BOOK OF THE WEEK 9/ 10

On Connection by Kae Tempest. Faber, £9.99

For those who may not know, Kae Tempest is a non-binary author, poet and recording artist based in south- east London. As well as having been nominated for two Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello Awards, they have also been a Sunday Times best-selling author and named as a Next Generation Poet by the Poetry Book Society. Much of their musical work revolves around an intuitive use of spoken word canvassed against often hard-edged beats which often make for piercing interpretations of the state of the world in which we live. On Connection is Tempest’s newest book which provides in their words, “a call to arms that speaks to a universal yet intimate truth”.

Written in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, On Connection draws on Tempest’s 20 years’ experience as a writer and performer and explores how and why creativity can cultivate greater self-awareness and help us to establish a deeper relationship between ourselves and the world.

With chapters such as Soundcheck, Doors and Support Act laid out in an unorthodox running order style, Tempest draws on various literary figures and thinkers such as William Blake and Carl Jung in their pre-gig preparations. With Jung in particular, they explore his ideas on the spirit of the depths and the spirit of the times and argue that we have all become too consumed with our modern, online times and lost connection with the depths of ourselves and one another as human beings.

These are some of the bases in which Tempest explores how, through the power of art and creativity, we can break down socially constructed barriers and embrace in connection.

Creativity for Tempest is any act of love; creative connection is utilising that act of love to allow yourself to access and feel that sense of connection where nothing else matters other than the present moment; the here and now.

Time and again throughout the book, they make a poignant case for why the need for connection – a closeness to others that is jubilant and felt without fear – is more important than ever in our largely politically and socially divided times. We are more empathetic to one another when we are connected, Tempest argues, and beneath all our unique identities, there is commonality.

This book may be short in length, but it is both powerful and merciful. It is necessary reading not just for art lovers like myself, but for people who genuinely care about themselves and others. This is for those who wish to find a more harmonious balance in their lives between the spirit of the times and the spirit of the depths. This is for those longing to be, and to feel, connected.