Jeda Pearl is a Scottish-Jamaican writer and poet and Co-Director of the Scottish BPOC Writers Network. She has performed at StAnza, Push the Boat Out, Inky Fingers, Hidden Door, and commissions include the British Council’s Momentum program and galleries Rhubaba and Collective. In 2019, she was awarded Cove Park’s Scottish Emerging Writer Residency and shortlisted for the Moniack Mhor Bridge Awards. Her poems and short stories are published by Open Book, Black Lives Matter Mural Trail, New Writing Scotland, Not Going Back to Normal – a Disabled Artists Manifesto, TSS Publishing, Tapsalteerie, Shoreline of Infinity and Peepal Tree Press. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Contact Jeda for readings, panels, writing workshops, creative collaborations or her writing CV.
Selected Works
Poetry readings and installations
- When all that’s left is… published in 2021 Mixtape: Writers of Colour Audio Anthology
I’m excited to announce the 2021 Mixtape: Writers of Colour Audio Anthology! ‘When all that’s left is…’ now published in the Scottish BPOC Writers Network’s Writers of Colour anthology. - ‘I was born’ – in two anthologies
‘I was born‘ is part of the 2020 Mixtape: Writers of Colour Audio Anthology, curated by Hannah Lavery and published by the Scottish BPOC Writers Network. It was also shortlisted for the Aesthetica Creative Writing Award. - Acts of Observation
‘Acts of Observation’ is a poetic audio installation, pamphlet and captioned film of a series of five linked poems that weave themes involving the disabled BPOC body with archeoastronomy and the sublime, commissioned by Collective gallery. - BBC Scotland Big Scottish Book Club
In October 2021, I had the honour of sharing a poem with Damian Barr’s Big Scottish Book Club. I read ‘inheritance reverb‘ which is one of three poems, written as a response to Maud Sulter‘s body of work, commissioned by Rhubaba, forthcoming 2022. - An Ocean of Patience
An Ocean of Patience is a film-poem and dance performance, and a creative response to the provocation “How can organisations and institutions integrate more inclusive practices to benefit communities through platforming disabled* artists?” - 15 Ways of Looking at a Tuareg Pendant – New Writing Scotland
My poem, ’15 Ways of Looking at a Tuareg Pendant’, after Raman Mundair’s ’15 Ways of Looking at a Silk Sari’ is published in The Last Good Year: New Writing Scotland 38. - Beloved Black – Black Lives Matter Mural Trail Scotland
In 2020, I was invite to create work for the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail Scotland. The trail was developed by producer Wezi Mhura in response to the rise in awareness in Scotland (and across the world) of the Black Lives Matter movement. - Chronic Fail
‘Chronic Fail‘ is a poem I wrote during 2020 as a response to experiencing the pandemic as a disabled person. It is part of Not Going Back to Normal – A Disabled Artists Manifesto: a digital collection of 49 artworks and texts responding to a call for ideas for a radically accessible arts world, curated by Sasha Saben Callaghan and Harry Josephine Giles - ‘A Wake: On mourning, marking, and moving forward together with joy’
In September 2020, I was invited read my work at a community mourning and healing event for Scottish disabled artists, curated by San Alland. I read 4 poems, ‘Void’, ‘Citadel of Truth’, ‘The Finished Den’ and ‘Beloved Black’. Video is captioned and BSL interpreted. - Poems in Shoreline of Infinity 18
I’m thrilled to have five poems published in Shoreline of Infinity 18! Shoreline of Infinity is a sci-fi magazine and indie publisher based in Scotland. - Two poems in Ceremony
I have two poems in Ceremony is the first anthology from the Scottish BPOC Writers Network, formerly the Scottish BAME Writers Network. Curated and edited by award-winning poet, Alycia Pirmohamed. - Published in Multiverse – a new science fiction poetry anthology
I’m thrilled to announce that I have two poems, The Thaw and Tempest to be published in Multiverse – New International Science Fiction Poetry published by Shoreline of Infinity, co-edited by Russell Jones and Rachel Plummer.
Short fiction
- The Apple Inspector and other stories
Here are some notes on early submissions (short stories) that were successful and encouraged me to keep going… - In Search of Patience published in Open Book Unbound
My speculative short story, ‘In Search of Patience,’ is published in Open Book Unbound, issue December 2021. - When Cocoa Ripe, It Must Bust
Delighted to have my short story, ‘When Cocoa Ripe, It Must Bust’ published in the anthology Make A Wish, Keep the Wish Secret and shortlisted for the 2018 Cambridge Short Story Prize!
Poetry in anthologies
‘I was born’, published in 2020 Mixtape: Writers of Colour Audio Anthology – listen/read here, and published (shortlisted) in Aesthetica Creative Writing Award Anthology 2022 (buy here).
’15 Ways of Looking at a Tuareg Pendant’, published in The Last Good Year: New Writing Scotland 38 – buy here.
‘Chronic Fail’, published in Not Going Back to Normal – A Disabled Artists Manifesto – listen/read here.
‘Spectraverse implants changed my life’, ‘Lure of the Oracle’, ‘Umbilicus’, [haiku], ‘Ode to Mycelium, from AI/42’ in Shoreline of Infinity 18 – buy here.
‘Lashed to this Unseelie Court, since 1655’ and ‘The Witching Hour’, published in Ceremony, by Tapsalteerie Press (2019).
‘The Thaw’ and ‘Tempest’, published in Multiverse – New International Science Fiction Poetry, by Shoreline of Infinity – buy here.
Want to collaborate?
Jeda has experience as an arts programmer, event chair and panellist, and workshop facilitator. She has sat on art projects selection panels and may be available for consultations.