"I first read this when I was a sophomore in college. I’m always a fan of female authors and their work isn’t always included in canons or revered or placed on a pedestal the way male authors are — this is a book that has stood the test of time. It’s incredible to read books that represent different time periods in black people’s lives. Not just about slavery. Not just about black suffering. That can often be the only narrative that we get. This is more a snapshot of a woman’s life throughout different periods. That should exist more in this world."

"I cared deeply about what we were doing with the Pistols and it was hurtful to be put in a ‘punk’ package alongside lesser mortals,” Rotten explained. “But the Raincoats offered a completely different way of doing things, as did X-Ray Spex and all the books about punk have failed to realise that these women were involved for no other reason than that they were good and original. “It’s a million miles away from the blancmange that is Green Day, where you have a Johnny Rotten first verse, a Billy Idol chorus and a Sham 69-second verse. Preposterous"

"If I were to choose a teacher, it would be George Steiner. As well as reading his books, I watch his interviews on YouTube and his references always lead you somewhere interesting — whether it’s a piece of music, a debate about the human need for tragedy, a passage from Shakespeare or Montaigne. He’s into High Art and couldn’t be described as a trendy theorist. But in this book he pushes you to think about what gives art its fundamental qualities. “Real Presences” is an expanded essay that ask the question: Is making art a wager on the existence of God?"