John Challis lives and works in the North East. His debut collection, The Resurrectionists (Bloodaxe, 2021), was a poetry book of the month in the Guardian and highly commended in the 2021 Forward Prizes for Poetry. His pamphlets include The Black Cab (Poetry Salzburg, 2017), a 2019 New Writing North Read Regional Title, and Hallsong (New Writing North, 2022), written while he was writer-in-residence at the National Trust’s Seaton Delaval Hall. His poetry has appeared on BBC Radio 3 and 4, in the Guardian, Poetry Ireland Review, Poetry London, The Telegraph and elsewhere. He is the recipient of a Northern Writers’ Award, a Pushcart Prize, and an Author’s Foundation Grant from the Society of Authors.

He has taught poetry and creative writing in schools and prisons and led workshops and courses for Arvon, Newcastle University, New Writing North, The Poetry Business and The Poetry School. He is an associate editor of Volume and sits on the editorial board of Poetry Salzburg Review. He holds an MA and PhD in Creative Writing from Newcastle University.

John's work has been reviewed in the Guardian, and his work was featured as Poem of the Week. John has also written an essay on the poetry of Sean O'Brien for Wild Court.

"My approach to teaching prioritises writing in an encouraging and relaxed environment. I use poems and creative prompts to inspire writing, paired with supportive discussion and feedback. Through close reading, I also encourage thinking around how poems are actually written, the processes poets use, and what can be learned by studying techniques such as voice, line and form. Through this combination of writing, reading and discussion, participants discover ways to take their poems to the next level, while developing their individual writing practice."