Intelligence Squared Imagining London's Future through Fiction, with Joelle Taylor
Aug 5, 2024
Join Joelle Taylor, an award-winning poet and novelist, as she delves into her latest work, The Night Alphabet. She reflects on her journey from punk influences to prose, exploring themes of women's narratives and gender-based violence. The conversation takes a haunting turn when discussing the character of an incel, examining toxic masculinity. Taylor also touches on the transformative power of storytelling amidst the pressures of modern life and the interconnectedness of class dynamics and art, celebrating the fierce resilience of marginalized voices.
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Punk and Prose
- Joelle Taylor's pathway to writing started with punk music lyrics, which exposed her to social issues and literature.
- Her mother managed a cinema, giving her constant exposure to stories, while horror books provided early narrative structure.
Novel Premise
- Joelle Taylor's novel, The Night Alphabet, follows a heavily tattooed woman in a dystopian future Hackney.
- Each tattoo acts as a portal to interconnected stories across time and geographies.
From Poetry to Prose
- Taylor's novel emerged from her poetry collection, Songs My Enemy Taught Me, exploring women's global status.
- Prose allows her to explore imaginative "lies that tell the truth," unlike the grounded reality of spoken word.
