Linda France is a British poet, writer and editor. She has published eight full-length poetry collections, a number of pamphlets, and was editor of the influential anthology, ''Sixty Women Poets''. France is the author of ''The Toast of the Kit-Cat Club'', a verse biography of the eighteenth-century traveler and social rebel,

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, who later served a ...

. She has won numerous awards and fellowships, including the National Poetry Competition in 2013.

Early life and education

Linda France was born in Wallsend, Newcastle upon Tyne on 21 May 1958. When France was five years old, her family moved to

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, when her father's employer established a new paint manufacturing business. In an interview in 2016, France revealed that moving to

, with its own unique dialect, was an influential moment in her life. She stated: "The effect of that linguistic shift made a writer out of me – the shedding of my native tongue (

Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitut ...

), and the language of the hearth to try to belong 'elsewhere' snapped a root that could never be mended and kept me, like most writers, on the edge, always the observer, the listener." France attended the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

, studying

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

. After graduating, France lived in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and later moved to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. In 1981, she returned to England, settling in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

with her two sons. The family lived for ten years in a home without electricity.

Career

France's work includes themes of landscape, nature, love and identity. In 1988 and 1989, France was awarded First Prize in the

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 ...

Evening Chronicle Poetry Competition. She won a Northern Arts Fellowship at the

Tyrone Guthrie Centre The Tyrone Guthrie Centre, often known as ''Annaghmakerrig'', is a residential facility for creative artists. Located at Annaghmakerrig, Newbliss, County Monaghan, Ireland, it was founded in 1981. The house was the family home of theatrical dir ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in 1990. She published her first poetry collection, ''Red'', (

) in 1992. France was editor of the well-known anthology, ''Sixty Women Poets'', published by Bloodaxe in 1993. France's second collection, ''The Gentleness of the Very Tall'', was published by Bloodaxe in 1995 and was long-listed for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. In 1997, Bloodaxe published ''Storyville'', a collaboration authored by France, artist Birtley Aris and musicians Keith Morris and Lewis Watson. From 1998 to 2000, France was the recipient of a seven-month residency Fellowship at Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts, a one-month Hawthornden Fellowship, twice, and a Poetry Society poet Residency in Mowbray Park, Sunderland. Bloodaxe published, France's ''Simultaneous Dress'' in 2002. France next authored a verse biography of eighteenth-century writer, traveler, and social rebel,

, ''The Toast of the Kit-Cat Club: A Life of

''. The book was published by Bloodaxe in 2005. In 2009, ''book of days'', (ARC Publishing), France wrote a poem daily for a year. In 2010, ARC published France's,''You are Her''. Many of the poems in collection deal with France's journey of grief and healing France due to a serious horse-riding accident in 1995, and a number of deaths of close friends. France's 2016 collection, ''Reading the Flowers'' is an exploration of thirteen famous Botanical Gardens. The poem, ''Bernard and Cerinthe'', included in the collection, was awarded the National Poetry Competition in 2013. France lives near

Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall ( la, Vallum Aelium), also known as the Roman Wall, Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Hadriani'' in Latin, is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. R ...

, near Corbridge,

. She teaches Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

Poetry collections

* —(2016), ''Reading the Flowers'', ARC Publications, * —(2010), ''You are Her'', ARC Publications, * —(2009), ''Book of Days'', ARC Publications, * —(2002), ''The Simultaneous Dress'',

* —(1997), ''Storyville'',

* —(1995), ''The Gentleness of the Very Tall'',

, * —(1992), ''Red'',

Selected publications

* —(1993), ''Sixty Women Poets'',

, * —(2005), ''The Toast of the Kit-Cat Club'',

Awards

* —(2013), National Poetry Competition, ''Bernard and Cerinthe'' * —(1997), Tyrone Guthrie Award * —(1994), Arts Foundation Poetry Fellowship

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:France, Linda 1958 births Living people 21st-century British writers British women poets People from Wallsend Writers from Tyne and Wear Writers from Northumberland 21st-century British women writers