April 2008
Gillian Allnutt lives near Durham. She won the Northern Rock Foundation Writer's Award in 2005. She has published seven poetry collections. 'Nantucket and the Angel' and 'Lintel' were both shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and 'Lintel' was a Poetry Book Society Choice.
Of her recent Bloodaxe collection, 'How the Bicycle Shone: New & Selected Poems', Sean O'Brien wrote: "... samples a body of work that has steadily been becoming impressive not only in scope but in its combination of richness and increasing austerity. There's nothing comparable to this in contemporary English poetry."
Tom Bryan was born in Winnipeg, Canada in 1950, but has long been resident in Scotland, his mother's country. He is a widely published and broadcast poet, fiction and non-fiction writer. Writer-in-Residence in Aberdeenshire, Scottish Borders, and currently, Brownsbank Writing Fellow in Biggar, South Lanarkshire. Has edited three literary magazines and was the founder of "The Eildon Tree" magazine, still going in the Scottish Borders. Has edited anthologies as well.
To date, four published collections of poetry, three non-fiction books, a small book of short stories and a novel. His short stories have appeared in many leading anthologies and literary magazines in Britain and abroad. Plays a bit of harmonica and writes songs and has also had a dramatic piece about the mythical Scottish bard Thomas the Rhymer performed in the Borders, the Highlands and the State Theatre in Tula, Russia.
Works throughout South Lanarkshire from his working base at Brownsbank Cottage, the former home (now museum) of iconic poet Christopher Murray Grieve "Hugh MacDiarmid" (1892-1978).
Tom lives in Kelso in the Scottish Borders.
S.J. Litherland's latest collections include The Homage (Iron 2006) a cricket saga on former England captain Nasser Hussain and The Work of the Wind (Flambard 2006) about her tumultuous years with fellow poet Barry MacSweeney who died in 2000. She has received two Northern Writers' Awards. Her work has appeared in The Forward Book of Poetry 2001 , the Bloodaxe New Women Poets , North by North East (Iron) and Modern Poets of Northern England (translated into Russian). Born in Warwickshire, she has lived in Durham City since 1965 and is a member of Vane Women and Colpitts Poetry. Work in progress is divided between completing her sixth collection The Absolute Bonus of Rain and new perspectives on cricket as an art form as well as a sport.
Kitty Fitzgerald worked as a shop assistant, waitress, photographic technician, butter maid, shelf-filler and teacher before giving up work to concentrate on writing. She is the author of 4 novels: Pigtopia (Faber & Faber 2005) Small Acts of Treachery (Brandon 2002), Snapdragons (Brandon 1999) and Marge (Sheba 1985), a volume of poetry: For Crying Out Loud (IRON Press 1994) written with V. Laws, 4 plays for BBC Radio 4 and 8 theatre plays. She has received the C P Taylor Playwriting Bursary and also won the most original screenplay for the film ' Dream On' at Le Baule Film Festival. Her novel, Pigtopia , took second place in the prestigious Barnes and Noble Discover award in the USA in 2006.
"likely to be one of the most unusual books you will read this year..Fitzgerald shows great authorial power.... a reading experience not to be missed." MsLexia
'A contemporary piggy classic ... This novel is a linguistic tour de force which grips and repels, each chapter sparkles with the eccentricity of her imagination; she has created a combination of moral fable and domestic drama which is a pleasure to devour.' Independent on Sunday
'An instantly enthralling modern fairytale, remarkably inventive and instantly endearing. Plotted with page turning precision and with a heartbreaking ending of overwhelming power, this is a moving and magical novel' Big Issue in Scotland
‘A novel whose boldness is itself a triumph of the poetic imagination. Kitty Fitzgerald announces herself as a writer of stylistic daring who cuts her own furrow' Scotsman 
The Ogdens There are two ogdens. we make music in the north Pennines using mainly guitars. one day we hope there will be more ogdens to add extra texture to our music. mostly our songs are lyrical and melodic. we hope they do what good songs do, which is touch on universal themes in idiosyncratic ways. most of all we want to play our songs to real people in real time and hope that the experience is mutually rewarding.
