The call came from a member of our Chinese posse, whose name and personalised number plate I cannot reveal for legal reasons. He was hemmed in by a police checkpoint designed to stop the Asians leaving Howick that night. Our Eastside man was driving without a license – he'd just had it revoked for, like, being Chinese. What a gangsta.

Lemn Sissay is a man of many talents. Poet, author, musician and media star in his native Britain, his most recent incarnation is as actor in the critically acclaimed monologue Something Dark. Drawing on his early experiences as a child in care, Something Dark explores themes of loneliness, race, family and identity, through a story which is both uncomfortable and compelling. Kiwi audiences will have a chance to experience Something Dark this April as Lemn brings the play to Auckland's ignite05 new voices_new pathways festival. JOANNA MATHERS caught up with him via email for Lumière, before attending Sissay's performance.