The Best Concert of my Life - as seen in The Cocoa Diaries

Last week the lovely, Keysha from The Cocoa Diaries featured me in her blog. She is running a series called 'The Best Concert of my Life' where different writers and bloggers talk about the concert that had the most impact on them. Over the last few weeks she has featured author, Lola Jaye, Janice Spence from Mad News and more recently Adenike Adenitire from I Miss the Old School. Lola's favorite concert was Ledisi, Janice's was Mary J Blige and Adenike's was New Kids on the Block. Click here to find out who I chose.

Blogger Meet Up

So on Sunday 2nd August at 4pm, eight fabulous bloggers bit the bullet and met up at Savannah Jerk (formerly known as Mr Jerks) in Soho for some food, drink and some chat. The group included Keysha of The Cocoa Diaries, Janice of Mad News, Michelle of Fantasy Ride, Yinka of Vex in the City, Didi of The Virtues of Beauty, Ashanti of OMkari, Karen of K.Hart and moi. Over some superb Caribbean cuisine we discussed music, make up, twitter, facebook, blackberries, celebrities and everything else in between. A fun time was had by all and it was really great putting the faces to so many superb blogs - apart from Ashanti and MsQuiche - who I knew them from before. I will admit I was a bit nervous meeting the bloggers, my first fear was - would anyone turn up? What will talk we about? What if we run out of things to say and there is this awkward silence? My fears proved to be totally unfounded because as soon as everyone arrived the noise volume at Savannah Jerk raised by 200 decibels. To say we were the loudest table would be putting it mildy and as customers came, eat and went London Bloggers Massive were still there taking up space. Eventually we shifted at 8.45pm when the Savannah Jerk staff started clearing up and giving us ‘get the fuck outta here, I wanna go home and put me feet up’ looks. We bade each other farewell and promised to meet again very soon.

Look out for the next Blogger Meet Up in autumn. If you are a Blogger and would like to join us in our meet ups then please leave a message and I will drop you a line when the planning commences.

Bloggers in the pic from left to right: Janice, Yinka, Michelle, Karen, Keysha, Ashanti, Didi and Me.

Grab a Cup of Cocoa Diaries

Entertainment editor by day, blogger by night and a devoted mum and partner, Keysha Davis is certainly juggling a lot of balls. Her blog, The Cocoa Diaries offers the perfect blend of entertainment and pop culture from a Black British perspective. Set up over a year ago, this delightful blog covers entertainment, fashion, beauty, community, film & music. Basically if it's hip and happening you will find it in The Cocoa Diaries.

What made you start blogging?

I was inspired by the work of others. I’ve been an avid reader of blogs for a few years now, and decided to take the plunge and start one of my own.

Describe the concept behind The Cocoa Diaries?

When I first started out there were tonnes of blogs dedicated to entertainment and popular culture, but very few focused specifically on Black British culture. So I decided that that would be my niche. The ethos of The Cocoa Diaries is a celebration of Black British people and culture. It just so happens to coincide with a time when Black artists in the UK are doing particularly well. New artists like VV Brown, Laura Izibor and Shingai from The Noisettes are rightfully receiving lots of plaudits and media attention. And then you have the likes of Dizzee Rascal, who has just secured the No.1 spot and has the fastest selling single this year. That’s a huge accomplishment. Particularly when you consider that he started off as an underground artist. I want to be there to capture all these moments.

How do you think bloggers have made an impact on the media?

Blogs have impacted the media immensely. The speed at which bloggers can get information out to the general public means they have one up on traditional media. Alongside blogging, I am also a magazine journalist and I often use blogs as a port of call, especially when writing entertainment type articles. I do believe the two can co-exist though. I love the honest, subjective nature of blogging, but I also couldn’t survive without well researched, objective journalism.

What do you do when you are not working on your blog?

Running around like a headless chicken, pretty much. I work full time and have a four year old son so I’m one busy, harried and tired lady (who drinks far too much Red Bull). Aside from work stuff, I like to spend time with my fiancé and child - we’re quite a football mad household so there’s often plenty of screaming and shouting at the TV when Arsenal are playing. I also like to read novels, although I really don’t get enough time to do so. And then there’s netball. I’m part of a team and we play in a league, so I spend a couple nights of the week training and competing in matches.

Describe a typical day.

By day I am the entertainment editor for Pride magazine. I spend my day editing pages, writing articles, conducting phone interviews, and fielding calls that range from disgruntled readers who haven’t received their subscription in the post, to young girls who want to become a model. We are a very small team so it’s a very fast paced environment that can get quite crazy and stressful. By night I switch into mummy mode. That means cooking, bathing and bed time story, before usually dozing off myself (laughs).

What are your favourite glossy magazines?

To be honest I don’t read glossies as much as I used to as I‘m always on the Internet. I subscribe to Glamour and I buy Grazia and Look occasionally when I fancy a quick read on the train. I occasionally pick up Essence if I like the person on front of the cover, and that’s about it.

Name five blogs that you read religiously.

Madnews, Aliyasking, Harlem Loves, Waltzing Matilda and The Musings of Ondo Lady of course.

How do you see The Cocoa Diaries evolving over the next two years?

I’d like to see it evolve into a lifestyle online magazine . So essentially that means more frequent posts, interviews and features. My main issue is time, or lack thereof, so I am hoping to work with an editorial intern over the next few months to get more content out there. Ultimately I’d like to see The Cocoa Diaries recognised as a formidable brand. In my opinion traditional Black British media outlets still don’t fully recognise the benefits of online publishing, so it’s definitely something I‘d like to fully explore.

Jamrock Magazine

Remember the time when Vibe magazine was the epi-centre of urban popular culture? When hip hop artists such as Wu Tang Clan, KRS One and Jay Z who got no love from other publications but were greeted with open arms by Vibe? This was back in the mid 90s before urban culture became mainstream. Sadly Vibe is no longer the magazine that it was which was edgy, forward thinking and exciting to read. It is now just another magazine. However there is a new publication on the scene that might be able to take up where Vibe left off. Jamrock is a glossy lifestyle magazine that comes with a Caribbean and American edge. Based in New York, it takes a global perspective on all things good such as music, film, style, travel and beauty. The lovely Keysha from The Cocoa Diaries featured Jamrock on her fantastic blog - check it out here.