Independent publishers of new poetry, Bad Betty Press are known for risk taking and exciting authors. And what's more, they've just moved to Nottingham. Celebrating their relocation, writer Jaden Morton checked out their opening event at Bunker's Hill: Bad Betty X Poetry is Dead Good.
Since being established in 2017, Bad Betty Press has been on the forefront of independent publishing, platforming a plethora of exciting contemporary poets. The founders, Amy Acre and Jake Wild Hall are both amazing poets whose combination of editorial skill and talent for community organisation have turned the press into the literary treasure it is today.
Bad Betty was awarded the Michael Marks award for best independent publisher in December 2022. The judges remarked on their exceptional ability to amplify and refine new voices through skilful editing and a sharp eye for unpublished talent, also noting that they admired Bad Betty’s continual support for their poets through their impressive events schedule, simultaneously engaging with local communities and supporting poetry networks on a national scale.
Whilst being a hotbed of debut talent, Bad Betty also has an impressive list of established names in their books. Poet Shane McCrae also picked up a Michael Marks award this year with his pamphlet Hex and other poems. Winning two Michael Marks awards in the same year is an incredible feat for the publishing house, a reflection of hard work and passionate community spirit which has been demonstrated throughout the year.
Bad Betty relocated from London to Nottingham towards the end of 2022 and marked their arrival with a Bad Betty X Poetry is Dead Good at Bunker’s Hill on the 29th of November.
Bad Betty relocated from London to Nottingham towards the end of 2022 and marked their arrival with a Bad Betty X Poetry is Dead Good at Bunker’s Hill
The night is hosted by regional treasure Joshua Judson. Josh started Poetry is Dead Good back in 2018 and it has since been a staple in the Notts poetry scene. He warms up the crowd with one of his dark and atmospheric gut-punchers, reading from his pamphlet Gongoozler which Bad Betty published in 2019. His poem Ode to Ash, which has so much grief is encapsulated in the tiny details of falling snow, is completely disturbed by England Fans screaming from the bar below. He laughs, celebrates the goal, then gets back to breaking our hearts with the rest of the poem.
Josh is followed by Jake Wild Hall, the first headliner of the night. He leaps onto the stage with his first poem Chopping wood, a vivid, sharply focused poem exploring masculinity and male desire through the lens of a famous tik-tok lumberjack. Jake brings a bright, high-energy performance which is balanced with his often sombre, confessional storytelling. Riotous cheers rise through the floorboards twice more during his set, both a testament to his poetry and England scoring another two goals.
Bep Summerscales takes the stage after Jake. Bep is a poet, writer and musician from the East Midlands, they are Part of the GOBS spoken word collective and one half of the music Duo Bara. Bep’s poems are rich in detail and full of life, you never know if you’re on the verge to tears or about to burst out laughing. From the way they reach out and twist their fingers, to the way they gaze off past the audience into the memory of the poem, Bep performs with their entire body. The audience received a magnetising performance that conjures memory through vivid description and a dark comedic tone.
Bep’s poems are rich in detail and full of life, you never know if you’re on the verge to tears or about to burst out laughing.
Next up was Amy Acre, the audience hangs off every word as she punctuates her poems with sips of red wine. The football crowds have dispersed now, and the room is silent as she reads Dance on my Grave, a lucid retelling of the moment her daughter started dancing in a graveyard. The poem is equal parts haunting and playful, my full-body goosebumps were a testament to Amy’s technical ability and effortlessly cool delivery.
The evening is closed by Kandace Siobhan Walker, a poet and editor of Bath Magg based in London. Her Pamphlet Kaleido was released by Bad Betty in late October and has been widely acclaimed since. Kandice’s poems are clean, refined, and fresh. She is clearly a writer with absolute control, each line is fine-tuned and razor-sharp, each poem a keyhole glimpse into the dreamy worlds she is able to build as a poet.
Overall, the night was a huge success, brimming with contemporary talent and the potential of a thriving new player in the Nottingham poetry scene. It’s a pleasure to welcome Bad Betty into the melting pot of organisations offering poetry to the wider community. There are exciting plans to continue their events programme and offer workshops across the city in 2023.
Bad Betty X Poetry is Dead Good took place at Bunker’s Hill on November 29 2022
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