David J Costello
David lives in Wallasey and has been an established figure in the Wirral Poetry Scene for several years. He has been widely published and anthologised.
David has won prizes in a number of competitions including both the Welsh International Poetry Competition and the Troubadour International Poetry Competition.
His latest collection, No Need For Candles, is published by Red Squirrel Press. David’s first full collection is due from Red Squirrel Press in 2020.
Pat Edwards
Pat Edwards curates the Welshpool Poetry Festival. However, she is also a poet, reviewer and workshop leader in her own right. Her poetry has appeared in Magma, Prole, Ink Sweat & Tears, Atrium and others, as well as in a number of anthologies. Pat hosts Verbatim open mic nights.
Paul Harris
Paul Harris is a New Brighton (Wirral) based poet, poetry event host and a member of Chester Poets. He is also the co-owner of Wirral Wave community radio and presenter on the popular fortnightly “Poetry Roundup” show.
Paul enjoys encouraging performance poetry by hosting “River Poets”, an evening of open-mic poetry to which all are welcome in Gallaghers pub, Birkenhead on the last Monday of each month.
Jennifer Lee Tsai
Jennifer Lee Tsai was born in Bebington and grew up in Liverpool. Her doctoral research in Creative Writing is fully funded by the AHRC and critically focuses on questions of race, gender and embodiment in contemporary experimental poetry and so-called French feminist theory. This, in turn, informs the development of new creative work.
Previous to, and alongside her studies, Jennifer worked as a teacher of English as a Foreign/Second Language in universities and colleges for many years in the UK and abroad.
She is a fellow of The Complete Works poetry programme for diversity and innovation and a Ledbury Poetry Critic. Her creative and critical work is widely published in numerous magazines and journals including Magma, Oxford Poetry, The Rialto, Poetry London, The Poetry Review, Versopolis Review, The White Review, Wild Court as well as in the Bloodaxe anthology Ten: Poets of the New Generation (2017). Jennifer’s debut poetry pamphlet is Kismet (ignitionpress, 2019). She is the winner of a Northern Writers Award for Poetry 2020.
Eleanor Rees
Eleanor Rees is Lecturer in Creative Writing, Liverpool Hope University, Eleanor is a Birkenhead-born widely published poet and apart from her academic life she works in the community as a poet, running writing workshops for The Windows Project.
Eleanor has also toured widely offering readings at national and international poetry festival.
Pauline Rowe
Pauline Rowe has two recent pamphlets with Maytree Press: The Ghost Hospital was short listed in 2020 for a Saboteur Award in the best poetry pamphlet category; The Weight of Snow won the award in 2021.
Pauline is Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Chester and an Associate Writer with Open Eye Gallery. She is interested in social engagement and interdisciplinary artistic practice and works collaboratively with photographic artists. She lives in Liverpool.
Anna Saunders
Anna Saunders is the Director of Cheltenham Poetry Festival and has published three full collections of poetry, and carried out readings in many venues.
Anna also works as a writing consultant, tutor and mentor and runs many poetry workshops.