We are absolutely delighted to announce that Jake Wild Hall is coming to The Heath Bookshop to talk about their new book, ‘Alanis Morissette’, a book about grief, addiction and traversing masculinity as a boy born into a council estate in a soft frame of a body. Jake will be in conversation with Casey Bailey.

Jake and Casey will be in conversation for around an hour. There will be a book signing afterwards.

Jake Wild Hall is an award winning poet and one half of Bad Betty Press. He has performed on BBC Radio and at festivals and literary events across the UK. He is a multiple slam champion and his work has been published in magazines, anthologies and online journals. He is the Author of two pamphlets Solomon’s World which was longlisted for the Saboteur award for best pamphlet and Blank.

He has worked with partners including Penguin, Apple’s and Snakes, Writing East Midlands, Derby Poetry Festival and Pearsons. He has also been a guest tutor for Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham University, King’s College London, Lincoln University and others.

His debut collection Alanis Morissette is due out in 2026 with Broken Sleep Books.

Praise for Alanis Morissette:

Casey Bailey is an award winning writer, performer and educator, born and raised in Nechells, Birmingham, UK. Casey was the Birmingham Poet Laureate 2020 – 2022.

Casey’s second full poetry collection Please Do Not Touch was published by Burning Eye in 2021. In 2023 ‘Legacy’ – an in depth exploration of 20 years of the Birmingham Grime and Hip Hop scene – co-authored with Jess Monroe was published. Casey’s debut play GrimeBoy had a sold out run at the Birmingham Rep in April, 2022. He was commissioned by the BBC to write ‘The Ballad of The Peaky Blinders’ in 2019. In 2020 the poem was internationally recognised, winning a Webby Award. In 2022 Casey won a Royal Television Society award for a film for his poem “Dear Brum”. Casey has performed his poetry nationally, and internationally.

Casey was named as one of the Alfred Fagon Awards’ Black Champions of Theatre in 2021. He is a Fellow of the University of Worcester and in 2021 was awarded an honorary doctorate in Education by Newman University.

This event will take place at The Heath Bookshop and tickets are on sale now.

We look forward to seeing you.

Catherine & Claire