Leeds Poetry 1950-1980

Leeds Poetry 1950-1980

A joint project between the School of English and Leeds University Library bringing together the work of poets at the University of Leeds between 1950-1980.

Poets at the University of Leeds

Poets who worked at the University of Leeds between 1950-1980. The poetry archive at Special Collections at Leeds University Library.

Martin Bell

Martin Bell a Gregory Fellow in Poetry at the University of Leeds. The oldest poet to hold the Gregory Fellowship, 1967-1969.

Thomas Blackburn

A biography of Thomas Blackburn a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He was the third Gregory Fellow at the University of Leeds, 1956-58.

Wayne Brown

A biography of Wayne Brown a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. Brown took up the post in 1974.

Kevin Crossley-Holland

A biography of Kevin Crossley-Holland a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the fellowship between 1969-1971.

Jon Glover

A biography of Jon Glover a Poet at the University of Leeds. Involved with Sixty-One and Ikon poetry magazines.

Tony Harrison

A biography of the poet Tony Harrison and his association with the University of Leeds where he was a student in the late 1950s.

John Heath-Stubbs

A biography of John Heath-Stubbs a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the position between 1952-1955.

Geoffrey Hill

A biography of Geoffrey Hill a Poet at the University of Leeds. Published work in Northern House pamphlet poets series.

Pearse Hutchinson

A biography of Pearse Hutchinson a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the post between 1971-1974.

James Kirkup

A biography of James Kirkup the first Gregory Fellowship Poet in 1950.

Paul Mills

A biography of Paul Mills the last Gregory Fellow in Poetry between 1978 and 1980.

Peter Redgrove

A biography of Peter Redgrove a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the post between 1962-1965.

Vernon Scannell

A biography of Vernon Scannell a poet at the University of Leeds.

Jon Silkin

A biography of Jon Silkin the youngest Gregory Fellow of Poetry at the University of Leeds. Jon held the post between 1958-1960.

Ken Smith

A biography of Ken Smith a poet at the University of Leeds.

William Price Turner

A biography of William Price Turner a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. He held the position between 1960-1962.

David Wright

A biography of David Wright a Gregory Fellowship Poet at the University of Leeds. David held the position 1965-1967.

Poetry Publishing at Leeds

A historical overview of poetry publishing at the University of Leeds. It incudes publishing before 1950; Leeds University Poetry and the Acadine Poets.

Poetry and Audience

Information about Poetry and Audience a student literary magazine founded by Ralph Maud in 1953. This includes images taken from Special Collections at the Leeds University Library.

Other student literary periodicals

Other published periodicals at the University of Leeds. Publications include; Sixty-One, Ikon, Tlaloc, M.O.M.A, Geste, Minotaur, Short Story, Icarian, Stride, The Leeds Larynx and Context.

A history of the published periodicals Stand and Northern House. Stand was founded by Jon Silkin in 1952. Northern House was founded by Andrew Gurr and Jon Silkin in 1963 in the Department of English Literature at the University of Leeds.

Leeds Poetry map

Literary maps of Leeds, showing where the poets lived and worked when resident at the University of Leeds on the Gregory Fellowship.

Use this resource to help you explore the history of poetry publishing at Leeds between 1950 and 1980. Learn about the Poets who studied and worked at the University and those connected with the city and the surrounding area.

Special Collections holds extensive archives (including original manuscripts, correspondence and tape-recordings) relating to poetry connected with the University between 1950 and 1980.

Discover more about poets at the University of Leeds, be they students or teachers, and about their lives and their impact on poetry internationally. Find out about the founding of the Gregory Fellowships, particularly the award for Poetry, winners of the award and their lasting impact on the university. Learn about poetry publishing at Leeds, from student zines and monographs to internationally renowned journals and world famous publications. And finally, see where the poets who lived locally by viewing the maps available at the end of the resource.

As a whole, these resources bear witness to a vibrant regional literary culture centred on the University in the post-war period, and have much to offer scholars, historians, and readers of modern English poetry.

The Leeds Poetry Project was a joint project by the School of English and Leeds University Library, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) in 2005, which brought together online information about archival collections relating to poets working at the University of Leeds between 1950 and 1980.