Waiting for Godden: August 2017

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Nasty Women UK + Salena Godden collaboration coming soon...

RED

new work by

Salena Godden

Poetry film donated to the Nasty Women UK major London art show at Stour Space, Hackney Wick, September 22nd-24th 2017

Salena Godden, one of the UK’s most iconic poets, has stepped forward to donate her latest poem RED in a collaboration with Nasty Women UK. This piece has been written and filmed in response to the tampon tax and period poverty. RED will be published by Nasty Women UK and released soon ... watch this space and follow @NastyWomenUK

Nasty Women is a global art movement that serves to demonstrate solidarity among artists who identify with being a Nasty Woman in the face of threats to roll back women’s rights, individual rights, and abortion rights. With over 40 events across the globe Nasty Women Exhibitions also serve to support organizations defending these rights and to be a platform for organization and resistance.

The Nasty Women UK inaugural event on 22-24 September is an art exhibition and weekend of talks, comedy, spoken word, live music and workshops. The exhibition includes 2D work, sculpture, sound installations, street art, performance, political baked goods and an immersive art installation where visitors will be able to create their own artwork in Virtual Reality. The exhibition also includes a VR experience that re-creates instances of sexism and street harassment and aims to give men and women a visceral understanding of what it’s really like to be attacked in the street or on public transport just because you are a woman. All artworks will be for sale, with prices ranging from £5 to £500. All proceeds will be donated End Violence Against Women, a leading coalition of specialist women’s support services, researchers, activists, survivors and NGOs working to end violence against women and girls in all its forms.

www.nastywomenuk.com

Get involved. . .
Call for submissions deadline Sept 9th.

Twitter @nastywomenuk @salenagodden

MORE FESTIVALS & GIGS & PARTIES

AUGUST 25: EDINBURGH BOOK FESTIVAL - NEU REEKIE

SEPT 7-10: PORTMERION, FESTIVAL NO. 6 - TONGUE FU & IRVINE WELSH

SEPT 14: HASTINGS, THE WHOLE SHEBANG - EMMA JOLIFFE

SEPT 16: KIRKCALDY, TAE SUP WI' A FIFER - JAMES YORKSTON

SEPT 24: NASTY WOMEN EXHIBITION, HACKNEY WICK

SEPT 29: KENT, SMALL WONDER FESTIVAL - NIKESH SHUKLA

OCT 18: BRISTOL, FESTIVAL OF FUTURE CITY

OCT 28: LEWES FILMPOEM FESTIVAL

Salena Godden PIW profile + 5 poems

http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net

BBC Culture

'WOMEN POETS TAKING OVER THE WORLD'

features film + interview + 'Princess Leslie' excerpt from 'Springfield Road'

BBC Culture Facebook page

Nymphs & Thugs - http://nymphsandthugs.bandcamp.com

'Salena’s Bookshoppe' - http://salenagodden.bigcartel.com

Thursday 10 August 2017

Poem / SOUP

SOUP

Imagine if seven people from seven nationalities
Came to your home to share one pot of soup
You would have seven conflicting versions of that soup
Someone would write to note the flavour. Another the heat
Someone would write about the meaning of soup
The size of the portions. The memory the soup triggers
Too salty. Not enough meat.
This is a stew? It's more a casserole!
This soup is a meal in itself!
I'm gluten intolerant!
The hungriest person at the table would just write: Thank you
This is human nature -
We look around the table and
Examine the world just as we do these dinner guests
We note our differences
Skin and manners, clothes and language
And we forget to sing
We forget to celebrate that we are one
That the act of love was the sitting down together
And sharing the pot of soup in the first place
And we say nothing
As they put someone in prison for using a fork to eat their soup
We silence the person that slurps soup from the bowl
And we ignore all the women because...
What the fuck does a woman know about soup anyway?
Some sit around the table and demand bread with their soup
Others feel entitled to the whole pot of soup ... all for them
And there's always one who will piss in the soup
So the soup is ruined for everyone
And sadly this is all human nature too
I'm too sad to finish this poem about soup
I'll just say
I have so much to be grateful for
I'm so lucky
I have a warm kitchen
A pot and some vegetables
Today I'm gonna make time
Today I'm gonna make love
Today I'm gonna make soup
Fuck war!
Make love!
Make soup!

(c) Salena Godden / July 2017

UPDATE: DECEMBER 2017
PERFORMANCE OF 'SOUP' ON JONATHAN ROSS
https://soundcloud.com/salena-godden/jonathan-ross-interview-with-salena-godden

audio performance of this poem now on youtube

'SOUP' LIVE AT CHURCHTOWN - JULY 2017