Salena Godden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salena Godden
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| Background information | |
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day Hastings, Sussex, U.K. |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, author, activist, broadcaster, memoirist, essayist. |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Associated acts | Coldcut + SaltPeter |
Salena Godden is a talented English writer, poet, and activist. She was born in Hastings, UK, and has Jamaican-Irish family roots. Salena lives in London.
She is known for her many books and poems. She has also written for BBC TV and radio shows. Salena has released several music albums too.
Contents
About Salena Godden's Life and Work
Salena Godden has been creating amazing work for over 30 years. She writes powerful and often funny poems.
Her Books and Writings
Salena has written several books of poetry. These include Under The Pier and Fishing in the Aftermath: Poems 1994–2014. She also wrote a memoir about her childhood called Springfield Road. A memoir is a book about a part of someone's life.
In 2018, she published Pessimism Is For Lightweights – 13 pieces of Courage and Resistance. A poem from this book was even displayed as public art. It was outside the Arnolfini Gallery in Bristol for a long time.
Salena has also written essays for different collections. An essay is a short piece of writing on a specific topic. Her essay "Shade" was in the award-winning book The Good Immigrant. Another essay, "Skin," was broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Her Poetry and Performances
Salena Godden is famous for her live poetry performances. She has performed at many big events. These include the March For Women in Trafalgar Square and the Edinburgh International Book Festival. She has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra.
Her first solo poetry album, LIVEwire, came out in 2017. It was even nominated for the Ted Hughes Award, which is a big honor for poetry.
Her Debut Novel
Salena's first novel is called Mrs Death Misses Death. It was published in January 2021. Publishers described it as a very exciting and unique book. A BBC Radio 4 documentary followed her as she wrote this novel. Mrs Death Misses Death was also longlisted for the 2021 Gordon Burn Prize.
In 2020, Salena was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. This is a special recognition for writers.
Film and Radio Projects
Salena has also worked on films and radio shows.
Film Projects
- Cahier Africain: This is a documentary film about a humanitarian crisis. Salena narrated the English version. The film won awards for its important message.
- Brakes: This was an independent comedy film. It premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Salena was part of this movie, which later showed on Film4.
Radio Highlights
Salena has been featured on many BBC Radio programs.
- 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 4 - Mrs Death Mrs Death (documentary)
Salena Godden's Published Works
Here are some of the books Salena Godden has written or contributed to.
Books by Salena Godden
- 2011: Under The Pier
- 2014: Fishing In The Aftermath Poems 1994–2014
- 2014: Springfield Road (a childhood memoir)
- 2017: LIVEwire (album and book)
- 2018: Pessimism is for Lightweights - 13 pieces of courage and resistance
- 2021: Mrs Death Misses Death
Poetry Collections She's In
Salena's poems have appeared in many collections, including:
- 1998: The Fire People
- 2000: IC3 - New Black Writing
- 2013: Bang Said The Gun
- 2019: Midnight Feasts
- 2019: Poems For A Green and Blue Planet
Short Stories and Essays She's In
Her short stories and essays are in collections like:
- 2001: Vox n Roll
- 2016: The Good Immigrant
- 2019: Others
- 2019: Smashing It: Working Class Artists on life, art and making it happen
Salena Godden's Music Albums
Salena has released several albums, often combining spoken word with music.
- 2018: Salena Godden / Live at Byline Festival EP
- 2017: Salena Godden / LIVEwire (live spoken-word album)
- 2007: Salena Godden/ Promise Of Gold
- 2007: SaltPeter/ Hunger’s The Best Sauce album
- 2007: SaltPeter/ I’m Not Gay But… EP
- 2006: SaltPeter/ Everybody Back To Mine EP
- 2005: SaltPeter/ SaltPervert EP
- 2000: SS&PC/ Egg Yolk Planet Fried debut album
- 1999: Saltpetre CD/Volume One
