Jackie Kay

Jackie Kay is a Scottish poet and novelist, and was recently the Scots Makar, or National Poet of Scotland. She is the author of a number of works, including The Adoption Papers, Trumpet, Red Dust Road and recently, Bessie Smith, a mixed-genre narrative of the singer’s life. The recipient of numerous prizes, she was also… Continue reading Jackie Kay

Linda France

Linda France has published eight poetry collections, including The Gentleness of the Very Tall (Bloodaxe 1994 – a Poetry Book Society Recommendation; longlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize) and Reading the Flowers (Arc 2016 – longlisted for the Laurel Prize; ‘Bernard and Cerinthe’ won the 2013 National Poetry Competition). Her work has been awarded a Society of… Continue reading Linda France

Sean O’Brien

Sean O’Brien’s eleventh collection, Embark, is due from Picador in autumn 2022. He is Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His recent work includes a translation of the Collected Poems of Abai Kunanbayuli and editing Alistair Elliot’s This is the Life: Selected Poems. Winner of awards… Continue reading Sean O’Brien

Sinéad Morrissey

Sinéad Morrissey was born in Northern Ireland in 1972 and grew up in Belfast. She is the author of six poetry collections. In 2013, she was appointed Belfast’s inaugural Poet Laureate. Her awards include first prize in the UK National Poetry Competition, a Lannan Literary Fellowship and the E M Forster Award from the American… Continue reading Sinéad Morrissey

Linda Anderson

Linda Anderson recently retired as Professor of English from Newcastle University where she established the Newcastle Centre for the Literary Arts, the Newcastle Poetry Festival and the Bloodaxe Archive. She is now the Chair of Bloodaxe Books. In 2020, after publishing academic books, including on Elizabeth Bishop, she published her first poetry collection, The Station… Continue reading Linda Anderson

Imtiaz Dharker

Imtiaz Dharker is a poet, artist and video film maker, Chancellor of Newcastle University. awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in  2014. Her six collections, all published by Bloodaxe Books, include Over the Moon and the latest, Luck is the Hook. Her poems have featured widely on BBC radio, television, the London Underground, Glasgow… Continue reading Imtiaz Dharker