Joelle Taylor – författare

The inaugural collection in the new VERVE Voices series, Queerphoria is a joyful and defiant queer-authored anthology proudly supporting Switchboard, the national LGBTQIA+ support line.Four housemates welcome the reader into their home for a birthday party. An elderly widow visits her first queer bar, beneath the flat she shared with her husband. A couple invite a shipwrecked sailor into their isolated lighthouse on the stormy night of their thirtieth anniversary. A single woman embarks on a romantic relationship with a sex robot. A married couple secretly prepare for their baby's arrival in a world where procreation is controlled by the Establishment.Through prose, poetry, essays, illustrations and more, thirty-one writers bring their visions of euphoria to life. These pages celebrate, subvert, expand and reimagine what joy can look like, even in uncertain times.

Songs My Enemy Taught Me is a collection of back alley poetry and flick knife tales detailing women’s struggle against sexual terrorism and colonisation. Songs of independence. Songs of survival. Songs of uprising. Comprised of poetry, text messages, landays, letters and news flashes these are stories plucked from women’s lips across the globe and re-imagined by award-winning poet, playwright, and author Joelle Taylor. Some stories are her own. Others are yours.

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 FORWARD PRIZE FOR BEST COLLECTIONA POETRY BOOK SOCIETY RECOMMENDATION'Taylor's poetry is as dangerous as it is dexterous . . . A wildfire blazing free' BERNARDINE EVARISTO'Kaleidoscopic in its breath, structure and humanity . . . Both selfless and intimate' ANTHONY JOSEPH-----------------------------------------------------From the T. S. Eliot and Polari Prize-winning author of C+NTO & Othered Poems comes an innovative collection exploring the scars, hopes and potentialities of dyke counterculture and the queer underground.With a vividly sketched cast of characters, award-winning poet Joelle Taylor uses the Maryville butch bar as a lens through which to consider the underground histories of queer London. The violence and pain of oppression and the beauty and intimacy of community are rendered in awe-inspiring high definition in a collection as filmic as it is familiar. A hybrid chronicle, magic trick, prayer and insurrection, Maryville conjures ghosts back to their bodies, a community to their feet.-----------------------------------------------------'Sexy, fearless – and ravishingly beautiful' NEIL BARTLETT'One of the most powerful voices of our time . . . Joelle Taylor is a genius' CACONRAD

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 FORWARD PRIZE FOR BEST COLLECTIONA POETRY BOOK SOCIETY RECOMMENDATION'Taylor's poetry is as dangerous as it is dexterous . . . A wildfire blazing free' BERNARDINE EVARISTO'Kaleidoscopic in its breath, structure and humanity . . . Both selfless and intimate' ANTHONY JOSEPH-----------------------------------------------------From the T. S. Eliot and Polari Prize-winning author of C+NTO & Othered Poems comes an innovative collection exploring the scars, hopes and potentialities of dyke counterculture and the queer underground.With a vividly sketched cast of characters, award-winning poet Joelle Taylor uses the Maryville butch bar as a lens through which to consider the underground histories of queer London. The violence and pain of oppression and the beauty and intimacy of community are rendered in awe-inspiring high definition in a collection as filmic as it is familiar. A hybrid chronicle, magic trick, prayer and insurrection, Maryville conjures ghosts back to their bodies, a community to their feet.-----------------------------------------------------'Sexy, fearless – and ravishingly beautiful' NEIL BARTLETT'One of the most powerful voices of our time . . . Joelle Taylor is a genius' CACONRAD

A POETRY BOOK SOCIETY RECOMMENDATION'Taylor's poetry is as dangerous as it is dexterous . . . A wildfire blazing free' BERNARDINE EVARISTO'Kaleidoscopic in its breath, structure and humanity . . . Both selfless and intimate' ANTHONY JOSEPH-----------------------------------------------------From the T. S. Eliot and Polari Prize-winning author of C+NTO & Othered Poems comes an innovative collection exploring the scars, hopes and potentialities of dyke counterculture and the queer underground. With a vividly sketched cast of characters, award-winning poet Joelle Taylor uses the Maryville butch bar as a lens through which to consider the underground histories of queer London. The violence and pain of oppression and the beauty and intimacy of community are rendered in awe-inspiring high definition in a collection as filmic as it is familiar. A hybrid chronicle, magic trick, prayer and insurrection, Maryville conjures ghosts back to their bodies, a community to their feet.-----------------------------------------------------'Sexy, fearless and ravishingly beautiful' NEIL BARTLETT'One of the most powerful voices of our time . . . Joelle Taylor is a genius' CACONRAD

