Talk:Benjamin Zephaniah

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Template:Vital article

Recognition

Benjamin was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Hull in 2012^[1].

References

^ http://benjaminzephaniah.com/biography/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Open University

List of Open University people notes that Zephaniah is alumni of the OU. Does anyone know what he studied, and what qualification (if any) he obtained? It would be nice to have it in the article. Oliver Keenan 17:04, 7 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

'alumni' ... LOL. Maybe he studied how to be a BDS/PSC creep.

Prison

This is a page for discussion of the article and for suggestions on how to improve it, not to sprout forth with opinions on its subject matter.FrFintonStack 17:21, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Yes but we should add that he went to prison as a youth. I have added it with a source and he is very opening about this I know as I have heard him talk about it on the radio, SqueakBox 17:27, 2 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

That's fine, but these things need to be referenced, and the talk page is not the place for bashing the subject matter, in the manner of the contributors above.FrFintonStack 01:41, 7 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

He had a sister

Why doesn't the front page list his prison time? the article seems to lack any objectivity, it reads like a tribute article for a saint. Here is a ref http://www.benjaminzephaniah.com/content/182.php someone include it. Sams37 (talk) 02:38, 23 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia belongs to us all: why don't you edit it? It's not up to 'someone else' to implement your ideas. --Wally Tharg (talk) 11:46, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Biko the Greatness

Hi, my name is jo and i am doing an exam for which i need some info on Stephen Biko as in the poem Biko the Greatness by Zephaniah. can anyone help? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.155.208.232 (talk) 13:20, 16 May 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Might I suggest your request is better suited to Yahoo!Answers? This is an encyclopedia, not a Q&A or discussion forum. --Wally Tharg (talk) 11:46, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Birthplace

Was he born in Handsworth or Coleshill? Both are mentioned as his birthplace in the article. Millbanks (talk) 14:26, 2 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I saw the great man's show last night and he assured us that he was born in Coleshill Warwickshire, and this is on his birth certificate and passport. Check his autobiography, it's all there.

'Great man'. ROFL. A hate-dripping BDS creep. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 92.18.122.83 (talk) 12:09, 21 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The Raw Edge article cited above quotes him as saying that he was born in Handsworth. Millbanks (talk) 21:16, 10 February 2009 (UTC)[reply]

School

"As a dyslexic, he attended an approved school" link added to show why this is an odd sentence. Rich Farmbrough, 04:38, 19 August 2009 (UTC).[reply]

Huge fan

Unconstructive comment deleted. --Wally Tharg (talk) 11:46, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Cannabis and Rastafar

We need more than Zephaniah's word that Rastas dont normally smoke cannabis. He clearly mentions it in the ref'd article cos most ppl assume that rastas do smoke cannabis, thus the fact that he doesnt but is a Rasta is relevant. Thanks, ♫ SqueakBox talk contribs 01:01, 28 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Agreed: you need more than a sample of one to generalize about the behaviour of a population! Has anyone done any peer-reviewed research on this? --Wally Tharg (talk) 11:46, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Mentioned on Mark Steele’s programme

The comedian Mark Steele mentioned that he had a telephone conversation with Benjamin Zephaniah on his Radio Four programme "In Town Tonight" on December 12 2012 - given that he played a tape of the telephone conversation on the article, should this go in the article? ACEOREVIVED (talk) 19:38, 12 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Why is it notable? Span (talk) 19:41, 12 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Perhaps more notably, Zephaniah is often asked to be a guest editor on Radio 4’s Today programme, as he was again today. --Wally Tharg (talk) 11:49, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This article is eulogy, not objectivity

Again, the article as it stands reads like a case for canonization, not an objective description of the man’s strengths and weaknesses. However, I’m a scientist and not a literature buff – the article needs to include some objective criticism, as pointed out by several others on the discussion page. Zephaniah is a controversial figure, and like other such people there needs to be a 'criticism' section or similar. --Wally Tharg (talk) 11:46, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

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Semi-protected edit request on 5 April 2016

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Real name Winston E Stringer Sheenaisaheadbanger (talk) 09:22, 5 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: as you have not cited reliable sources to back up your request, without which no information should be added to, or changed in, any article. - Arjayay (talk) 10:49, 5 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 4 August 2016

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An addition to Benjamin Zephaniah's page. In the chapter of Books, subsection of Novels, a book was missed out. It is called Terror Kid and it was published by Bloomsbury in 2014.

Damolaman (talk) 15:34, 4 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

Done — Andy W. (talk · ctb) 23:58, 4 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]

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Semi-protected edit request on 4 May 2018

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Add that Zephaniah has stated that he is an Anarchist in a Podcast with Krishnan Guru-Murthy. Ravenbourne (talk) 22:17, 4 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made. L293D (☎ • ✎) 02:44, 5 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Zephaniah says it in his memoirs. Nuruddin Pier (talk) 23:55, 24 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Semi-protected edit request on 11 October 2021

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80.229.1.224 (talk) 10:39, 11 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. Cannolis (talk) 15:00, 11 October 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Biography of Mona Baptiste

I've added Zephaniah's recently-published biography of Mona Baptiste. For the moment I've put it in its own "Biographies" category, directly beneath the "Novels" section: however, I'm aware that (at least as far as the publishers are categorising it) it's a children's book, so I'm undecided as to whether it should sit in the "Children's books" section instead, perhaps with an explanatory comment. Other editors' opinions are welcomed... ~dom Kaos~ (talk) 13:04, 23 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]

[1] ttp://benjaminzephaniah.com/biography/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

[1]