published by Granta.

The authors will be reading at the Empire Cafe in the Briggait in Glasgow's Merchant City (where the merchants would have kept look out for their ships docking with goods from the commonwealth and sent an assistant running to greet them).

Produced by Allegra McIlroy.

Fred D'Aguiar's story is about sugar and a slave brought back to Glasgow from Jamaica.

Three stories that trace Glasgow's connections to empire and the products of slavery.