Christopher North
Although Christopher has published widely and has won a glittering array of prizes for his poetry, Explaining the Circumstances was his first full collection. His work has universality, strength and wit; and even when he is being playful, his poetry sings with lyrical expression and an understanding of human nature. With his wife Marisa, Christopher facilitates the poetry writing retreats in his art centre, Almassera Vella, in Spain.
Christopher has now collaborated with Terry Gifford to produce a bi-lingual book about the area of Eastern Spain where they both live and write. Al Otro Lado del Aguilar is a collection of poems and conversations written by Christopher and Terry and translated into Spanish by a team of translators from Alicante University and Madrid.
Personal website: www.oldolivepress.com
Sample poems
After the Uffizi from Explaining the Circumstances
Village Wedding at Relleu from Al Otro Lado del Aguilar
Berners’ Doves from The Night Surveyor
Oversteps publications
The Night Surveyor (2014)
Explaining the Circumstances (2010)
Al Otro Lado del Aguilar with Terry Gifford (2011)
Suddenly, crossing the road in front of us,
a gull. Expressionless, self-involved,
it was hurrying, slightly late for an appointment.
Near the verge it broke into a little run
and we could see it carried a broken wing,
seemingly clutching to its side – a brief-case.
Extract from “Gull”
Recent news
Christopher North was highly commended in the Café Writers competition,2018
Mark Totterdell was highly commended in the Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Festival poetry competition
Tony Watts was awarded joint 3rd prize in the Barnett Open poetry competition,
and was commended in the Sentinel Literary Quarterly open poetry competition
and was shortlisted in the Littoral Press Nature Poetry Collection competitionRose Flint won the Littoral Press Nature Poetry Collection competition
Ian Royce Chamberlain had 3 poems shortlisted in the Plough poetry competition
[9-May-19 ]
Christopher North was commended in the Winchester Poetry Prize competition.
[17-Oct-17 ]
Christopher North was awarded 3rd prize in the Barnet poetry competition, and had another poem highly commended.
[15-Feb-17 ]
Christopher North’s poem, ‘Reverie after reading Tristram Shandy’ gained 2nd prize in the Yeovil Literary prize competition.
[28-Aug-16 ]
Sue Davies and Christopher North were both longisted in the National Poetry Competition.
[11-Apr-16 ]