The care system almost broke him. Then he met poet Gil Scott-Heron

‘I suppose what Gil was trying to do with me was instil a sense of self worth’

Dear members — aged 18, local author, performance poet and historian Malik Al Nasir was destitute. After years in the care system, his relationships with his family fractured and his self-esteem was at an all time low. But what happened when a chance encounter with the musician Gil Scott-Heron blossomed into a friendship? Mollie interviewed Malik and tells some of his story below.