A. K. Blakemore (born in 1991) is an English author, poet, and translator.

Life and career

Blakemore was born in London in 1991. She studied Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. She has published two full-length collections of poetry, a novel, and a poet's manifesto, alongside translating the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo and contributing to various literary publications and collections.

Awards and recognition

Aged 15, she had her poem ''Peckham Rye Lane'' published in the ''London Evening Standard.'' Blakemore was Foyle Young Poet of the Year in 2007 and 2008. She was awarded the 2014 Melita Hume Prize which resulted in her publishing her first full-length collection of poetry ''Humbert Summer''. In 2017, The Poetry Society invited her to write a 'poetry manifesto', which she named "The flower is forever my capitain". She appeared at the Greenbelt Festival in 2018. Her second poetry collection, ''Fondue,'' was awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize. Blakemore's debut novel ''The Manningtree Witches'' won the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize.

Books

The Manningtree Witches (2021) Blakemore's first novel is a fictional account of the Essex witch trials published by

Granta Books ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and m ...

(UK) and Catapult (US). It has been positively reviewed in The Guardian, and was the winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize 2021. My Tenantless Body (2019) Blakemore translated Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo's collection of poetry in collaboration with Dave Haysom. This collection was published by the Poetry Translation Centre as part of their World Poets Series. Fondue (2018) A full-length collection of poetry, published by

Offord Road Books Offord is a surname, and may refer to: * Cyril Offord (1908–2000), British mathematician * Eddy Offord, record producer * John Offord (died 1349), Archbishop of Canterbury * Malcolm Offord, Scottish financier and politician * Matthew Offo ...

and awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize for Best Second Collection. pro ana (2016) Poetry collection published by If a Leaf Falls Press. Humbert Summer (2015) This full-length collection of poetry, published by Eyewear Publishing after she won the 2014 Melita Hume Prize. She was interviewed on Lunar Poetry Podcast about this collection, reading five of the poems. Amy's Intro (2012) Poetry collection by Nasty Little Press.

Articles and anthologies

Blakemore has written for and been featured in various literary publications including: ''

The White Review ''The White Review'' is a London-based magazine on literature and the visual arts. It is published in print and online. History ''The White Review'' was founded by editors Benjamin Eastham and Jacques Testard, and released its first issue in p ...

,'' the

Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is an American literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist Rut ...

, Partisan Hotel, Ambit, the Poetry Society, and Poetry London. Her work has been anthologised in

Bloodaxe Books Bloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specializing in poetry. History Bloodaxe Books was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Bloodaxe moved its editorial office to Northumbe ...

' ''Voice Recognition; 21 Poets for the 21st Century'', UEA Publishing Project's ''Stop/Sharpening/Your/Knives'', and Salt Publishing's ''The Best of British Poetry 2015.''

References

External links

@akblakemore
on Twitter {{DEFAULTSORT:Blakemore, A.K. Living people 21st-century English poets 1991 births Recipients of Desmond Elliott Prize