Candlestick Press
Biographies
Here you can find out more about the huge range of poets we feature in our pamphlets and the artists whose work appears on our beautiful covers.
We’ve now published poems by almost 850 historical and contemporary poets. In our pages you’ll find old favourites alongside twenty-first century voices – everyone from WH Auden to Belinda Zhawi. Although our emphasis is on British poetry, you’ll also find Irish, American and Australian writers. We hope these pages will encourage you to explore further the work of a poet you’ve enjoyed in one of our pamphlets.-
Ruth Bidgood
Ruth Bidgood has been publishing poetry for over fifty years. She served in the Woman’s Royal Naval Service during the Second World War, as a coder in Egypt. A distinguished poet, in 2011 she won the Roland Mathias Prize for her collection Time Being, published by Seren Books.
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Laurence Binyon
Robert Laurence Binyon (1869 – 1943) was an English poet, dramatist and art scholar. He was born to Quaker parents in Lancaster and studied at Oxford, where he was awarded the Newdigate poetry prize. He lived most of his life in London, where he worked at the British Museum before going to war and after his return. His best known work, For the Fallen, is often used in Remembrance Sunday services.
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Julia Bird
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.
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Elizabeth Bishop
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.
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William Blake
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.
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Richard Blanco
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.
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