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Julia Bird grew up in Gloucestershire and now lives in London. Her first poetry collection was Hannah and the Monk published by Salt in 2008, followed by Twenty-Four Seven Blossom in 2013. Her illustrated poetry pamphlet Now You Can Look is published by the Emma Press. She specialises in producing live lit shows and currently works for the Poetry Society.

Elizabeth Bishop (1911 – 1979) is considered by many as one of the most important American poets of the twentieth century. She was deeply influenced by the poet Marianne Moore, and formed a lifelong friendship with poet Robert Lowell. She also worked as a painter, travelled widely, and was the recipient of several major literary awards.

Amy Blackwell is a painter, illustrator and printmaker based in the Midlands. Her vivid images are inspired by what she describes as ‘the weird and the wonderful’ and she is interested in the natural world, fashion and folklore. She also paints portraits and creates patterns, always using bright colours and clean lines.

William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a painter and poet who made a living as an engraver and illustrator. He spoke of having visions from an early age and was a nonconformist, associating with the leading radical thinkers of his day.  His best- known collections were Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794) printed in illustrated format reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts.

Richard Blanco emigrated to America with his Cuban family as a child and has lived there ever since. He trained as an engineer before turning to poetry in the 1990s. He has published several full collections including most recently Homeland of My Body: New and Selected Poems (2023) as well as two memoirs.  He has won numerous accolades for his work and has taught at several US universities.

Emily Blewitt is a Welsh poet born in Camarthen whose work has been widely published in journals such as Poetry Wales, The Rialto and The North. Her debut collection is This Is Not A Rescue (Seren, 2017), the title poem of which was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. In 2016 she completed a PhD at Cardiff University.