Michael Woods

Michael Woods has three collections of poems published by Templar Poetry: Absence Notes (2011), Algebra (2017) and Opening Time (2018). His poems have appeared in several anthologies, the most recent being Empty Nest (Picador, 2021). His prizes include the Bridport, Poetry Yearbook, Ledbury, and Poetry on the Lake’s Silver Wyvern award. His work has been broadcast on BBC radio and television as part of its ‘Make a Difference’ initiative. In 2020 he contributed to Carol Ann Duffy’s WRITE where we are NOW project.

He edited Tandem poetry magazine, publishing new writers alongside established names including Seamus Heaney. Reading at festivals in the UK, Ireland and Italy, Michael has also lectured many times at the annual Gerard Manley Hopkins International Literary Festival in Newbridge, county Kildare. He has taught Irish and postcolonial literature at the University of Worcester.

Other writing includes reviews for Iota magazine, York Notes Advanced (2000) on the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy, a chapter in The Poetry of Carol Ann Duffy: ‘Choosing tough words’ (Manchester University Press, 2003), and an essay on Hopkins and Heaney for the Hopkins Society (2021).

Organising creative writing courses with the Arvon Foundation and Taliesin Trust, as well as running numerous writing and art appreciation trips to Italy has also been a feature of his work. He has tutored at Moniack Mhor in Inverness-shire, and is co-founder of Inkwell Writers.

His interest in the visual arts, photography and karate have always fed an appreciation of the relationship between content and the discipline of form.