Publications

Below is a list of Jo Brandon’s published works (collections, magazines, anthologies, collaborative projects)

Books:

Forthcoming:

Cures,  Valley Press, January 2021

These are poems of the mind and of the body – gloriously fusing wisdom and craft. Filled with character sketches, ventriloquistic feats and slices of real and surreal life. It is rich and clever and filled me up. Women and times and places come to life in these pages of down to earth lyricism, in a way that both shows their wounds and heals them – and us. Cures indeed.

Kate Fox

A brilliant and heart-shaking collection from a poet who just gets better and better.

James Nash

Description of the collection:

From a sapient pig to human extinction, syphilis to broken bones, a woman who births rabbits to changelings in the crib, this collection explores the full range of human fallibility as well as the eternal quest for hopefulness.

Cures is filled with strange characters: volcanic women, a rat catcher on the brink of retirement, a bonesetter, a drunkard, a mermaid; the collection is brimful with both the uncanny and the familiar, exploring the joys of parenthood, the folly of dissipation and reflecting on lives lived – mixing words in search of a tonic.

Read a poem from the collection here.

The Learned Goose, Valley Press, 2015

 “A bewitching collection containing the sensual and the witty, the sacred and profane, and glorious language with profound psychological insight. Jo Brandon is a very finewriter indeed.”

 

 

Phobia, Valley Press, 2012,
ISBN: 9781908853028
Available from: Valley Press, Waterstones and Amazon

Featured on For Books Sake  as one of ‘The Best Books of 2012′

‘Brandon shape-shifts between subject and observer, illuminating and enlightening. These are crafted, intelligent, challenging poems, revelling in an imagistic sensuality, a passion for detail and narrative discovery.’

– Rommi Smith, Poet

Magazines, Online and Anthologies

Telegraph Poem of the Week, ‘Sowing’, 2021

Horrifying Tales, Greenteeth Press Anthology 2021, ‘The Tale of the Midnight Society’, Poem.

Retro Sci-fi, Greenteeth Press Anthology 2021, ‘Covergirl in Space’, Poem.

Past:

Finished Creatures, Issue 4, Stranger, Guest edited by Corrupted Poetry, 2020, Poem: ‘Bonnie with Angel’.

One Hand Clapping,  e-zine, December 2020. Poems: ‘Salt-song’ and ‘The Sky, signed by you‘.

Longlisted for Live Canon 2020 Poetry Competition and featured in the competition anthology. Poem: ‘Waste: A History’.

The View from Olympia: Poems inspired by Olympic Sport, Half Moon Books 2020. Poems: ‘No festival more glorious’ and ‘Things I could compete in at the Olympics’.

An Insubstantial Universe, Yaffle Press, 2020. Collaboration between Yaffle & Leeds Trinity University, celebrating George Eliot. Poem: ‘In Father’s Drawingroom’.

dear damsels Annual 2020, Prose poem: ‘Bathing at Gower Street’.

Words for the Wild, e-zine, January 2020. Poem: ‘A Fruit Basket’.

Christmas Spirit: Ten Poems to Warm the Heart, Candlestick Press, 2019. Poem: ‘This year like last year’

Longlisted for Live Canon 2019 Poetry Competition and featured in the competition anthology. Poem: ‘Staying Under’.

Words for the Wild, e-zine. October 2019. Poem: ‘The Fall’.

dear damsels, e-zine. October 2019. Prose poem: ‘Bathing at Gower Street’.

(More) New Poems for Christmas, anthology, Live Canon. Poem: ‘Once a year’.

Strix, Issue 5. Poem: I was Mr Hoare’s Pig-man, 1817′

Popshot, The Nostalgia Issue (22). Poem: ‘Lilliput Lane’.

Second Place Rosette: Poems about Britain.
Emma Press, Anthology, Edited by Emma Wright and Richard O’Brien. November 2018. Poem: ‘First-footing’.

Popshot, The Dream Issue (21). Poem: Octopus Dreams.

The North, Issue 58. Poems: ‘High Society’ and ‘Venus and Mercury’.

Mary Evans Picture Library, Poems and Pictures Blog, 2018

The Valley Press Anthology of Yorkshire Poetry. Valley Press, August 2017. Poem: ‘Town Hall Steps, Leeds’.

The Fenland Reed, Issue 4: Poem, ‘Sowing’.

VP50: Fifty Poems from Valley Press. A selection of the essential Valley Press poems. Valley Press, September 2016. Anthology. Poems: ‘These Bones’ and ‘Forget What You’ve Been Told’.

Mary Evans Picture Library Blog, October 2016. Poem, ‘Study of a Foot’.

Mildly Erotic Verse, Second Edition. Anthology. Published by The Emma Press Poem, ‘Down the Aisle’.