A POETRY BOOK SOCIETY RECOMMENDATION'Taylor's poetry is as dangerous as it is dexterous . . . A wildfire blazing free' BERNARDINE EVARISTO'Kaleidoscopic in its breath, structure and humanity . . . Both selfless and intimate' ANTHONY JOSEPH-----------------------------------------------------From the T. S. Eliot and Polari Prize-winning author of C+NTO & Othered Poems comes an innovative collection exploring the scars, hopes and potentialities of dyke counterculture and the queer underground. With a vividly sketched cast of characters, award-winning poet Joelle Taylor uses the Maryville butch bar as a lens through which to consider the underground histories of queer London. The violence and pain of oppression and the beauty and intimacy of community are rendered in awe-inspiring high definition in a collection as filmic as it is familiar. A hybrid chronicle, magic trick, prayer and insurrection, Maryville conjures ghosts back to their bodies, a community to their feet.-----------------------------------------------------'Sexy, fearless and ravishingly beautiful' NEIL BARTLETT'One of the most powerful voices of our time . . . Joelle Taylor is a genius' CACONRAD

'Joelle Taylor brings extraordinary linguistic inventiveness to a tale of tattoo artists and violence against women' Guardian (Fiction Books of the Year, 2024)'A glorious jewel of a novel' Sophie Ward'Exhilarating, profoundly beautiful and exquisitely written' Salena Godden'A mesmerising debut from one of the most talented literary stylists writing today' The Bookseller'Hugely imaginative' Marie Claire (Best New Books, 2024)'It's hard to think of many books more restlessly inventive' Guardian (Book of the Day)'Utterly dazzling' DIVA---------------------------------------------------------------------------------The tattoo was a reclamation, a flag we mounted in the centre of our own landscape.A woman walks into a tattoo parlour. But this is no ordinary woman, and this is Hackney in 2233. Jones' body is covered in tattoos but she wants to add one final inking to her gallery - a thin line of ink mixed with blood that connects her body art together, creating a unique map.As the two artists set to work, Jones tells them the story behind each tattoo. As Jones is no ordinary woman, these are no ordinary stories: each one represents a doorway to a life Jones fell into, a 'remembering'. Some of these lives were in the past, others in the future, some are sideways, but each of them connects Jones to the two tattoo artists in some way, though they are unaware of it.We visit the dystopian cities of the Quiet Men, the coal mines of 19th century Lancashire, join a gang of vigilante sex workers, enter the world of an INCEL murderer, haunt the old Maryville gay bar, and uncover plans to genetically modify female children. Each of the stories brings us closer to Jones' truth, and how her life is intricately interwoven with that of the women tattooing her body.Set across geographies and timespans, The Night Alphabet is a dazzlingly bold and original work, a deep investigation into human nature and violence against women.

'Joelle Taylor brings extraordinary linguistic inventiveness to a tale of tattoo artists and violence against women' Guardian (Fiction Books of the Year, 2024)'A glorious jewel of a novel' Sophie Ward'Exhilarating, profoundly beautiful and exquisitely written' Salena Godden'A mesmerising debut from one of the most talented literary stylists writing today' The Bookseller'Hugely imaginative' Marie Claire (Best New Books, 2024)'It's hard to think of many books more restlessly inventive' Guardian (Book of the Day)'Utterly dazzling' DIVA---------------------------------------------------------------------------------The tattoo was a reclamation, a flag we mounted in the centre of our own landscape.A woman walks into a tattoo parlour. But this is no ordinary woman, and this is Hackney in 2233. Jones' body is covered in tattoos but she wants to add one final inking to her gallery - a thin line of ink mixed with blood that connects her body art together, creating a unique map.As the two artists set to work, Jones tells them the story behind each tattoo. As Jones is no ordinary woman, these are no ordinary stories: each one represents a doorway to a life Jones fell into, a 'remembering'. Some of these lives were in the past, others in the future, some are sideways, but each of them connects Jones to the two tattoo artists in some way, though they are unaware of it.We visit the dystopian cities of the Quiet Men, the coal mines of 19th century Lancashire, join a gang of vigilante sex workers, enter the world of an INCEL murderer, haunt the old Maryville gay bar, and uncover plans to genetically modify female children. Each of the stories brings us closer to Jones' truth, and how her life is intricately interwoven with that of the women tattooing her body.Set across geographies and timespans, The Night Alphabet is a dazzlingly bold and original work, a deep investigation into human nature and violence against women.

