S9E3 A Tattoo’s Story: Joelle Taylor on the female form, queer futurism and activism

“They’re kind of flags mounted in occupied territory. That's the idea of a tattoo on the female form. Because the female form is a political space. It's a space of contention and conflict.” - Joelle Taylor

A tattoo can tell the most profound story. Many have deep meanings to the people who wear them, and all of them serve as time capsules, allowing a person to revisit a moment in time again and again.

Accomplished poet and playwright Joelle Taylor’s debut novel The Night Alphabet introduces us to the heavily tattooed Jones, who regales us with the stories behind the ink that adorns her body. Flitting between past and future, the book takes us on a journey through time, tackling hard subjects like violence against women and generational trauma.

Hear how Joelle navigated the move from poetry to prose, why she chose to tell such important stories through the art form of tattoos and hear the inspirational story of the impact her work has had on marginalised female communities.

In this episode, you will learn:

• Why you should write stories about the issues you feel enraged by. 
• How to get creative when choosing how to tell your story.
• And how different stories demand different forms.

Find out more about Joelle here.

Your host is inkjockey founder Mark Heywood.

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You can view the full transcript here.

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