The Telegraph – 4 stars
‘Meaty, inventive, powerfully moving work.'
Morning Star
C+nto is an excellent book of poetry exploring how some lesbian women’s histories, political destinies, safety and survival are tied to their physical identity. A work of memoir, fearsome imagination, creative reach and of deep historicity, Taylor undertakes this work with love, dexterity and wit.
The Idler
‘This collection is nothing short of a triumph, weaving emotive and expressive personal histories with a sense of invention in poetic form and structure that should not be overlooked.’
New Statesman
‘Joelle Taylor has produced one of the most astonishing and original poetry collections of recent years.’
Times Literary Supplement – Bernardine Evaristo Book of the Year
‘Unlike anything I‘ve ever read before …memorable and often astonishing poetry that is at once epic and intimate.’
DIVA – Pride Book of the Month
'Joelle Taylor’s C+nto & Othered Poems is absolutely incredible. A celebration, a reclamation and a tribute to the dyke bars and the butches who left their mark, this book reminds the reader that to exist as we do is a form of protest. On the page or in performance this is work that should not be missed.’
Culture Matters
‘To be the witness and the storyteller these histories demand is to be the unblinking archivist to generations of pain. That Taylor does this work with love and with elan; that it reaches us as sonorous and soaring poetry is a testament to the alchemy of her craft.’
Golden Hare Books
‘Electrifying collection exploring the underground lesbian culture by a pioneer of the British spoken word scene.’
Roger Robinson Poet, winner of the TS Elliot Prize for Poetry 2019
‘C+nto is the best of hybrids. A reclamation and a proclamation. A book and a performance. A roll call and a remembrance, a history and biography, a tribute and a critique, not just for the Lesbian community but for anyone who has to struggle to establish their life and identity. A powerful celebration of an important culture. Get it now.’
Hollie McNish Poet & Playwright
‘It would be easy to say that this book is important; because it is. It is very, very important. It has taught me a lot. But more than that, I loved it. I loved the writing and the visions and the mix of forms on the page. I felt like it zipped me up in the densest of poetic histories until I was stuffed in the middle of each story, seeing each image as if it were me living it. That’s a very powerful thing to experience in a book. Wonderful.’