Salena Godden

Salena Godden is an English poet, author, activist, broadcaster, memoirist and essayist. Born in Hastings, UK, of Jamaican-Irish heritage, Godden is based in London. Widely anthologised, she has published several books. She has also written for BBC TV and radio and has released four studio albums to date.

Biography Godden's 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 Books).

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).

Godden's 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 in October 2018, also with Nymphs and Thugs.

New work, the short film Is There Anybody Out There? (Back of the internet), was commissioned by Google and BBC Arts as part of their Rhyme and Reason BBC Arts programme, which 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 was longlisted for the 2021 Gordon Burn Prize. Canongate are contracted to publish three further books by Godden: another novel, a memoir and a collection of poetry.

She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2020.

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, South Bank; 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 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, Julian Barratt and many other familiar faces of British comedy. Its UK television premiere was on Film4 in 2018.

Radio highlights BBC Radio 4 - Stir it up documentary BBC Radio 4 - Little Miss Cornshucks documentary BBC Radio 4 - A Valentine at Waterloo radio play BBC Radio 3 - 'Skin' The Essay BBC Radio 4 - Loose Ends with Clive Anderson BBC Radio 3 - The Verb with Ian McMilan BBC Radio 4 - Poetry Please with Roger McGough BBC Radio 2 - Jonathan Ross Show BBC Radio 4 - Mrs Death Mrs Death documentary Soho Radio - Morning Glory with James Endeacott BBC Radio 4xtra - Telling Tales BBC Radio 4xtra - Comedy Club

Selected publishing: books and anthologies Salena Godden books 2011: Under The Pier - Nasty Little Press 2014: Fishing In The Aftermath Poems 1994–2014 - Burning Eye 2014: Springfield Road - a childhood memoir - Unbound Books 2017: LIVEwire - album and book - Nymphs and Thugs 2018: Pessimism is for Lightweights - 13 pieces of courage and resistance - Rough Trade Books 2021: Mrs Death Misses Death - Canongate Books 2025: With Love Grief and Fury - Canongate Books

Poetry anthologies

1998: The Fire People - Payback Books / Canongate 2000: IC3 - New Black Writing - Penguin 2003: Velocity - Black Spring Press 2006: The Salzberg Review - Salzberg Review 2009: Dwang 1, 2 & 3 - Tangerine Press 2011: Raconteur - Parthian Books 2012: Liminal Animal - Tongue Fu 2013: Bang Said The Gun - Burning Eye 2016: Untitled Two - Neu Reekie - Polygon Books 2018: The Dizziness of Freedom - Bad Betty Press 2019: Eighty Four - Verve Press 2019: Midnight Feasts - Bloomsbury 2019: Poems For A Green and Blue Planet - Hachette Publishing 2019: What is Masculinity? Why does it matter? And other big questions - Hachette Publishing 2020: "Galway Dreaming" - She Will Soar - Pan Macmilian 2020: "It isn't pirate to seek permission" - HOW TO: Be More Pirate - OWN IT!

Short fiction and essay anthologies 2001: Vox n Roll - Serpent's Tail 2004: Tell Tales - Tell Tales 2005: Croatian Nights - Serpent's Tail 2006: The Decadent Handbook - Dedalus Books 2009: Punk Fiction - Portico 2010: MIR Review 7 - Birkbeck University 2011: Sixty-Six Books - Oberon Books 2012: Too Much Too Young Anthology - Bookslam 2013: Connecting Nothing With Something - Influx Press 2016: The Good Immigrant - Unbound Books 2016: The Unreliable Guide to London - Influx Press 2017: Bare Lit Anthology - Brain Mill Press 2019: Others - Unbound Books, London 2019: Smashing It: Working Class Artists on life, art and making it happen - Saqi, Westbourne Press

Discography 2018: Salena Godden / Live at Byline Festival EP, Nymphs and Thugs 2017: Salena Godden / LIVEwire (live spoken-word album), Nymphs and Thugs 2007: Salena Godden/ Promise Of Gold TwoFive, Apples & Snakes 2007: SaltPeter/ Hunger’s The Best Sauce album, FRED Records 2007: SaltPeter/ I’m Not Gay But… EP, FRED Records 2006: SaltPeter/ Everybody Back To Mine EP, FRED Records 2006: Coldcut/ DVD, Ninja Tune Records 2005: SaltPeter/ SaltPervert EP, Saltpetre Records: 2005: Alabama 3 feat Salena Saliva/Boots, One Little Indian 2004: Going Down Swinging/ compilation/Australia, GDS 2003: SaltPervert/5AM/single re-mix, OXYD Records. 2003: Gargoyle Spoken Word CD/ compilation/USA, Gargoyle 2003: Perfecto Presents...Seb Fontaine/ compilation, Perfecto 2003: Flat Pack Antenna/ Resonance FM compilation, Resonance FM 2000: SS&PC/ Egg Yolk Planet Fried debut album, Saltpetre Records 1999: Saltpetre CD/Volume One, Saltpetre Records 1999: Coldcut/Let Us Replay/ Virginia Epitome, Ninja Tune Records (credited as Salena Saliva) 1997: Coldcut/Let Us Play/ Noah’s Toilet, Ninja Tune Records (credited as Salena Saliva)