REFUGE: The Collected Poetry of JJ Bola

by J.J. Bola

"Deep inside the hearts of each and every one of us, we are all always reaching for a place that we can call home"“JJ is a writer, poet, educator, author, a former Refugee and a UNHCR supporter. He is passionate about ending the war and bringing peace to the DR Congo and helps to work continually towards this with his time and output”- Paloma Faith, Singer, Songwriter, Actress“JJ’s words elicit wry smiles and prick tears, they sucker-punch and sooth. He speaks to the soul of who we all are – to our sense of belonging, family, home, safety – and in doing so morphs the foreign and the feared into the familiar and understood.”- Coco Campbell, Spokesperson for the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency“Beautifully tender, No Place to Call Home is a subtly told story about love, place and those moments in every life that evoke the memory of loss and belonging. It’s a love-letter to our better natures, a reminder of what keeps us together.”- Guy Gunaratne, author of The Man Booker Prize long-listed debut novel, In Our Mad and Furious City.“Authentic… a funny, vivid, big-hearted novel.”- Irenosen Okojie, writer and author of Butterfly Fish and Speak Gigantular, winner of the Betty Trask Prize“No Place to Call Home doesn’t only tell a story that reveals what most of us children and parents in the diaspora have been through, it also showed me that I was really not alone in going through it. I am grateful to read something that gives me comfort in knowing my identity and story counts as much as the next person.”- Eddie Kadi, Comedien, Actor, Presenter

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

Published October 18, 2018

About the author

A Kinshasa born, London raised writer, poet, educator and workshop facilitator. London and UK based, but also international; Paris, Brussels, Boston etc, most recently San Francisco and Oakland, where he won the Oakland Poetry Slam. Performs regularly at shows and festivals such as Tongue Fu, Vocals & Verses, Chill Pill, The Round House, Ventnor Fringe, etc as well as Universities; SOAS, UCL, Oxford, Lincoln, University of Birmingham, Standford University and Merrit College in the Bay and other public institutions. Also includes various Radio and Television appearances.

JJ Bola has successfully published two books of poetry Elevate and Daughter of the Sun (ebook). His third, and latest, is his most comprehensive poetry collection WORD, which was launched to a sold out crowd, during Refugee Week on the 18th of June 2015 at Dalston Roof Park. JJ Bola’s work is centred on a narrative of empowerment, humanisation, healing of trauma as well as discovery of self through art, literature and poetry. Creating the increasingingly popular addage, 'hype your writers like you do you rappers', he believes that the true purpose of poetry (art) is to expose the reality of this world and how to, most importantly, survive it.
[taken from author's website]

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant.

I really liked an apology, I just wanna love her, real man, moon child, I found hip hop, tell them (they have names), man listen, remember me and remember this.

JJ’s use of language is beautiful. It’s a shame he has said he won’t write poetry anymore.

Good luck on your next venture.