Jean G-Owen
ALLi Author Member
Location: United Kingdom
Genres: Literary Fiction, Academic, Biography, Other, Womens Fiction, Other Poetry, Writing & Publishing, Humour, Memoir
Jean G-Owen is the founder of Naked Figleaf Press and its imprint Figmentum. She is a writer, publisher, editor and performer. In 2024 she established The Figlet, a vibrant literary and arts magazine showcasing Isle of Wight writers and illustrators. She curates events including In Her Own Words and Figgy Gigs, creating spaces where spoken, sung and written performances are celebrated. Her background as an academic—she holds a doctorate in Cultural Studies and Humanities—shapes the depth and resonance of her creative work.
Jean G-Owen's books
Genres: Womens Fiction
Formats: Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
Wyuen Pyne is a medieval phrase meaning ‘women’s pain, women’s punishment’. Across centuries, women’s refusal to conform has been staged as spectacle: ducking stools plunging so-called scolds into rivers, bridles forcing tongues to stillness, racks stretching bodies in the name of faith. These punishments were both acts of law and public performances designed to choreograph female obedience. This book answers back. Blending poetry, prose, herstory, cultural commentary and images, Wyuen Pyne reimagines women whose names survive in fragments, whose stories were bent into allegory or whose defiance was branded as sin. From Lilith, the first to say No, to Scheherazade, who turned storytelling into survival, it gathers saints, mothers, daughters, thinkers, rebels and witnesses across scripture, folklore, courtroom records and myth. But the reckoning doesn’t stop at the past. It cuts into the present, where women’s voices confront new forms of control.
Genres: Humorous Poetry
Formats: Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
The Triple Crones: poetry, performance and pictures, published by Naked Figleaf Press, is an enchanting book that gathers the poems, songs and sketches performed at Island venues over the past two years by Jean G-Owen, aka Ajeana, Crone of Rural Spaces, Sandy Kealty, aka Cass, Crone of the Sea, and Cheryl May, aka Flamenco, Crone of Urban Spaces. This dynamic performing troupe exude unapologetic “hagitude” as they claim their crowns as Crones on the Isle of Wight. Prepare yourself for a delightful mix of humour, empowerment and individuality, resonating with the unique wit and wisdom of three feisty who boldly defy stereotypical portrayals of Croneness. The Triple Crones is more than a book—it’s a vibrant celebration of the power of storytelling, wisdom and wit by women who embrace life at every stage. It is also a testament to friendship. The pages bristle with poems, stories, and coloured images. There are...
Genres: Advice & How To
Formats: Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
Killing Your Darlings goes beyond the cliché to become a sharp, engaging, scalpel-wielding guide to self-editing—for writers who aren’t afraid to get their hands ink-stained. With gallows humour, literary side-eyes, and brutally honest advice, Jean G-Owen leads you through the crime scene of your own draft, uncovering everything from purple prose and bloated flashbacks to sluggish pacing, beige sentences, and the occasional anatomically challenging sex scene. Inside, you’ll find killer examples, sly checklists, writing exercises that hurt (in a good way), plus a whole graveyard of overwritten lines that should never have made it out of the first draft. Whether you’re pruning a poem, hacking through a novel, or just trying to make your sentences behave, this book will help you cut clean—and laugh darkly while you do it.
Genres: Experimental Poetry
Formats: Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
The Pain of Glass how sharply it cuts, how shrewdly it distorts. In this haunting collection of poems, prose, and images, Jean G-Owen blends the personal with the universal, exploring life’s fractures and the beauty they reveal. From relationships ruptured by love and loss to surreal encounters and walks through London’s cracked streets, this book unflinchingly examines fragility and resilience. Both raw and intimate, The Pain of Glass is a fearless reckoning with life’s sharp edges, leaving an indelible mark long after the final page.
Genres: Confessional Poetry
Formats: Paperback
Age Groups: 18+
The poems and images in this slim collection address the vicissitudes of love and how it bites us in unexpected ways. Since the beginning of storytelling, poets have contemplated the universal theme of love in all its manifestations. Yet it remains an enigmatic, never-ending quest. As Zelda Fitzgerald says: ‘Nobody has ever measured, even poets, how much a heart can hold.’ Touching on grief, betrayal, loss, disappointment, and hope among other topics, Jean G-Owen’s candid reflections add another chapter to love’s lexicon. Each poem and image will leave its own indelible mark on the reader.