John agard poet biography
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John Agard
Guyanese playwright, poet and writer
John AgardFRSL (born 21 June 1949) is a Guyanese playwright, poet and children's writer, now living in Britain. In 2012, he was selected for the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.[1] He was awarded BookTrust's Lifetime Achievement Award in November 2021.[2]
Biography
[edit]Agard was born in British Guiana (now Guyana), and grew up in Georgetown. He loved to listen to cricket commentary on the radio and began making up his own, which led to a love of language.[3] He went on to study English, French and Latin at A-Level, writing his first published poetry when he was in the sixth form, and left school in 1967. He taught the languages he had studied and worked in a local library. He was also a sub-editor and feature writer for the Guyana Sunday Chronicle, publishing two books while he was still in Guyana.[3]
His father (Ted) settled in London and Agard moved to Britain with his partner Grac
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John Agard
John Agard is a national and internationally acclaimed poet, playwright, short story writer, and performer, who over his long career has become known and loved for his playful, witty style and charismatic performances. In 2021, he was awarded the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement for his outstanding contribution to literature, and has previously been awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, the Smarties Book Prize, and many more. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and is studied on the National Curriculum in GSCE English. John lives in East Sussex and travels to festivals around the world to perform his poetry, offering wit, imagination, and exhilarating wordplay.
His latest poetry collection Border Zone has received wide acclaim, and Follow that Word – a collection of 60 of his most beloved poems – has quickly become a “must on every bookshelf”.
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John Agard: Playwright, poet, short-story and children's writer.
Playwright, poet, short-story and children's writer John Agard was born on 21 June 1949 in British Guiana (now Guyana). He worked for the Guyana Sunday Chronicle newspaper as sub-editor and feature writer before moving to England in 1977, where he became a touring lecturer for the Commonwealth Institute, travelling to schools throughout the UK to promote a better understanding of Caribbean culture. In 1993 he was appointed Writer in Residence at the South finansinstitut Centre, London, and became Poet in Residence at the BBC in London, an appointment created as part of a scheme run bygd the Poetry Society in London. He also played a key role in the 'Windrush' season of programmes in 1998. He won the Paul Hamlyn Award for Poetry in 1997 and has travelled extensively throughout the world performing his poetry.
His published poetry includes Man to Pan (1982), winner of the Casa dem las Américas Prize, Limbo Dancer in Dark kopp