Benjamin Zephaniah: 'Very bubbly poet pushed me on'

A poet has recalled how Benjamin Zephaniah inspired him to "keep writing and keep performing".

Jordan Emmanuel met the writer and poet - who has died aged 65 - aged 16 and said he wished he could go back to that day "and really take it in a bit more".

Mr Emmanuel, 29, from Birmingham, who is also a writer and musician, told Newsbeat watching him "captivate the room, it really did push me on to do what I'm doing today".

His energy was "just massive", he said.

Meanwhile, a performer who wrote to Zephaniah, to say she wanted to be a writer when she was older, said it was "like getting a letter from the Queen" at the age of 11, when he replied.

A performance poet and scriptwriter for TV and theatre, Jess Green, 34, from Liverpool, said the "sweet" letter from him printed on colourful paper was "really detailed and funny".

Zephaniah died on Thursday after being diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago, a statement on his Instagram said.

The poet was born and raised in Handsworth, Birmingham, the son of a Barbadian postman and a Jamaican nurse. He was dyslexic and left school aged 13, unable to read or write.

Mr Emmanuel, who grew up in Great Barr, said he got into poetry at about the age of 16.

Zephaniah was a name "that just kept coming up" in family gatherings and the now 29-year-old had the opportunity to perform with him in 2011.

"I remember my mum explaining to me how big of a deal it was to perform with Benjamin Zephaniah," he said.

"She just educated me on his impact on black culture, on free speech and activism, specifically within the racial tensions in the UK.

"Just looking back on it, in our interactions, he did influence me and inspire me to go on and keep writing and keep performing."

Recalling Zephaniah was "very bubbly", Mr Emmanuel also remembered his very "jazzy" clothes.

"He was larger than life. He was always kind of performing in a way," the writer added.

"As a kid, I just remember thinking 'how has he developed such an energy?'

"I never thought a poet would receive so much love. He was like a rock star."

After he was asked about Zephaniah's No Problem poem, which talked about racism in society, Mr Emmanuel said: "It's just about standing up and not being stigmatised and not being put in a box really.

"It's an uplifting poem. It's a poem about confidence, black confidence and black excellence, so it's just a poem that we can all look at and really be inspired by."

Ms Green said she crossed paths with Zephaniah in 2015 when they were performing at Latitude Festival and was able to give him a copy of her first poetry collection.

The letter from Zephaniah, dated 5 December 2000, included: "Thanks very much for your letter, it really sounds like you are a real fan, I knew I had one somewhere.

"You must have a cool family if they buy you Benjamin Zephaniah books, I hope one day my family will buy Jessica Green books."

Ms Green added: "I've still got [the letter] in a frame above my desk, it's really important to me."

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