A joint event with Nottingham Poetry Society

Roy Marshall wanted to be a writer as a child and young man but became distracted for about twenty years during which time he found himself variously employed as a delivery driver, gardener and coronary care nurse, amongst other occupations. Since leaving nursing he has worked in adult education, both in community and as a part time university lecturer.   

Roy’s  first full collection ‘The Sun Bathers’ (Shoestring Press , 2013)
was shortlisted for the Michael Murphy award. ‘Filled with invention, exceptional skill and rueful humour.’ Peter Carpenter, Under The Radar 

A second collection, ‘The Great Animator’  was published by Shoestring Press in 2017.  ‘Every other line offers something in language we can revel in, smile at, whisper in pleasure as we read. Some lines feel like sonic ball-pools we can roll around in, emerging for air only as they resolve.’     Noel Williams in The North

Roy’s versions of poems by the Italian poet Eugenio Montale were published in 2019, also Shoestring Press ‘A delight to read, beautifully crafted, spare yet lyrical.’ 
Caroline Maldonaldo, London Grip 

Magazine publications

Roy’s work has been published in magazines including The Rialto, Ambit,
Poetry Wales, Smiths Knoll, The North, Magma, Agenda, The Manchester Review,  Guardian online, The Butchers Dog , The High Window, The Compass and Stand.

Anthologies

Poems have appeared in anthologies including ‘Blame Montezuma’ (Happenstance, 2014) ‘Double Bill’ (Red Squirrel, 2014), The Emergency Poet Anti-Stress Anthology (Michael O’Mara, 2015) ‘Schooldays’ (Paper Swans 2015),  More Raw Material (Lucifer Press, 2015), ‘No 2 Poetry ‘ (Vanguard 2016)  ‘New boots and Pantisocracies’ (Smokestack, 2016), ‘Over Land and Sea’ (2016, Five Leaves) ‘Millstone Grit’ (Antiphon, 2016)  ‘One for The Road’ (Poetry Business, 2017) ‘The Language of Flowers’ ( Penguin, 2017)  ‘Poems in the Waiting Room’, New Zealand, ‘Diversify; Poetry and Art on Britain’s Urban Birds’ (Fair Acre 2018), ‘The Pocket Poetry Book of Weddings’ & ‘Pocket Poetry Book of Cricket’ (Paper Swans, 2018), ‘Poems for the NHS  (Onslaught Press, 2018)  ‘These Are the Hands (Fair Acre press, 2019) and ‘Ten Poems of Hope’ (Candlestick Press, 2022)

https://roymarshall.wordpress.com/

Roy will be supported by Tony Challis, chair of Nottingham Poetry Society and a veteran of many writing groups, including Pink Ink.

Tony has had a long writing life and has been writing poetry since the 1980s. His poems have been published in various anthologies, and his prose has appeared in Late Outbursts and in Desire, Love, Identity both published by Bold Strokes. In 2018 Nottingham Writers’ Studio made him their Poet of the Year. For some years, Tony facilitated a Rainbow LGBT Writing Group at the Studio. He is Chair of Nottingham Poetry Society, is keen on performing his poetry at spoken word events.