Publicists take note: Sometimes the best way to lift a book out of obscurity is by harnessing the tireless outrage of religious fundamentalists.

The Guardian‘s Alison Flood is reporting how a group of Christian extremists is focusing its ire on a profanity-laced collection of poetry, which otherwise would almost certainly have been overlooked by the British press.

Christian activists are due to stage a protest outside the Welsh Assembly tomorrow over Patrick Jones’s poetry collection Darkness Is Where the Stars Are, which they describe as ugly, indecent and blasphemous.

Jones is scheduled to read his poetry at the Assembly’s T Hywel building tomorrow at 12pm, but the group Christian Voice “ which has already successfully campaigned against Jones launching his work at Waterstone’s Cardiff branch last month “ is planning a public act of Christian witness outside the building.

The book in question, published by the innocuously named Cinnamon Press, alludes to carnal relations between Jesus and Mary Magdalene and contains the blasphemous assertion that god does not die because he was never alive. Apparently, it represents the culmination of two decades of work by Jones, who was formerly most famous for his ties to the band Manic Street Preachers.

Ironically, the mastermind behind the protests is urging members to commit some very un-Christian-like acts of deceit:

Say how much you would like an invitation to the event, but don’t say you wish to protest! the organisation said in an email. Say whatever is needed to get alongside and get a ticket without bearing false witness. You cannot give a false name for either event as ID will be required. So Onward, Christian soldiers, Stand up, stand up for Jesus!