W. N. Herbert

W. N. Herbert is a highly versatile poet who writes in both English and Scots. Born in Dundee, he established his reputation with two English/Scots collections, Forked Tongue (1994) and Cabaret McGonagall (1996), followed by The Laurelude (1998), The Big Bumper Book of Troy (2002), Bad Shaman Blues (2006), Omnesia (2013) and The Wreck of the Fathership (2020), all published by Bloodaxe Books. Twice shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, his collections have also been shortlisted for the Forward Prize. Four have been Poetry Book Society Recommendations. Herbert’s practical guide Writing Poetry was published by Routledge in 2010. He co-edited Strong Words: Modern Poets on Modern Poetry (2000) with Matthew Hollis, and Jade Ladder: Contemporary Chinese Poetry (2012) with Yang Lian, both published by Bloodaxe Books. He is Emeritus Professor of Poetry and Creative Writing at Newcastle University and lives in a lighthouse overlooking the River Tyne at North Shields. He was Dundee’s inaugural Makar from 2013 to 2018. In 2014 he was awarded a Cholmondeley Prize for his poetry, and an honorary doctorate from Dundee University. In 2015 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Author photo © Isobel Taylor