Jo Bell
Uk
Jo Bell is an award-winning poet working across the UK with poetry talents from Ian McMillan to Brian Patten and Gwyneth Lewis. A performer, playwright, project manager, programmer, producer and a few things that don't begin with P, Jo is former director of National Poetry Day, sometime programmer for Ledbury Poetry Festival and others, and occasional broadcaster. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter for a poetry news service.
Jo lives on a narrowboat and is the Canal Laureate of the UK, appointed by the Poetry Society and Canal and River Trust. She devised the immensely successful online poetry group 52 - part of her mission to use social media as a stimulus for good poetry.
She has read at the Houses of Parliament, Glastonbury Festival (as poet in residence), the Southbank Centre, Paris, Stromstad and a vast number of upstairs rooms in pubs. Jo was a guest at Buckingham Palace’s reception to recognise contemporary British poetry. Winner of the Causley Prize and the Manchester Cathedral Prize in 2014, she has also come in the top three for the Bridport prize, the Ballymaloe International and Wigtown prizes this year. Poetry International describes her as part of the New Bardic Tradition and she'll take that, thank you very much.
Jo's latest poetry collection Kith is out now from Nine Arches Press and will be celebrated with readings across the UK in spring and summer 2015.