Joelle Taylor: Readings and Conversations

Join Joelle Taylor, one of the UK’s finest and fiercest poets, as she discusses her latest collection C+nto: & Othered Poems.

This powerful collection of poetry casts an insider’s eye over queer identity and class, and what it means to be a butch lesbian in the wake of queer feminist activism of the 90s. Taylor’s poetry is a tender and impassioned quest to bring together a community that too often finds itself set against one another. 

Joelle will perform her electrifying poems and appear in conversation with Pádraig Ó Tuama about the themes explored in her fourth collection, and across her body of work. She’ll discuss how it feels to be recognised by one of the poetry world’s most prestigious prizes, and what it means to reach new audiences as a self-declared poet from the margins.

Joelle Taylor is an award-winning poet, playwright and author. A former UK slam champion, she founded SLAMbassadors, the UK’s youth slam championships, in 2001 and was its Artistic Director and National Coach until 2018. Taylor is a fellow of the RSA and the host and co-curator of Out-Spoken, the UK’s premier poetry and music club, currently resident at the Southbank Centre. Taylor is the author of three poetry collections. Her most recent, C+nto & Othered Poems, won the T. S. Eliot Prize 2021 and has been longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize.

Poet and theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama’s work centres around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. Working fluently on the page and with groups of people, Pádraig is a skilled speaker, teacher and group worker. His work has won acclaim in circles of poetry, politics, religion, psychotherapy and conflict analysis.