The Cherokee and Left Field

Two days ago, my wife Anne Aylor and I went to the screening of 'Hidden Histories - Discovering Indigenous London' at Kings College. It is a project of the world theatre group, Border Crossings, as part of their Origins Festival. The artistic director, Michael Walling, is an old friend of ours and directed my first play in 1989. Anne had been interviewed as part of the film. It may seem surprising for those who know her to find out that she is part Cherokee – she calls herself a homeopathic Indian. On her mother's side her great grandmother was full-blooded. Her father was dark-eyed, relatively hairless, and looked like Elvis Presley. Did you know that Elvis, too, was part Cherokee? And did you know they called themselves the Aniyunwiya and that their pronounciation of Cherokee is Tslagi. They are part of the Southern Iroquois nation. Members of the northern tribe built the Empire State Building. The southern Iroquois were the only First Nation people to have an alphabet. Enough of interesting details. The important fact is that 'Left Field' would never have been written without my homeopathic Tslagi partner who, as an award-winning writer, follows in the literary tradition of her ancestors.

Anne Aylor interview with 'Origins: Heritage of First Nations

To buy Left Field - The memoir of a lifelong Activist by David Wilson, best offer to date  is at WH Smith who are selling it at £13.60.  


Also on sale at Waterstones, Amazon and Penguin Books.