James W. Wood

When Jo Shapcott opened the door of her flat and the top of a whisky bottle to undergraduates at Cambridge University back in the early 90’s, first in the queue was a floppy-haired Scotsman with a broken tooth and dreams of becoming a writer.

A few months and bottles later, Swingtime, James’s first poetry pamphlet was published with the support of Cambridge’s Judith E. Wilson Fund for Literature. In six weeks it had sold out its print run of 300 copies. This led to a scholarship working with Derek Walcott and Geoffrey Hill at Boston University.

That scholarship led, naturally enough, to … nowhere.

Many confused years were spent working as a publishing editor, copywriter etc in London, Paris and all points East, until in 2004 the call of home grew too strong and James returned to Scotland where no commuting and cheaper accommodation enabled him to produce The Theory of Everything (HappenStance, 2006), followed by Inextinguishable (Knucker Press, 2008). 

A long poem about modern Scotland, Song of Scotland, was published to no small amount of controversy in Poetry Review’s Autumn 2008 edition. James has also been featured as the “poet of the day” on poems.com and appeared in the Winter 2009 edition of Canada’s leading literary journal, The Fiddlehead.

A full collection followed from Ward Wood, and more recently, Building a Kingdom, a New and Selected edition.

James is currently Humour and Satire Editor for Ars Notoria

Poetry publications:

Building a Kingdom: New & Selected Poems 1989-2019, The High Window, 2019

The Emigrant's Farewell, Lulu.com, 2015

The Anvil's Prayer, Ward Wood Publishing, 2013

Inextinguishable, Knucker Press [pamphlet], 2008

The Theory of Everything, HappenStance [pamphlet], 2006

Swingtime, The Southside Press, 1991