Polly Atkin

Polly Atkin is a poet and nonfiction writer. She grew up in Nottingham then lived in East London for seven years before moving north to Cumbria. She has published three poetry pamphlets and two collections: Basic Nest Architecture (Seren: 2017) and Much With Body (Seren: 2021). Her nonfiction includes Barbellion-longlisted biography Recovering Dorothy: The Hidden Life of Dorothy Wordsworth (Saraband: 2021), Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing longlisted memoir Some Of Us Just Fall: On Nature and Not Getting Better (Sceptre: 2023 in the UK, Unnamed: 2024 in the US/Canada), named Lakeland Book of the Year 2024, and The Company of Owls (Elliott and Thompson: 2024). Her work on nature and disability is included in various anthologies, including Moving Mountains (Footnote: 2023). She works as a freelancer from her home in the English Lake District, where she co-owns historic Grasmere bookshop Sam Read Bookseller. Her latest book The Company of Owls was published by Elliot & Thompson in November 2024. Polly will also be teaching a three-day writing workshop at this summer’s WCLF.