Alasdair’s most recent Shearsman collections are My My My Life (2021) and Words of Mercury (2024). Born in Edinburgh, he began writing in Liverpool in the 1970’s and was given an Eric Gregory Award by the Society Of Authors in 1975. Later he took a 20 year sabbatical from poetry before stating to write again after a career in academic libraries. For 15 years he organised and presented the reading series Uncut Poets in Exeter, where he now lives.

John Richardson has been writing poetry for over 58 years. Trained as a mathematician, he spent 40 years (when not writing poetry) in various national and international IT management roles whilst also training to become psychotherapist and teaching assistant. 
He has given numerous poetry workshops, readings at Bath, Marlbrough, Swindon and Cheltenham Literature Festivals; was a founder member of Swindon’s BlueGate poets, FTLOP (for the love of poetry) and the Brokenbrough poetry group. During Covid he setup the Round-Robins, a monthly poetry email critique community. 
In 2011-12 he published the free, quarterly, online ekphrastic poetry, IMPpress e-zine. He has published several pamphlets of his own and other poets’ work. His most recent work, from which he’ll be reading, is crossing over about ghosts andincludes QR links to his recordings.

Sarah Barr lives in Dorset, writes poetry and fiction, is a Poetry Society Stanza rep, leads writing groups and mentors writers. She taught creative writing and social sciences for the Open University and worked as a counsellor. She often writes about relationships and the environment. She was longlisted in the National Poetry Competition 2023. Among prizes won for her poems are 1^st in the Frogmore and National Memory Day competitions, 2^nd in Poetry on the Lake and shortlisted in various others including the Bridport Prize.  Her poetry appears in many magazines and anthologies. She has published 2 poetry pamphlets: ‘January’ (2020, Maytree Press) and ‘Hawthorn’ (2024, Hedgehog Press) and a collection of short fiction, ‘Night Zoo’ (2022, Valley Press).

Dave Wakely has worked as a musician, university administrator, librarian, learning materials author and editor in cities across Europe. His writing has been shortlisted for the Manchester Fiction Prize and for the Cambridge and Bath Short Story awards, and his stories and poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. Online Programme Manager for Milton Keynes Literary Festival, he lives in Buckinghamshire with his husband.

Isabella Mead’s debut pamphlet Dear Rwanda was published in 2023 with Live Canon. She has won 9 poetry competitions including the Wells (2019), Bedford (2020), the Julian Lennon Poetry Prize (2021), Ver (2022), Telegraph (2022) and Prole Laureate (2022). She has been twice Highly Commended in the Bridport Prize,  longlisted for the National Poetry Competition and was a 2021 Brotherton finalist. Her poetry has appeared in Mslexia, Magma, The Telegraph, Ink Sweat & Tears and Anacapa Review. She is Artistic Director & Joint CEO of the Poetry School, and a Trustee of Jane Austen House. In April 2024 she was Poet in Residence at Spitzbergen Arts Centre in Svalbard.