Anna Corbett

I was born and brought up in Cornwall. Our family represents a rich mix of cultures and traditions. My paternal grandfather was a seaman from Ghana, known at that time as the Gold Coast. He settled in Cornwall at the beginning of the twentieth century, married a local woman, and raised a family. Four of their five sons were also seafarers, including my father.

My maternal grandfather was a seaman from St Lucia who raised his family in ‘Tiger Bay’, Cardiff where ships from all over the world passed through as part of its thriving docks trade. My mother was born ‘down The Bay’, and met my father when his ship was docked there. We were brought up to learn about our family histories as well as being cognisant and understanding of the society in which we lived.

After they married my parents settled in Truro, Cornwall and had a family of six children. As the only Black family in the community at the time, we were very noticeable.

Jazz has always played a big part of my life; it was often the music we played at home and was a valued part of our racial identity. Some of our family members play instruments and family parties are always an occasion to enjoy making music, particularly jazz.

When I left school I came to London to study and have enjoyed a fulfilling teaching career. Afterwards I embarked on further study: a degree in English and American Literature, followed by an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths University prior to embarking on writing ‘Masquerade’.

I take every opportunity to listen to live jazz in New York and London when I’m not spending time with my family or being captivated by a wealth of other cultural activities. I recently lived in Cardiff for two years, where I was able to do further research for the novel as well as having an exciting time co-presenting a weekly jazz show on Radio Cardiff.