An experienced events chair
Since 2017, Jess has enjoyed working as a freelance chair. They usually work for book and festival events, chairing for organisations such as the Lighthouse Bookshop in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, Hay Festival, Waterstones and more. They are a celebrated host and would love to hear about any speaking opportunities you are organising!
Jess has chaired events with some truly spectacular people, such as N. K. Jemisin, ALOK, Angela Saini, Marlon James, Ayòbámi Adébáyò, Paula Akpan, Jo Clifford, Ruby Tandoh, Robert Jones Jr., Margo Jefferson, Travis Alabanza, Candice Carty-Williams, Oana Aristide, Nadifa Mohamed, Maaza Mengiste, Jacob V Joyce, Wayétu Moore, Sisters Uncut, Paul Mendez, Dionne Brand, Colson Whitehead and Claudia Rankine.
Below are a few recordings from events Jess has chaired for The Lighthouse: Edinburgh’s Radical Bookshop
Belonging & Reclaiming: Queer Around the World
In conversation with Paula Akpan and Jo Clifford for Book Fringe, Edinburgh.
The Prophets: Fiction as Truth.
In conversation with Robert Jones Jr., online.
In Their Shoes: Jamie Windust on navigating nonbinary life
In conversation with Jamie Windust, online.
Jess is a public speaker who has discussed a range of topics from the arts and festivals to LGBTQIA+ issues, Black liberation and academic research.
Voice work
Jess has been featured in the Writers of Colour Audio Anthology three times, with their poems “Quiet in the Dark” (2020), “Long Distance” (2021) and “Always” (2022). You can listen to these below - and make sure to listen to the other poets, too!
Podcasts
Jess is a co-producer and the host of the Fringe of Colour podcast “Before the Applause”. Below are some other podcasts Jess has appeared on, talking about their project Fringe of Colour Films.
Image credits: Chris Scott (Jess standing with microphone), Jaime Prada (ALOK and Jess), BBC Radio 4 Front Row (Jess sitting with microphone)