Susan Maria Andi , Hon.

FRSL The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the ...

, better known as SuAndi, is a British performance poet, writer and arts curator. Based in North West England, she is particularly acknowledged for raising the profile of black artists in the region as well as nationally. Since 1985, she has been Cultural Director of the National Black Arts Alliance. She was appointed an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1999 for her contributions to the Black Arts sector. In 2024, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elect ...

(RSL), and was also awarded the

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

, which recognises services to literature across a whole career.

Life

Susan Maria Andi was born as in Hulme, Manchester, North-West England, to a British mother from Liverpool with Irish Catholic roots and a Nigerian seaman father; her self-styled name SuAndi "conjoins her personal and paternal names, and registers the convergence of different histories and ethnicities in her family". Her career in the arts from the 1980s onwards encompasses participating in Identity Writers Workshop and being a co-founder of BlackScribe, the North West's first Black women's writing collective."SuAndi"
Commonword. She was active as a dancer and model before starting to perform her poetry in 1985. Since 1985, she has also been the freelance Cultural Director of the National Black Arts Alliance, the UK's largest network of Black artists.SuAndi
''Black British Women Writers''. Accessed 30 July 2020. As the Black Women Writers Development worker at Commonword (where she shared an office with

Lemn Sissay Lemn Sissay FRSL (born 21 May 1967) is a British author and broadcaster. He was the official poet of the 2012 London Olympics, was chancellor of the University of Manchester from 2015 until 2022, and joined the Foundling Museum's board of trus ...

), she co-edited Commonword's first anthology of Black poetry, ''Black and Priceless'' and was a contributing writer in two 2024 books; ''Feminist Theatre Then & Now: Celebrating 50 years'' and ''Encounters with James Baldwin: Celebrating 100 Years.'' SuAndi has performed at poetry venues and festivals both nationally and internationally. She has also developed performance works with a sustained structure and visual component to them, including ''This is All I've Got to Say'' (1993) and ''The Story of M'', commissioned by the

Institute of Contemporary Arts The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is an modernism, artistic and cultural centre on The Mall (London), The Mall in London, just off Trafalgar Square. Located within Nash House, part of Carlton House Terrace, near the Duke of York Steps a ...

in 1994. ''The Story of M'' was a solo performance piece written in tribute to SuAndi's mother. While sitting in a white-screened hospital ward, visual projections of family photographs accompany the performer's memories of her mother's life and death. ''The Story of M'' is included on the

A-level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

English Literature syllabus offered by EdExcel Examination Board (2017), introduced by Deirdre Osborne. SuAndi has written two librettos: ''Mary Seacole'' had a West End opening and toured Britain in 2000, and ''The Calling'' was performed by the

BBC Philharmonic The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Media ...

in 2005. Since 2001, SuAndi has coordinated the regional celebration of Black History Month in the North West. Afro Solo UK chronicles the lives of African men in the UK since 1925. ''Strength of our Mothers'' (2019) was a series of interviews with 23 white women in interracial relationships with African and Afro-Caribbean men. Her poems "Intergenerational Trauma" and "Aroma of memory" are included in the 2019 anthology '' New Daughters of Africa'', edited by

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

. The project ''SussedBlackWoman'' is a collaboration between The Mixed Museum and SuAndi that, through her life and creative work, explores North-West England's history of racial mixing, developing a digital resource based on materials provided by her, including letters, poems and photographs.

Awards and recognition

In 1996, SuAndi was awarded a

Winston Churchill Fellowship Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts (WCMT) are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill, based in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. They exist for the purpose of administering Churchill Fellowships, a ...

. In the

1999 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1999 for various Commonwealth realms were announced on 30 December 1998, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1999. The ''Honours list'' is a list of people who have been awarded one of the various orders, d ...

, she was appointed an

for her contributions to black art in Britain. SuAndi received a Windrush Inspirational Award in 2003, and a NESTA Dreamtime Award in 2005. In 2014, she became an Honorary Creative Writing Fellow at

Leicester University The University of Leicester ( ) is a public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, University College, Leicester, gained university ...

, and she has received honorary doctorates from both the

University of Lancaster Lancaster University (officially The University of Lancaster) is a collegiate public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several new univer ...

, in 2015 for her outstanding contribution to British art, and from

Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

in 2018, for her "significant contribution to art and culture, in particular to the black arts sector and within the North West"."SuAndi OBE"
News, Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2024, she was elected an Honorary Fellow of the

(RSL), and was also the recipient of their

Benson Medal The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK."The Benson Medal"

for lifelong achievement, which honours service to literature across a whole career.

Selected works

* ''Style in Performance''. Purple Heather & Pankhurst Press, 1990. * ''Nearly Forty''. Spike Books, 1992. * ''There Will be No Tears''. Manchester: Pankhurst Press, 1995. * (Editor) ''4 for more: poses a contextualisation of black work juxtaposed to the larger arena''. Manchester: ArtBlacklive Publication for Black Arts Alliance, 2002. * ''I Love the Blackness of my People'', Pankhurst Press, 2003. * "Africa Lives On in We: Histories and Futures of Black Women Artists", in E. Aston et al. (eds), ''Feminist Futures?'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. * ''The Story of M''. London:

Oberon Books Oberon Books is a London-based publisher of drama texts and books on theatre. The company publishes around 100 titles per year, many of them plays by new writers. In addition, the list contains a range of titles on theatre studies, acting, writin ...

, 2017. * (Editor) ''Strength of Our Mothers''. Independent Publishing Network, 2019.

References

External links

"SuAndi of National Black Arts Alliance on justice in arts funding"
Platform, 28 January 2015. *
"SuAndi OBE"
Writers Gallery, Moving Manchester.
SuAndi
at Writers Mosaic.
"Live! SussedBlackWoman digital resource"
''Mixed Museum'', 11 June 2024. {{DEFAULTSORT:SuAndi Living people 20th-century English poets 20th-century English women 21st-century English poets 21st-century English women Alumni of Lancaster University Black British women writers British women curators English curators English people of Irish descent English people of Nigerian descent English spoken word artists English women poets Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Hulme Writers from Manchester Year of birth missing (living people)

Life

Awards and recognition

Selected works

Further reading

References

External links