NEWS LETTER 1 PAGE ARCHIVE
Here it is then: the very first newsletter. I find it funny thinking that if I hadn't managed to burn my flat down back in 2017, I might never have picked up a pen properly. But here we are, eight years on, a few books deep. I am still standing, still stubborn, and more driven than ever to haul working-class voices right up to the front.
I hope you will jump in and get involved with this.
A quick word on me. I took three creative writing courses at the Chelsea Theatre in London. They led me right to a creative writing degree at Birkbeck University in 2022. I have learnt things about my writing, and about myself, I never thought possible. That is especially true considering I left school at fourteen with no qualifications at all, just a crazy hunger to live life and see the world. I never did make it into the Merchant Navy like my dad, though. That is probably for the best; he used to say he felt seasick on every single trip anyway.
But enough of my life for now. Let us hear your stories. Thanks for signing up; we are going to make this fun.
The Truth of It
Life always seems to have a way of smacking you round the head when you least expect it. For me, that meant stepping back from all the noise. No more endless scrolling on Instagram or Facebook, no filtered nonsense. I needed quiet. I needed to focus on what matters: my degree, my writing, and finding the real stories in real people.
If you want to reach me or get involved, you have to do it right here on the website. It is slower, yes, but it is real. That is exactly how I want it.
First Story Is Live: Uncle Röck from Newcastle
I am absolutely buzzing to say the first story is live right now. Uncle Röck from Newcastle.
Go on, give it a read. It sets the exact tone for everything this project is about: gritty, working-class truth told without polish or any kind of pretence.
The Music That Raised Us
Every single street has a soundtrack. Every life has a beat. Music is never just background noise. It shapes us, defines us, and tells you exactly who we are, no messing about.
That is the whole point of this project.
I am collecting the voices, the songs, and the memories that raised us. We are talking about genuine life, not fame or followers, not scenes built only for cameras. Just the real stuff: working-class pride, resilience, and the rhythm that bled out of council flats, local pubs, backyard garages, and battered speakers.
I am calling on friends, family, and anyone who wants to tell their truth.
Tell me:
What was it really like growing up there?
What music stuck with you like glue?
How did it shape the person you became?
These stories are not just nostalgia; they are proof. They remind us where we came from: the estates, the cold mornings, the basslines leaking through the thin walls. They show us precisely how music held us together when absolutely nothing else could.
Your story truly matters.
Share Your Story (You Have Twenty-Eight Days)
If you have a story burning inside you, now is the time to tell it.
Don't worry for one second about fancy words or perfect sentences. I want your voice, your way. I will tidy it up for the page, but the tone stays yours, honest to God.
We are collecting submissions for the next twenty-eight days.
Send yours through the contact page or email on my site. You need to include one photo that means something to you. Maybe a gig ticket stub, a childhood snap, a picture of you or your local record shop, or just something that instantly brings back a sound or a specific moment.
By sending it in, you are giving us permission to share it on the site. If something is private, just say so; we handle everything with the utmost respect.
The Ten Questions
Where did you grow up, and what kind of place was it really like?
What one memory sums up the feeling of your street or estate?
Who or what first dragged you into music?
What songs or artists instantly take you straight back to your childhood or teens?
Was there a local scene: pubs, record shops, mates with decks or big sound systems?
What was your very first gig or record purchase?
Did you ever make music yourself? If yes, what happened? If no, why not?
How exactly did music change the way you saw yourself or the world around you?
How has your area changed since then; what have you lost, and what have you gained?
If your whole life had a soundtrack, what would be the very last, closing track?
Pick your memory. Pick your song. Send it in with your photo.
Let us tell your story.
Your voice. Your streets. Your music. It matters.
Thanks for being a part of it all.
Tommy Kennedy IV
www.tommykennedyiv.com
Author of Nightmare in Jamaica — Working-Class Voices, Gritty Memoirs.
British Library Author
