“This is a poet…who really knows what she is doing.”
— The Poetry Review
“Each poem is a step into a new universe, and the journey is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.”
— The Poetry Book Society
“This is an exciting debut. (How to resist a collection that includes wrestling, Amy Winehouse, and jellyfish?) These are tender and astute poems that grapple with love, grief, ghosts, and motherhood...”
— Rachel Long
“…a deft, wise & exciting new voice in British poetry.”
— Rebecca Tamás
“Janine’s poetry is full of beauty and ache and humour.”
— Charlotte Shevchenko Knight
Dr Janine Bradbury is a BBC New Generation Thinker, writer, and academic whose work sits at the intersections of pop culture, literature, and the black experience. She works between poetry, non-fiction, and radio and her practice explores the relationship between feeling and knowing. She’s a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Literature and Culture at University of York.
Her work on Toni Morrison, Grace Jones, Nella Larsen, Key & Peele, Dave Chappelle, and American professional wrestling has been published by the Guardian, Bloomsbury, Palgrave Macmillan, Routledge, and others. In it she explores themes of authenticity, performance, and pretence. She’s appeared on BBC Radio 3 and 4, on programmes like Free Thinking, The Essay, Woman's Hour, and Great Lives.
Her debut poetry collection, Sometimes Real Love Comes Quick & Easy, is a nostalgia-filled exploration of love, sentimentality, and pop culture. It was a Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Choice. She is currently writing a non-fiction book about work and love.