The debut work of non-fiction by award-winning slam poet Vanessa Kisuule, this is a love letter to the musicians we adore and an unflinching look at the costs of hero worship
The debut work of non-fiction by award-winning slam poet Vanessa Kisuule, this is a love letter to the musicians we adore and an unflinching look at the costs of hero worship
Vanessa Kisuule is a big Michael Jackson fan. This fixation once gave her great joy, but now it keeps her up at night. In her bracingly honest, energetic and lively book she explores the fall-out from that fandom and how, or if, we can hold people to account whilst loving them at the same time.
Why do famous musicians mean so much to us? How does the pop culture machine both mirror and magnify the worst aspects of human nature? Why is it so hard to accept that the people we love, famous or not, are capable of doing terrible things?
As debates rage on about abusive public figures, Kisuule asks not just if we should separate the art from the artist, but how this moral conundrum informs the way we shape our relationships, families and notions of social justice. Witty, poetic and with references to R. Kelly, Britney Spears and a host of other famous faces, Neverland is both an ardent love letter to the music we love and an unflinching look at the costs of hero worship.
'Her words make the world exciting again' - HOLLIE MCNISH
'Vanessa Kisuule is an explosion wrapped in ribbon' - JOELLE TAYLOR
'[Kisuule] covers an array of unusual topics, from octopuses to aunties, cryonics to nights out. It's a great showcase of her style and curiosity as a writer' - Wee Review
'Her clever, complex and cutting style makes her a favourite of the UK scene' - Poetry Society
Vanessa Kisuule is a writer, performer and facilitator based in Bristol. She has won over ten poetry slam titles and performed nationally and internationally. She has worked with the BBC, British Library, Tate, Royal Academy of Arts, Bristol Old Vic and Glastonbury Festival. She was the Bristol City Poet for 2018-2020, wrote and presented The Poetry Detective for Radio 4 and has two poetry collections with Burning Eye Books. She is the co-tutor for the Southbank New Poets Collective alongside Will Harris. Neverland is her debut non-fiction book.
vanessakisuule.com | @Vanessa_Kisuule
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