Diran Adebayo worked as a newspaper and television reporter and assistant producer before becoming a full-time writer.  His first novel, the acclaimed Some Kind of Black, a 90s coming of age story, was longlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Saga Prize, a Betty Trask Award, the Authors' Club's 'Best First Novel' Award, and the Writers’ Guild's New Writer of the Year for 1996. His second novel, My Once Upon A Time,
which continued his chronicling of British subcultures, received more rave reviews. Diran has also written stories for BBC TV and radio, has been a columnist for New Nation newspaper, and writes frequently on social and cultural issues for national newspapers ranging from The Guardian to The Daily Mail. He recently co-edited New Writing 12 (Picador), an annual anthology that showcases contemporary UK and Commonwealth writing, and is currently working on his third novel, The Ballad of Dizzy and Miss P, as well as a book of essays, Here is a Protest.  He is a member of Arts Council England.