A Guardian Book of the Year 2024'A glorious jewel of a novel' Sophie Ward'Exhilarating, profoundly beautiful and exquisitely written' Salena Godden'A mesmerising debut from one of the most talented literary stylists writing today' The Bookseller'Hugely imaginative' Marie Claire (Best New Books, 2024)'It's hard to think of many books more restlessly inventive' Guardian (Book of the Day)---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hackney, 2233: a woman walks into a tattoo parlour. Jones' body is covered in tattoos but she wants to add one final inking to her gallery - a thin line of ink that connects the haunting images of her body art together, creating a unique and mysterious map.As the two tattoo artists set to work, Jones tells them the story behind each tattoo. As Jones is no ordinary woman, these are no ordinary stories: each one represents a doorway to a life Jones fell into, a 'remembering'.Set across geographies and time-spans, The Night Alphabet is a deep and bold investigation into violence, resilience and women's stories.

Ink Tales reinvigorates fairy tales and myths from around the world, breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes throughout. Illustrated by Inkquisitive (Amandeep Singh) in his vibrant signature Indian inks, each story is accessible and visually inspiring. Travel across oceans and discover the vengeful wrath of a River God in Kayo Chingonyi's West African tale. Soar too close to the sun with Inua Ellam's timely story of a young refugee girl. Fly to a mysterious castle inhabited by a cursed prince with Helen Mort's retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Uncover the truth of #Bluebeard with Joelle Taylor's modernised fairy tale. Look to the constellations with Will Harris' futuristic Greek tragedy, and never, ever answer to your name in Malika Booker's Trinidadian recreation of the Dwen. Bedtime Stories for the End of the World is produced in partnership with the ground-breaking poetry podcast of the same name. The six featured poets draw on their own experience, adding a new dimension to an existing tale. 'Bedtime Stories for the End of the World' is a spoken word and poetry podcast about the power of myth and the politics of storytelling. The podcast asks some of the UK's top poets to re-imagine their favourite myths, fairy tales and legends - the stories they want to keep and protect for the future. It also involves an annual live event, creating a tangible and accessible experience for existing and new audiences. Reimagined tales include Icarus, the legend of the Zambezi River God, East of the Sun West of the Moon, Bluebeard, Philoctetes and the Trinidadian folklore figure 'douen'.

Ink Tales reinvigorates fairy tales and myths from around the world, breaking barriers and challenging stereotypes throughout. Illustrated by Inkquisitive (Amandeep Singh) in his vibrant signature Indian inks, each story is accessible and visually inspiring. Travel across oceans and discover the vengeful wrath of a River God in Kayo Chingonyi''s West African tale. Soar too close to the sun with Inua Ellam''s timely story of a young refugee girl. Fly to a mysterious castle inhabited by a cursed prince with Helen Mort''s retelling of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. Uncover the truth of #Bluebeard with Joelle Taylor''s modernised fairy tale. Look to the constellations with Will Harris'' futuristic Greek tragedy, and never, ever answer to your name in Malika Booker''s Trinidadian recreation of the Dwen. Bedtime Stories for the End of the World is produced in partnership with the ground-breaking poetry podcast of the same name. The six featured poets draw on their own experience, adding a new dimension to an existing tale. ''Bedtime Stories for the End of the World'' is a spoken word and poetry podcast about the power of myth and the politics of storytelling. The podcast asks some of the UK''s top poets to re-imagine their favourite myths, fairy tales and legends - the stories they want to keep and protect for the future. It also involves an annual live event, creating a tangible and accessible experience for existing and new audiences. Reimagined tales include Icarus, the legend of the Zambezi River God, East of the Sun West of the Moon, Bluebeard, Philoctetes and the Trinidadian folklore figure ''douen''.

The female body is a political space.C+nto enters the private lives of women from the butch counterculture, telling the inside story of the protests they led in the ‘90s to reclaim their bodies as their own – their difficult balance between survival and self-expression. History, magic, rebellion, party and sermon vibrate through Joelle Taylor’s cantos to uncover these underground communities forged by women.Part-memoir and part-conjecture, Taylor explores sexuality and gender in poetry that is lyrical, expansive, imagistic, epic and intimate. C+nto is a love poem, a riot, a late night and an honouring.