Rachel Long

Rachel Long is a poet and founder of Octavia – Poetry Collective for Womxn of Colour, which is housed at The Southbank Centre, in London. Rachel’s poetry and prose have been published widely, most recently in Mal, Granta, and The Poetry Review. Her debut collection of poems, My Darling from the Lions, is published by Picador, in August 2020. Order your copy here.

Articles by Rachel Long

Wasafiri Wonders: Rachel Long

Ever wondered what your favourite writer’s first drafts look like? Or which book they love that nobody’s heard of? Wasafiri Wonders is a series that asks these questions for you. Describe your first drafts in one sentence. The long way round. … Tell us about your writing rituals.

‘Creating – or awakening to – Octavia’: Rachel Long

Octavia Poetry Collective for Womxn of Colour was founded in 2015 by Rachel Long in response to the lack of inclusion in UK poetry and the academy. It has gone on to foster some of the most talented poets in Britain. Based at the Southbank Centre in London, the collective has read at venues from Tate Modern to Latitude Festival, led workshops at The Poetry School and The Serpentine Galleries, and been featured in The Guardian and on the BBC’s World Service.

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