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There is (still) love here

There is (still) love here, the compelling new collection of poetry by Dean Atta, is a personal and powerful exploration of relationships, love and loss, encompassing LGBTQ+ and Black history, Greek Cypriot heritage, pride and identity, dislocation and belonging.


Atta’s tender, precisely-crafted and generous poems seek consolation and affirmation. These are poems as an antidote for challenging times, whether facing prejudice or the challenges of the pandemic, experiencing grief or recovering from heartbreak. Here, we encounter blue feelings and homesickness, things lost in translation and the pressures of the many roles we play in life. We also find the recipes of home, gifts and giving, the togetherness of community and connection to help us to heal. There is still love here - and journeys towards forgiveness, acceptance, queer joy and the power to unapologetically be yourself and fully embrace who you are.


Praise for There is (still) love here:


'These are direct, moving and passionate poems: Dean is a wonderful poet, who knows the weight and balance of each well chosen word.' Andrew McMillan


'Dean Atta is a poet of the finest order, a most tender, passionate and powerful voice, a light in the twenty-first century' Salena Godden


'Dean Atta’s There is (still) love here is filled with vulnerability and tenderness. It’s so openhearted and life-affirming. Whether he’s addressing his Greek Cypriot and Jamaican heritage, the LGBTQ+ experience, or any other subject that catches his eye, this book brims with agape – big love. These poems are a big yes to humanity and our survival.' Pascale Petit


'These tender poems explore familial and romantic relationships with disarming frankness. Atta’s close attention to the ephemeral yields a navigation of the multiple identities he straddles, and ask important questions about race, manhood, queer identity, sexuality, and loss. Absence is a recurrent bassline underscoring Atta’s narratives, which plunder his social and cultural inner sanctum in the quest to reconcile fragility, vulnerability, and acceptance.' Malika Booker


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Only on the Weekends

Mack never thought he’d find love, but now two boys want to be with him. Will he choose Karim or Finlay? And can true love last for ever? A must-read queer love story for fans of Sarah Crossan and Sex Education, written in verse by Dean Atta.


Fifteen-year-old Mack is a hopeless romantic – he blames the films he’s grown up watching. He has liked Karim for as long as he can remember, and is ecstatic when Karim becomes his boyfriend – it feels like love.


But when Mack’s dad gets a job on a film in Scotland, Mack has to move, and soon he discovers how painful love can be. It’s horrible being so far away from Karim, but the worst part is that Karim doesn’t make the effort to visit. Love shouldn’t be only on the weekends.


Then, when Mack meets actor Finlay on a film set, he experiences something powerful, a feeling like love at first sight. How long until he tells Karim – and when will his old life and new life collide?


Praise for Only on the Weekends:


'Full of tender truths on the joy and agony of first love, amplified by the confessional tone of the verse format.' The Guardian


'A beautiful book. The rhythm feels so natural, it’s as if the book has a pulse.' Books From Scotland


'Stonewall winner Atta’s novel in verse is an exquisite and detailed look at friendship, compromises, family, and love, deftly capturing Mack’s insecurities in a voice authentic to the high-school experience…. The vivid, multifaceted depiction of teenage emotions makes this highly recommended.' Booklist


'Atta beautifully captures the messy ups and downs of first love in Only on the Weekends. From intense explorations of body image, difficult familial relationships, what it means to be a friend and the fine line between joking and ridiculing all the way to pursuing the love you want and deserve, this novel packs an emotional punch… Full of heart, messy, real characters and complicated relationships, Only on the Weekends is a nuanced exploration of first love and growing up and into your own. Riveting.' The Nerd Daily


'A gorgeous verse novel that explores the romance between three boys… Only on the Weekends feels like a celebration of family, queer identity and queer love. I don’t think I could’ve loved it any more than I did. This has everything I love in a book, and I knew I could place my trust firmly in Atta. A boy coming to terms with his identity, a family dynamic, friendships, gorgeous romances, beautiful poetry… Atta did a fantastic job at making each relationship feel so real and so authentic that it was so hard for me as a reader to decide which way I was leaning… The poetry in this was just divine and some of the lines I had to take a minute and sit with. If you love your romance, particularly your queer romance, then this book is 100% for you.' The Royal Bookshelf


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The Black Flamingo

This is not about being ready, it’s not even about being fierce, or fearless, IT’S ABOUT BEING FREE.


Michael waits in the stage wings, wearing a pink wig, pink fluffy coat and black heels.


One more step will see him illuminated by spotlight.


He has been on a journey of bravery to get here, and he is almost ready to show himself to the world in bold colours …


Can he emerge as The Black Flamingo?


Praise for The Black Flamingo:


'Intensely moving and heart-warming' Cosmo


'Bold' Guardian


'I loved every word' Malorie Blackman


WINNER OF THE STONEWALL BOOK AWARD

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL

SHORTLISTED FOR THE JHALAK BOOK PRIZE


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I Am Nobody's Nigger

Revolutionary, reflective and romantic, I Am Nobody’s Nigger is the powerful debut collection by one of the UK’s finest emerging poets.


Exploring race, identity and sexuality, Dean Atta shares his perspective on family, friendship, relationships and London life, from riots to one-night stands.


Praise for I Am Nobody's Nigger:


‘Go Dean Atta. Speak the truth. Tweet the truth. Upload it. Let it ring out over the digital domain and strike at the heart of the offline wireless and disconnected.’ Lemn Sissay


‘Dean Atta’s poetry is as honest as truth itself. He follows no trend; he seeks no favours … Beyond black, beyond white, beyond straight, beyond gay, so I say. Love your eyes over these words of truth. You will be uplifted.’ Benjamin Zephaniah


‘Dean Atta is the Gil Scott Heron of his generation’ Charlie Dark


'Righteous and forceful' Peter Tatchell


‘One of the leading lights in London’s poetry scene … powerful reflections on race, identity and sexuality’ Huffington Post


SHORTLISTED FOR THE POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE


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