Robyn Bolam (born 1953), formerly known as Marion Lomax, is an English poet, editor, and librettist. She writes about topics such as love and loss, about surviving under difficult situations, and about changes within the natural world and in society.

Life and works

Robyn Bolam was born on 20 October 1953 in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England. Her father, Charles Hall, was a carpenter and her mother, Margaret Ann Bolam, was a nurse. She spent most of her early life 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 ...

, England and began her poetry writing at a very young age. At the age of 15, one of her poems was first published in an anthology titled ''Next Wave Poets 1,'' and more of her poems were later published in ''Next Wave Poets 2.'' Bolam married Michael Lomax in August 1974 and began publishing her works under the name Marion Lomax. Sometime after her marriage, she wrote a poem called 'Special Delivery', which was about the death of her father. The poem was accepted for a magazine called ''New Poetry,'' published by Norman Hidden. Hidden would continue to be a source of encouragement for Bolam until his death in 2006 at the age of 93. Another source of encouragement for Bolam was the poet Peter Porter, who encouraged her to apply for the

Eric Gregory Award The Eric Gregory Award is a literary award given annually by the Society of Authors for a collection by British poets under the age of 30. The award was founded in 1960 by Dr. Eric Gregory to support and encourage young poets. In 2021, the seven ...

, for which she applied in 1980, and for which she was awarded in 1981. In the same year, she also won first prize in the Cheltenham Poetry Competition. In 1993, she was awarded a Hawthornden Castle Fellowship, and spent a month at the retreat for writers in Hawthornden Castle. Robyn's first book, ''The Peepshow Girl'', was published in 1989 by

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 ...

, followed by ''Raiding the Borders'' in 1996, and ''New Wings'' in 2007. Her most recent publish work is ''Hyem'', published in October 2017. She did not begin publishing under the name of Robyn Bolam until December 2000 after her divorce from Michael Lomax in December 1999.

Awards

* 1981: Eric Gregory Award * 1981: First Prize in Cheltenham Poetry Competition * 1993: Hawthornden International Fellowship

Books

*''Stage Images and Traditions: Shakespeare to Ford'' (1987, as Marion Lomax) *''The Peepshow Girl'' (1989) * ''Raiding the Borders'' (1996) *''Plotting Early Modern London: New Essays on Jacobean City Comedy'' (2004, contributor) * ''New Wings'' (2007) * ''Hyem'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolam, Robyn Living people 1953 births English women poets English editors English librettists Writers from Newcastle upon Tyne