Alright, Girl? by Maria Ferguson

FORWARD PRIZE 2021 HIGHLY COMMENDED

‘Flawless. An essential read for the 2020s.’ - SALENA GODDEN

Alright, Girl? is an extremely personal yet relatable exploration of class, gender and belonging. Ferguson reflects on her working-class heritage, her journey into womanhood and the choices she must now face in an age of austerity and gentrification. Full of heart and humour these poems chart the familiarity of East End pubs, the pangs of loss, the mercy of love and the inescapable bonds of female friendship.

Maria Ferguson is a writer and performer from Romford. She has been a resident artist for Roundhouse and Battersea Arts Centre and commissioned by Royal Academy of Art, Stylist and BBC Radio 1. Her debut solo show, Fat Girls Don’t Dance, sold out performances across the country and won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show. Her second show, Essex Girl, was shortlisted for Soho Theatre’s Tony Craze Award and won Show of the Week at VAULT 2019.

'Ferguson is a poet for the people, washing her dirty poems in public and holding your eye as she does so. We need more voices like hers, democratic and challenging. Clever, funny, frank and uncompromising. A warrior.' - JOELLE TALOR

mariaferg.com