Joelle Taylor & Salena Godden in Conversation

Hackney, 2233: a woman walks into a tattoo parlour. But this is no ordinary woman. Jones’ body is covered all over with tattoos but she wants to add one final inking to her gallery – a thin line of ink mixed with her blood that connects the haunting images of her body art together, creating a unique and mysterious map. But if you followed it, where might it take you?

As the two artists set to work, Jones spins them the stories behind each of her tattoos. As Jones is no ordinary woman, these are no ordinary stories: each one represents a doorway into a life that Jones has fallen into, a ‘remembering’. Some of these lives were lived out in the past, others in the future, some are sideways, but each of them connects Jones to the rapt tattoo artists, though both women are – as yet – unaware of these links.

In the hands of master storyteller and poet Joelle Taylor, in exuberant and dramatic prose, we plunge into the coal mines of 19th century Lancashire and the dystopian cities of the Quiet Men, band with a gang of vigilante sex workers, enter the dark mind of an INCEL, haunt the old Maryville gay bar and uncover dark secrets behind the production line in a mysterious factory. Our voyage with Jones through time and space is compelling, enraging, profoundly moving and absolutely unforgettable.

WITH LOVE, GRIEF AND FURY contains love poems, for people and the planet; grief poems brimming with compassion, sharing tears and mourning what was and contemplating what could be; and poems of fire and fury that will kick some ass, tell the truth and inspire change and hope.

Over thirty years after she first stormed the UK poetry scene, the trailblazing and award-winning writer Salena Godden has produced her most audacious and definitive collection to date. Like a big sister’s arm around your shoulder, WITH LOVE, GRIEF AND FURY is important and nourishing for the soul.

Event Venue

The Old School Rooms, Clapton Park United Reformed Church, London, United Kingdom