Pessimism is for Lightweights: 30 Pieces of Hope and Resistance

By Salena Godden

One of the very first publications to come off the Rough Trade Books press, Pessimism is for Lightweights began life as thirteen pieces of courage and resistance from the pen of the one and only Salena Godden. These are poems written for the Women's March, poems that salute peaceful protest, poems on sexism and racism, class discrimination, poverty and homelessness, immigration and identity. This new edition expands the collection to full book length and shows Godden at her inimitable best—deft technique and powerful emotional heft, with additional new poems reflecting on our fast- changing world with her trademark humour and resilience. This is a book full of light, courage and most of all hope..

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rough Trade Books
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781914236235

Salena Godden

Salena Godden FRSL is an award-winning author, poet and broadcaster of Jamaican-mixed heritage. Her work has been widely anthologised and broadcast on radio, TV and film. She regularly headlines international literary festivals and has published several titles: Under The Pier, Fishing In The Aftermath, Springfield Road and Pessimism is for Lightweights—13 Pieces of Courage and Resistance. Her poem Pessimism is for Lightweights is on permanent display at the People’s History Museum, Manchester.   Godden's debut novel Mrs Death Misses Death was published by Canongate, it won the Indie Book Award for Fiction and the People’s Book Prize 2022 and was shortlisted for a British Book Award and the Gordon Burn Prize. Film and TV rights for Mrs Death Misses Death have been optioned by Idris Elba’s production company Green Door Pictures. Godden is currently working on three new books out soon with Canongate: a memoir, a poetry collection and an eagerly anticipated second novel set in the Mrs Death Misses Death universe. Godden was inducted as a fellow of The Royal Society of Literature in 2022.

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