John Siddique (born July 1964) is best known as a spiritual teacher,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

, and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. He is the founder of Authentic Living, through which he aims to encourage people from all walks of life awaken to what he calls their "true naturalness". Siddique is not aligned with any particular religion, philosophy, or tradition. Known for his authenticity, humour, and "feet on the ground" wisdom, his work has quietly reached millions of people. He has to date published eight books. His teachings and writings have featured in ''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', ''

Granta ''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 ma ...

'', on CNN and the BBC. ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...

'' calls him "Rebellious by nature, pure at heart." ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''Th ...

'' magazine describes him as "A stellar British poet." ''New York Times'' correspondent Bina Shah says Siddique is "One of the best poets of our generation." Scottish Poet Laureate

Jackie Kay Jacqueline Margaret Kay, (born 9 November 1961), is a Scottish poet, playwright, and novelist, known for her works ''Other Lovers'' (1993), ''Trumpet'' (1998) and ''Red Dust Road'' (2011). Kay has won many awards, including the Guardian Fictio ...

speaks of Siddique's writing as being "A brilliant balancing act." Siddique is the Honorary Fellow in Creative Writing at

Leicester University , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_label ...

. He is the former Laureate of the British city of

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

, and

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

Poet in Residence at

California State University The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...

, Los Angeles. Over the years he has held a number of roles with the

Royal Literary Fund The Royal Literary Fund (RLF) is a benevolent fund that gives assistance to published British writers in financial difficulties. Founded in 1790, and granted a royal charter in 1818, the Fund has helped an extensive roll of authors through its long ...

(RLF), including being the RLF Fellow at

York St. John University , mottoeng = They may have life and have it more abundantly , established = , type = Public , administrative_staff = 618 , chancellor = Reeta Chakrabarti , vice_chancellor = Professor Karen Bryan , studen ...

. Alongside his spiritual work, he is a commissioning editor for the

's WritersMosaic initiative. Born in the United Kingdom, Siddique initially had a difficult early life and rebelled against school and society. He later attended

Manchester University , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

as a mature student, gaining a master's degree in Literature. His study of meditation, yoga, and inner healing began at the age of fourteen, at first from books, then in the deep practical study of the great religions and practices, before setting all labels aside after a series of profound shifts in consciousness, which included a near-death experience in 2014.

Personal life

The young Siddique immersed himself in the world of books through his local library. Before becoming a writer he drifted through various jobs such as being a

roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This ca ...

, a pipe-welder, and

landscape gardener Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

. He first began writing in 1991 after reading

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the Modernism, modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important ...

's '' Ulysses'' and discovering the poetry of

e.e. cummings Edward Estlin Cummings, who was also known as E. E. Cummings, e. e. cummings and e e cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author and playwright. He wrote approximately 2,900 poems, two autobi ...

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

, and

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

. Siddique has stated in interviews that he regards his true countries of birth to be "literature and language".

Published works

Non-Fiction * ''Signposts of The Spiritual Journey'' (Watkins Publishing, 2021) Poetry * ''So – Selected New Poems 2011–21'' (Crocus, 2022) * ''Full Blood'' (

Salt Publishing Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...

, 2011) * ''Recital – An Almanac'' (Salt, 2009) * ''Blackpool – A Poet’s View'' (Blackpool Council, 2009) * ''Poems from a Northern Soul'' (Crocus, 2007) * ''Transparency'' (editor) (Crocus, 2006) * ''The Prize'' (Rialto, 2005) * ''The Devil's Lunchbox'' (Crocus, 1996) Short stories * ''Four Fathers'' (co-author) (Route, 2007) For children * ''Don’t Wear It On Your Head'' (Salt, 2010) Selected anthologies * ''New Writing 15'' (

) * ''The Fire People'' ( Payback/Canongate Books) * ''The HarperCollins Book of English Poetry'' (

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News C ...

) * ''Masala'' (MacMillan) * ''Out of Bounds'' (

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 ...

) * ''RED'' (

Peepal Tree Press Peepal Tree Press is a publisher based in Leeds, England which publishes Caribbean, Black British, and South Asian fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama and academic books. It was founded after a paper shortage in Guyana halted production of new bo ...

) * ''Life Lines – Poets for Oxfam'' CD * ''I Am The Seed That Grew The Tree'' ( Nosy Crow/National Trust) Prizes, awards and honours *Hawthornden Fellowship *Royal Literary Fund Fellow –

, 2013–15 *Honorary Creative Writing Fellow at

Arts Council of England The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both h ...

Writer's Awards, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011 *Shortlisted for CPLE Poetry Award, 2007 *Nomination for Best First Collection –

Forward Prize The Forward Prizes for Poetry are major British awards for poetry, presented annually at a public ceremony in London. They were founded in 1992 by William Sieghart with the aim of celebrating excellence in poetry and increasing its audience. The ...

, 2005 *Nomination for Best Poem – Forward Prize, 2004 Residencies *Canterbury Poet Laureate 2016 *Royal Literary Fund Fellow – York St. John 2013/15 & 2014/15 *Manchester Literature Festival, 2010 *Los Angeles for The British Council, 2009 *Blackpool – Poet in Residence, 2008 *Manchester Art Gallery, 2008 *Fundacion Valparaiso, 2006 *The Rainer Charity, Wigan, 2005 * Commonword/

BBC Manchester BBC Manchester (often known as BBC Salford) is the British Broadcasting Corporation regional headquarters for the North West, the largest BBC region in the UK. BBC Manchester is a department of the BBC North Group division. The BBC considers ...

– Poet in Residence, 2005 *Ilkley Literature Festival - Poet in Residence, 2004 *HMYOI Wetherby – Writer in Residence, 2000–03 *Ledbury Poetry Festival – Writer in Residence for Young People, 2000–03 *The LOWRY – Poet in residence, 2000–01 *Prestwich NHS Trust – Poet in Residence, 2000

References

External links

Authentic Living Website

Granta

Interview at The Argotist

California State University Poet in Residence Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddique, John 1964 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) 21st-century British poets 21st-century British male writers British male poets British male writers Spiritual teachers