| Come join us for an extra special event celebrating the release of writer Vanessa Kisuule’s debut non-fiction book Neverland: The Perils and Pleasures of Fandom.
The book begins with Vanessa’s childhood obsession with Michael Jackson and goes on to span themes such as family, money, magic, sex, queerness and questionable haircuts.
It’s for anyone who’s ever been obsessed with a pop star, or found out someone they loved did something terrible and didn’t know what to do about it. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt morally conflicted or emotionally betrayed. It’s for anyone who’s ever had two conflicting thoughts smashing against each other in their skulls.
Welcome, one and all!
7pm Friday 13th September
at The Station, Silver St, Bristol BS1 2AG
The night will include a dynamic performance from Vanessa, top notch tunes to grab your crotch and shake a leg to, and a post-performance talk and Q&A hosted by none other than literary powerhouse and bestselling author Max Porter (Grief Is The Things With Feathers, Lanny, The Death of Francis Bacon, Shy). There may even be a MINI QUIZ!
Ticket price includes all of this plus a complimentary drink. Bring your friend(s), bring your mum, bring your sworn enemy and bury the hatchet. It’s going to be a real Thriller of a night.
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 written for the BBC, the British Library, the Tate, Royal Academy of Arts, Bristol Old Vic, NME, GQ, The Guardian and Glastonbury Festival. She was the Bristol City Poet for 2018 – 2020. Her poem on the toppling of Edward Colston’s statue, ‘Hollow’, garnered over 700,000 views and is frequently used as a resource in schools and universities. She wrote and presented ‘The Poetry Detective’ for Radio 4 and has two collections with Burning Eye Books. Her poetry has been anthologised widely, including in the Forward Poetry Prize Anthology 2019. She is the co-tutor for the Southbank New Poets Collective alongside Will Harris and was a judge for the Forward Prizes and the Foyle Young Poets in 2024. Neverland is her debut non-fiction title.
Max Porter‘s first novel, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers, won the Sunday Times/Peters, Fraser + Dunlop Young Writer of the Year, the International Dylan Thomas Prize, the Europese Literatuurprijs and the BAMB Readers’ Award, and was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Goldsmiths Prize. His second novel, Lanny, was a Sunday Times bestseller and was longlisted for the Booker Prize. His third book, The Death of Francis Bacon, was described by the Irish Independent as a “little masterpiece”. His fourth novella Shy was a Sunday Times Number One Bestseller. He wrote the short film ‘All of this Unreal Time’ for the actor Cillian Murphy, and the pamphlet It’s Going to Be a Bright New Day with Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy. He frequently collaborates with artists, theatre-makers and musicians.
Reviews
“Neverland is a brutal, brave and beautifully written book that asks uncomfortable questions and exposes uncomfortable truths. As we follow Kisuule’s conflicted journey, we are forced to unpack our own relationship with celebrity and fandom from a perspective rarely seen. Nuanced, necessary and will start many conversations.” YOMI ADEGOKE, author of THE LIST
“In Neverland Vanessa Kisuule turns the intense, passionate gaze of the fan away from her object and back onto herself. Rather than asking the question “can I still love this personal canonical figure in the knowledge of the harms they perpetrated?”, Kisuule explores what we can learn about ourselves through our fandom. The result is layered, strange and conflicted. It’s thrilling and rare to read a writer going at this inquiry with her teeth.” AMY KEY, author of ARRANGEMENTS IN BLUE
“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
“Neverland is a riveting and courageous exploration of idolisation and personal morality. With unflinching precision, Kisuule examines how cultural icons shape and sometimes distort our moral landscapes. She is a remarkable thinker who seeks to understand rather than judge. And a remarkable writer who conveys her message in thunderous prose.” NATHAN FILER |
