Catherine Swire

Catherine lives on the Malvern Hills with her family and big dog. She read English at Oxford and went on to postgraduate study in Canada.  Her collection of poems, Soil, published by the Artel Press and illustrated by Russian artist, Marina Kolchanova, explores the way that trauma is translated by landscape.  Soil provides maps of walks around trauma-sites that explore local myths and history as well as the stupor of loss.  Now in their third edition, the poems were featured on Radio 4’s Ramblings and at Ledbury Poetry Festival. May this year will see an exhibition in Worcester Cathedral of drawings in response, by landscape artist Bridget Macdonald.  Catherine has led poetry workshops from Kent to the Highlands. She is a qualified teacher and teaches young adults.  Her prize winning book of prose and poetry Ash, Flame, Feather will be published by Black Spring Press in May.