Author talk: Candice Brathwaite

This week, as part of Black History Month, we were delighted to host author, podcaster and journalist Candice Brathwaite at our school, to talk about her new Young Adult fiction novel "Cuts Both Ways".

Cuts Both Ways explores race, class, love, and the complexities of growing up as a Black British teen.

Candice explained to the audience that although she is happy that her novel had been nominated at the Diverse Book Awards, the biggest reward is parents coming up to her to tell her that the book has allowed parents to have conversations with their children about street violence.

The students adored her straight talking style, and asked her for advice on how to live as free and as authentically as her.

Her advice was to practice self-love, as "self love is a bank account only you get to top up." She also advised the students to learn to say no, to have better boundaries and to ask themselves "who am I performing for?"

Finally, for anyone interested in growing a social media following as large as hers, she advised students to be mindful of what they post because what you share on social media is permanent.