Magma 62, The Violence Issue: Poem, ‘Peeling’.

154: 154 poems by 154 Contemporary Poets in Response to Shakespeare’s 154 Sonnets, Live Canon. May 2016. Anthology. Poem, ‘Shift’.

Butcher’s Dog, Issue 3: Poem, ‘Girlguiding’.

 

Anthology of Age
A collection of age-related poems (Anthology) published by The Emma Press

Poem, ‘To Dust’

Leads to Leeds poetry project – paired with poet Tracey Martin, 2015. Series of six poems

A Poetic Primer for Love and Seduction: Naso was my Tutor
A Collection of Instructional Poems (Anthology) published by The Emma Press

Poem, ‘Forget What You’ve Been Told’

Dream Catcher Magazine, Issue 27: Poem, ‘John’.

Poetry Review, Volume 102, no.4 Winter 2012, Offending Frequencies. Poetry, ‘Bullen’, part of the Poetry Portraits feature by Yemisi Blake also featuring poet Elmi Ali.

Myths of the Near Future, Issue 2, 2012
Poetry, ‘Loveplay’.

Cake Magazine, Spring 2011: Poetry, ‘It’s Like’.  This issue was reviewed in Cadaverine Magazine: ‘Jo Brandon’s “It’s like”, is an extravagant piece, with something of the image-driven energy found in Sylvia Plath’s ‘Cut’, here played out in a more cheerful and contemporary tone: “blob of hair mousse / spilt milk on black tiles”.’

Yorkshire Young Writers Anthology, Autumn 2010: Poetry, ‘Corner of New Town’.

– Scribe Magazine Spring 2010, the issue’s winning poem, ‘Pithos’.

– Cadaverine Magazine January 2010, ‘South end’, ‘Arachne Phobia’, ‘Our Lady’.

– Squid Quarterly, Nov 2009, poetry: ‘Ikebana’

Cadaverine Anthology Volume I (ISBN-10: 0956257704) June 2009: Poetry, ‘Albert’s Cairn’, ‘Work’. Prose-poetry, ‘Balmoral’.

Dream Catcher Magazine, Issue 21: Short Story, ‘Peaches’.

– Like Starlings, poetry conversation/pairing with Sarah Hymas, July 2009 www.likestarlings.com

– Scribe Magazine Summer 2009, Poetry, ‘Arachne Phobia’ and ‘Class mates’.

– Cadaverine Magazine, Feb 2008: Poetry, ‘Albert’s Cairn’, ‘Work’. Prose-poetry, ‘Balmoral’. (e-zine) www.thecadaverine.com

–Aesthetica Magazine, August/September 2007: Poetry, ‘Saccharin Sachet’.

Reviews

Book review, The Collector of Lost Things by Jeremy Page, in Dead Ink, April 2013

Book Reviewfeatures in Beyond Magazine, July 2010 and September 2010 (Print)

‘One I Love’ book review feature April issue of Mslexia Magazine 2010  (Print)

– Cadaverine Magazine interviews, reviews and editorials, 2008-2011

– Reviews by Jo Brandon cited by authors and publishers:

You don’t have to say by Alan Beard

It’s Just the Beating of my Heart by Richard Aronowitz

One Moment, One Morning by Sarah Rayner

Video

www.yorkshiretelly.com, Autumn 2010, Poetry Film of ‘Wool’

Collaborations/residencies

Ceramic Review commision. Jo Brandon invited six poets and ceramists to collaborate in pairs with exciting results. Special eight-page feature seeking to uncover the shared characteristics of poetry and pottery, words and clay, by experimenting with the idea of interdisciplinary collaboration. Featuring poets Rommi Smith, Tom Chivers and Adam Strickson and ceramists Joanne Ayre, Rosa Nguyen and Josh Redman, with introduction by Jo Brandon.

– Leeds Lieder +, paired with composer Ella Jarman-Pinto to create a lieder, ‘Shunned Street’ (inspired by the myth of Pope Joan) for performance at the Leeds College of Music October 2011.

– ‘As in Waking Dreams’, Collaboration between University of Leeds and Opera North. Paired with composer William Finn to re-imagine Schumann and Chamisso’s ‘A Woman’s Life and Love’ as an original song cycle performed at the Howard Assembly Rooms, Leeds, May 2011.

I Love West Leeds Festival Website – work published as part of festival residency. http://www.ilovewestleeds.co.uk/jo_brandon.htm

Script:

– ‘Like a Heartbeat’, BBC-commissioned short play, performed at West Yorkshire Playhouse March 2011 as part of Deep Blue Sea – Reflections series.

Interview

Interviewed by Editor Marek Kazmierski from Not Shut Up, a prison arts magazine, about my role as the Koestler Trust’s Creative Writing Coordinator.