For the publication of David Kerr's first full collection, Tangled Tongues, the celebrated malawian poet Jack Mapanje has provided an introduction. Tongues are for kissing, talking, lying. In our global village where colonialism has spread European languages and destroyed many indigenous tongues, transcultural communication is never a neutral process. Even at the most intimate level, it is deeply political. Tangled Tongues explores the sensitive world of intercultural love, friendship and misunderstanding. In dealing with the pressing issues of Southern Africa, Kerr is never preachy, relying instead on humour, irony and sly juxtapositions.

David Kerr was born in Carlisle in 1942. After studying in Newcastle upon Tyne, London and Budapest, he has led a very nomadic life, teaching and running theatre companies in the UK, Malawi, Zambia and Botswana. Most of his creative work has been in the field of drama, especially for socially committed communities or groups. he has also written about these issues for academic publications. His non-theatrical creative writing includes a novel, short stories, and a poetry pamphlet. Twice in the past he was forced out of Malawi for political reasons, but he is now back there, trying to link theatre and media work to the severe problems of poverty and marginalisation faced by this young nation.