ALEX WHEATLE, of Jamaican origin, was born in South London. He is a founder member of the Crucial Rocker sound system, for whom he has written lyrics for performances. Alex is now working with Book Trust to introduce literature to the dispossessed; to this end he organises and holds workshops in prisons and young adult institutions. His fiction includes Brixton Rock (BlackAmber), The Seven Sisters, East of Acre Lane (re-issued by Harper Perennial), Checkers (co-written with Mark Parkham) and most recently, Island Sounds (Allison & Busby).