▁in ▁the ▁Hand sw orth ▁district ▁of ▁B irmingham , ▁which ▁he ▁has ▁called ▁the ▁" J ama ican ▁capital ▁of ▁Europe ". ▁He ▁is ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁a ▁Bar bad ian ▁post man ▁and ▁a ▁J ama ican ▁nur se . ▁A ▁d ys lex ic , ▁he ▁attended ▁an ▁approved ▁school ▁but ▁left ▁aged ▁ 1 3 ▁unable ▁to ▁read ▁or ▁write . ▁ ▁He ▁writes ▁that ▁his ▁poetry ▁is ▁strongly ▁influenced ▁by ▁the ▁music ▁and ▁poetry ▁of ▁J ama ica ▁and ▁what ▁he ▁calls ▁" street ▁politics ". ▁His ▁first ▁performance ▁was ▁in ▁church ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁eleven , ▁and ▁by ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁fifteen , ▁his ▁poetry ▁was ▁already ▁known ▁among ▁Hand sw orth ' s ▁Af ro - Car ib bean ▁and ▁Asian ▁communities . ▁He ▁received ▁a ▁criminal ▁record ▁with ▁the ▁police ▁as ▁a ▁young ▁man ▁and ▁served ▁a ▁prison ▁sentence ▁for ▁burg l ary . ▁T ired ▁of ▁the ▁limitations ▁of ▁being ▁a ▁black ▁poet ▁communic ating ▁with ▁black ▁people ▁only , ▁he ▁decided ▁to ▁expand ▁his ▁audience , ▁and ▁head ed ▁to ▁London ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁twenty - two . ▁ ▁He ▁became ▁act ively ▁involved ▁in ▁a ▁workers ' ▁co - oper ative ▁in ▁Str at ford , ▁London , ▁which ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁publication ▁of ▁his ▁first ▁book ▁of ▁poetry , ▁Pen ▁Rh ythm ▁( Page ▁One ▁Books , ▁ 1 9 8 0 ). ▁Three ▁ed itions ▁were ▁published . ▁Ze ph ania h ▁has ▁said ▁that ▁his ▁mission ▁is ▁to