Alison Brackenbury was born in Lincolnshire in 1953. She has published nine collections of poetry. Her work has been awarded an Eric Gregory Award and a Cholmondeley Award by the Society of Authors. For over thirty years, her poems have appeared in Britain’s major poetry journals. She also reviews poetry for a wide range of publications. Her work has frequently been featured on BBC Radio, and she has written six full-length radio features, including ‘Singing in the Dark’, about the stubborn survival of traditional song,which was a ‘Radio Times’ Choice. She contributes regularly to Radio 4’s arts programme, ‘Front Row’, and has recently read her work live on Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme.