Heidi Williamson

Heidi Williamson is an award-winning poet and creative-writing tutor. Her first collection, Electric Shadow (Bloodaxe, 2011) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry prize. Her second, The Print Museum (Bloodaxe, 2016) won the Book by the Cover award and the poetry category of the East Anglian book awards.

She works worldwide with poets by Skype for the Poetry Society — with students in the UK, India, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Russia and the US. She teaches for The Poetry School, The Writing Coach and SAW Trust, a charity bringing research science into schools.

Although not a scientist by trade, she finds all branches of science, engineering and mathematics fascinating and fruitful for writing. Her first two books were inspired by residencies in the London Science Museum’s Dana Centre (2008 and 2009) and the John Jarrold Printing Museum (2011–2014). Her third book concentrates on her time living in Scotland.

Before becoming a full-time poet, Heidi worked as an advertising copywriter and editor for brands including Virgin Money, HSBC, Scottish Amicable and Prudential. She developed and led writing workshops on various topics at all levels in the companies. She believes passionately that any writing can be lively and interesting — even the most technically challenging.

Born in Norfolk, she studied and lived in central Scotland for over a decade. She lived for a year in Brussels, then Salisbury before returning to Norfolk. She currently lives in Wymondham with her husband and son.

My love of reading began with weekly trips to the library in Swaffham down a lane that’s wonderfully called The Pightle. Words have since become my work as well as my passion: I’m an award-winning poet and creative writing tutor.

I’ve been writer-in-residence at the London Science Museum’s Dana Research Centre, the John Jarrold Printing Museum, and RLF Fellow at the University of East Anglia. Through my teaching for the Poetry School, Poetry Society, National Centre for Writing, and The Writing Coach, I work with writers across the world.

My first collection, Electric Shadow, was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre prize. The Print Museum won the East Anglian Book Award for Poetry. Return by Minor Road was featured in The Guardian and selected as both a Poetry Society and Out-Spoken Press book of the year. My short story ‘Glacial’ was shortlisted for the Fish Short Story prize.

I enjoy all sorts of writing, and this led me to study poetry and prose in evening classes at the University of East Anglia. I did this while working as an advertising copywriter and discussing very different types of writing during the day! I’m currently in the final stages of a Masters in Creative Writing at Oxford, where we write and discuss plays, memoir, novels, scripts, poetry, creative nonfiction and more. I love the insights into language, relationships, cultures, and the world that arise in discussing literature with others.