In Public/In Private

Leyla Josephine dances between her private and public lives, her inner thoughts and outer performance, dipping into each side of herself with humour and reverence. In Public/In Private ends up in a stranger’s flat on a one night stand, an awkward lunch with a politician, raves in dark sweaty clubs and midnight mass in Ireland. Some poems read like public proclamations but in others we are invited to listen through the crack of a bedroom door. There is a sense that everything firmly belongs here, the opposing sides of herself do not discount each other. Leyla Josephine’s first collection of poetry unmasks secrets, faith, shame, lust,and death unapologetically. She fearlessly reaches through every page and asks ‘Have you felt this too?’.

Reviews of In Public/In Private

'Beautiful and devastating. In Public / In Private is something special and we are lucky to have Leyla Josephine.' Rachelle Atalla

'A completely stunning collection. These poems made me laugh out loud (and weep!) in public, and stayed with me for days on end in private. Leyla is a master of her craft and holds you every step of the way on this magnificent journey. Cherish it.' Harry Baker

'In Public / In Private combines two of my favorite elements of poetry: formal play and emotional velocity. What a beautifully restless collection of psychological candor as well as of sensory and sensual vulnerability. In these pages you will encounter both wildly textured images ("It's like an advert for toothpaste but the model's got no teeth") and piercing insights into personhood ("a poem is essentially / a classy version of social media post, right?"). How startling, these poems; how uncompromisingly engaging, this poet.' Chen Chen

'It felt somewhere between a gorgeous, warm snog and a much-needed sob on a best friend's shoulder. Beautiful, uplifting, gutting. I read it from start to finish without a breath. A triumph of a first collection.' Hollie McNish

'Leyla sculpts poetry that bursts off the page, smouldering with sentiment, after fully inhabiting every inch of it.' Michael Pedersen

'There is not a poet alive today who writes about the inner lives of women as well as Leyla Josephine. This breathtaking collection teases apart the difference between what is private and what is secret; what we exhibit of love, and what we keep to ourselves and our dreams.' Jodi Picoult