Courttia Newland was born in West London where he still lives. He is the author of three acclaimed novels from Abacus: The Scholar, Society Within, and Snakeskin; a novela, The Dying Wish, and a collection of short stories, Music for the Off-Key. His short stories have appeared in several anthologies. He is also co-editor of IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain. His most recent novel is The Gospel According to Cane. He attended Identity during the Nineties and 2000s.