Friday 8 June 2018

Blog: A Paris Dream! Thank you Shakespeare and Co and Scarlett Sabet









I woke up in a Paris dream ...

A dream come true!

Our books in the window of Shakespeare and Company in Paris

Shakespeare and Co. are the first ever official stockists of Rough Trade Editions

This was one gig I will never forget. The beautiful bookshop was rammed with heat and energy, whilst poetry of courage and resistance and rebellion spilled out into the humid Paris air, where there were even more people, poetry lovers and students gathered outside and listening on the pavement. Notre Dame was just across from us and all that history and fiction was pulsating out there and inside there too with all those gorgeous old books in that historic space. 





Scarlett Sabet was sensational, with so much soul and beauty. An assured confidence and authority in her elegant voice and in her work. Scarlett was reading from her latest collection Zoreh - 

Please check it out and buy one here: scarlettsabet.com






I read from 'Pessimism is for Lightweights' which will be published this month with Rough Trade Books. This was my first time reading here at Shakespeare and Co. And I loved every vulnerable and magic moment. My heart opened like a perfect peony. You could feel something big in the air and I have goosebumps now just remembering it.

The support from the audience and from the bookshop was immense and so generous. The conversations afterwards reminded me why I wrote these poems. We need reminding, we need to recall the love and fury that urged the work out of us in the first place. 

 We sold out of books. I offered to sign someones arm as we had no books left. Someone told me they felt the walls vibrating during the performances. I know I saw people were crying, I cried, we all laughed, and then cried a bit more and hugged lots and then laughed again, as we rocked that glorious bookshop, our heart beating big and loud, boom-boom-boom ... all together. HUGE Thank you to the teacher that brought her entire class of students, class of 2018 pictured below, it was amazing to meet you all!



Needless to say this is one trip I will never forget! I am fully aware I am gushing here ... I do hundreds of gigs, and this night is why I do this, these rare nights, these bright and beautiful moments. I celebrate this and share it here so I can read it myself in the winter when I feel low or when I get rejected or get exhausted riding the ups and down roller coaster of this writing life. There have been times in my life where I have been traipsing the city streets, lost and gazing into bookshop windows, writing poems, day dreaming, wishing for nights like this. When Scarlett approached me to do this gig I had no idea what a beautiful adventure it would be, thank you so much Scarlett. I am writing this on the Eurostar home to London. I think I am still dreaming. If I am dreaming this is a really beautiful vivid dream of possibility and hope. Thank you! There is no better feeling than connecting with new old souls. I am honoured. Inspired. Humbled. Grateful. All the emotions and all the joy and all at once ...





Paris was a delicious dream of books and love, poetry of resistance and courage, some tears and laughter, joy and hope, such a beautiful time, beautiful people, thank you, lots of love to Shakespeare and Co and Scarlett Sabet!! Viva books!! Viva poetry!!



 Shakespeare and Co.
"Brace yourselves . . . this event was INCREDIBLE!" 

The podcast of our event with 
and  
is available now 

 Apple Podcasts: @ApplePodcasts 

 And Soundcloud: @SoundCloud




Poetry with Salena Godden and Scarlett Sabet: via  








 scarlettsabet.com


Rough Trade Books




Carrie and Octavia: Literary Friction 




My first thumbs up for 'Pessimism is for Lightweights' comes from Literary Friction, 
With thanks to Octavia and Carrie!


"Thank you @salena.godden for the reminder that courage is a muscle - everyone should get their paws on a copy of this as soon as they’re able, powerful messages of love and solidarity in buttercup yellow and rousing verse. Available any minute now in bookshops and online. Also, check our archive for our show about Resistance, where we interviewed Salena about her brilliant work and talked about the importance of speaking up and out, always" 









LIVEwire

CD | LP vinyl | 36-page full-colour zine | digital download

order LIVEwire from Nymphs & Thugs 


visit Salena’s Bookshoppe

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