Jen Campbell was Vlogger in Residence for the Poetry Book Society, and was a judge of the Forward Prize in 2018. She talks about books and fairy tales at youtube.com/jenvcampbell.

Jen Campbell’s first collection The Girl Aquarium explores the realm of rotten fairy tales, the possession of body and the definition of beauty. Weaving between whispered science and circus, she turns a cracked mirror on society and asks who gets to control the twisted tales hiding in the wings. Semifinalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2019 (Best Poetry category) Shortlisted for the poetry category of the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2019

"This blistering poetry collection explores showmanship, the so-called freak industry, fairytales and spectacle – and, in fact, it doesn’t so much unpick these things as smash them to pieces and make them new… I love so much about it: how it kicks against tropes of disfigurement, how science jostles against fantastical circus, how it explores the way in which girls’ bodies can be sites of both self-discovery and exploitation. It is defiant, bold, brilliant. As the penultimate poem states, “Smash this circus to the ground." - The Guardian (Top ten books about circuses and spectacle – No 2: The Girl Aquarium)