Book Slam @ The Clapham Grand
21-25 St. John’s Hill, London, SW11 1TT
Doors: 6.30pm
Tickets: £10 adv

Book Slam has teamed up with Canongate Books and XL Recordings to celebrate the life of legendary poet, novelist and hip hop pioneer, Gil Scott-Heron with the launch of his posthumous memoir, ‘The Last Holiday‘, at the sumptuous Clapham Grand. Twenty-one years ago, Gil traversed America with Stevie Wonder to gather popular support for a national holiday for Martin Luther King. This 41 city tour provides the framework for a remarkable tale of a unique life.

A stellar line-up at Book Slam includes host, the inimitable Salena Godden, dynamic young poets Kate Tempest and Ben Mellor, and iconic DJs and tastemakers Jamie XX and Gilles Peterson playing a one-off, back-to-back musical tribute to the great man.

For more on Gil Scott Heron including a short film of part of the last interview he did before he died and to check out exclusive readings from ‘The Last Holiday’ visit Cannongate’s website.

Visit the Book Slam website for more info.

Jamie xx’s stunning remix of Gil Scott Heron’s ‘New York is Killing Me’:

‘I’m New Here’ from Gil Scott Heron’s final album: