I can remember what it was like not to read or write. I was confused and bored by school. Told I’d never be much of a reader or writer, I wrote backwards, unintentionally. I was moved to another school and taught how to read and write. At age seven I wrote my first poem, called “Autumn”. I knew I'd done something special because the teacher told me to type it up on one of only six computers in the school. It was one of those with green writing and I had no idea what I was doing.
Biography
Emma McGordon was born in West Cumbria in 1982. She left secondary school aged 16 to study A-levels at college before joining the local paper where she trained as a journalist until 2002.
At a poetry workshop in 1998 at Whitehaven she met the poet Barry Patrick MacSweeney who acted as her mentor and in the last twelve months spoke to her almost everyday on the phone. He published her first collection The Hangman and The Stars and she cites him as the single biggest influence on her writing and performing style.
In 2002 she left journalism to study English Literature at the University of Liverpool. She is now living back in west Cumbria with her partner, three dogs, four guitars and a cat.
Personal Reflection
One of my on-going preoccupation is the theme of the waste of young lives, people dying at young ages. It must be in my psyche. I’m just digesting the experiences that come into my life.
I plan to study for an MA in creative writing and become more involved with performance poetry.
Words from the garden Audio CD (New writing North 2007)
The Hiag Pit audio poetry project. Emma McGordon / Copleand Council (2006 /7)
Generation Txt anthology (Penned in the Margins 2006)
Morden Tower poets anthology (Morden Tower 2003)
First Steps anthology( New Writing North 2003)
The Hangman and the Stars. (Blacksuede Boot Press 2000)
Forum 28, Barrow in Furness 2007
Soho Theatre, London 2007
Latitude Festival 2007
Generation Txt 3 week nationwide tour 2007
Coronation Hall, Ulverston 2007
Contact Theatre, Manchester 2007
Alnwick Garden, Northumberland 2007
White Chappel Gallery, London 2006
Herne Hill, London 2006
The Blue Room Newcastle, 2005
Northern Writers Awards Ceremony 2003
Kings Arms, 2001
Theatre by the Lake, Keswick 2001
The Modern Tower, Newcastle 2001 /2001
The Kirkgate, Cockermouth, 2000
Dulwich Collge 2000
Wessex Festival 1999
Northern Young Writer of the Year 2003 New Writing North.
I love working with people who suddenly discovering they did have something to say when previously they were saying poetry’s not for me.
Emma was also commissioned by Flax to collaborate on Elevator Poetry
Magazines Emma has appeared in since 1999, include:
Fire, Pitch, Moodswing, Tears in the Fence, Poets in the Co-op, Keystone.
Workshops
Monkwray Juniors, 2005 / 2007 yrs 3-6 Whitehaven School 2005 gifted and talented, summer school yrs 7-9 Joint Devon schools 2007 A pilot project in HMP Haverigg 2006 working with inmats of all abilities Community centre for disabled adults. 2007 Afternoon workshop on storyboards
Poet in residence at Alnwick Garden Northumberland. Winter 2006/7 and Haig pit community day centre for the elderly. 2006
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