Salena Godden
Salena Godden is an English poet, author, activist, broadcaster, memoirist and essayist. Born in the UK, Salena Godden is of Jamaican-Irish heritage and based in London. Widely anthologised, Salena Godden has published several books. She has also written for BBC TV and radio and has released four studio albums to date. Biography. Her published books include poetry volumes "Under The Pier" (Nasty Little Press), "Fishing in the Aftermath: Poems 1994–2014" (Burning Eye), and literary childhood memoir "Springfield Road" (Unbound). Her latest publication, "Pessimism Is For Lightweights – 13 pieces of Courage and Resistance", was published by Rough Trade  Books in July 2018 in the first Rough Trade Editions series. The poem "Pessimism is for Lightweights" was a public poetry art piece on display outside the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol for more than 18 months. The title of the poem was originally written by the author John Higgs as part of a talk he gave at the launch of the play "Cosmic Trigger". Higgs later commissioned Godden to write the poem as part of the podcast to mark the publication of his book Watling Street. Now in her third decade producing work, Godden is the author of powerful comic  poetry anthems: "My Tits Are More Feminist Than your Tits", "Imagine If You Had To Lick It" and "Can't Be Bovvered". Throughout September 2019 her period-politics piece "RED" was included as an art installation for a women-led exhibition "The Most Powerful Woman In The Universe" curated by artist and painter Kelly-Anne Davitt at Gallery 46, Whitechapel. Essays have included "Shade" published in award-winning anthology "The Good Immigrant (Unbound)" edited by Nikesh Shukla"; Skin" broadcast on "The Essay", BBC Radio 3; "We are The Champions" published in "Others" (Unbound); And most recently "Broken Biscuits" edited by  Sabrina Mahfouz and published in "Smashing it! Working class artists on life, art and making it happen" (Saqi). Her first solo poetry album, "LIVEwire" was released in 2017/2018 on CD, vinyl 2LP and in print with indie spoken-word label Nymphs and Thugs. This work was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award. Godden's "Live at Byline Festival EP" was released October 2018 also with Nymphs and Thugs. New work, a short film "Is There Anybody Out There?" (Back of the internet) was commissioned by Google and BBC Arts and is part of their "Rhyme and Reason" BBC Arts programme , and aired in October 2019 and is currently on BBC Four, BBC iPlayer. Her debut novel is "Mrs Death Misses Death". A BBC Radio 4 documentary about the writing of "Mrs Death Misses Death" was broadcast throughout December 2018. The programme followed the work-in-progress over 12 months. The novel is described by the publisher, Canongate Books, as an “electrifying genre- and form-defying firestarter” and was published in January 2021. "Mrs Death Misses Death" has been longlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize, 2021. Godden's live poetry performances include: March For Women, Trafalgar Square; HUH at the LSO  with the London Symphony Orchestra; Superjam at the British Library with The Last Poets; the Stoke Newington Literary Festival; Festival of Debate with Helen Pankhurst; The Women's March, Parliament Square; Port Eliot Festival; Green Gathering; Curator of the LIVEwire stage and Poet Laureate at Byline Festival; The Women's Peace Council, Parliament Square; Edinburgh International Book Festival; Out-Spoken, The Purcell Room, Southbank; and Writers Rebellion, Trafalgar Square. Godden is represented by OWN IT!, a literary, film and TV agency. Film credits. "Cahier Africain" – a feature film documentary about the humanitarian crisis in Central Africa Republic produced by award -winning German director Heidi Specogna with English narration by Salena Godden. The film was awarded the Premio Zonta Club Locarno award by the jury of the Semaine de la critique - Locarno for its humanitarian value and the Silver Dove. "Brakes" – premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival, "Brakes" is an independent UK debut, a dark improvised comedy directed and written by Mercedes Grower. It stars Noel Fielding, Julia Davis and Julian Barratt and many familiar faces of British comedy. Its UK television premiere was on Film4 in 2018.