Amy Katrina Blakemore (born 11 May 1991), known professionally as A. K. Blakemore, is an English author, poet, translator, and former model.

Early life and education

Amy Katrina Blakemore was born on 11 May 1991 in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. She was raised in

South London South London is the southern part of Greater London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, Lon ...

, where she attended

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

. She then went on to study language and literature at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

Career

Blakemore has cited

Sam Riviere Sam Riviere (born 1981) is an English poet, author and publisher. Education and career Riviere was educated at Norwich School of Art and Design and completed a PhD in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in 2013. While at art sc ...

Mary Ruefle Mary Ruefle (born 1952) is an American poet, essayist, and professor. She has published many collections of poetry, the most recent of which, ''Dunce'' (Wave Books, 2019), was longlisted for the National Book Award in Poetry and a finalist for th ...

, and

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

as influences. She was a winner of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award for her poems "Peckham Rye Lane" and "You Envied the Stars Their Height" in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In 2009 her work was anthologized in

Bloodaxe Books Bloodaxe Books is a British publishing house specializing in poetry. History Bloodaxe Books was founded in 1978 in Newcastle upon Tyne by Neil Astley, who is still editor and managing director. Bloodaxe moved its editorial office to Northumbe ...

's ''Voice Recognition: 21 Poets for the 21st Century''. Her first single author publication, the pamphlet ''Amy's Intro'', was published in 2012 as part of Nasty Little Press's Intro series. ''Humbert Summer'', Blakemore's first full-length poetry collection, was published by Eyewear Publishing in 2015. That same year she won the Melita Hume Prize for Poetry. In 2016 she collaborated with If a Leaf Falls Press to publish the pamphlet ''pro ana'', which was only distributed in a run of twenty-four copies. Her sophomore poetry collection ''Fondue'' was subsequently published by Offord Road Books in 2018 and awarded a Ledbury Forte Prize for the Best Second Collection at the 2019

Ledbury Poetry Festival Founded in 1996 by a group of local poetry enthusiasts, the Ledbury Poetry Festival is now the biggest poetry festival in the UK. History The first Ledbury Poetry Festival was held in 1997 in Ledbury, Herefordshire. It was opened by jazz singer ...

. Further original poetry has been featured in various literary publications including ''

The White Review ''The White Review'' is a London-based magazine on literature and the visual arts. It is published in print and online. History Founding ''The White Review'' was founded by editors Benjamin Eastham and Jacques Testard, and released its firs ...

,'' ''Hotel'', and ''Ambit'', as well as anthologized in ''Stop Sharpening Your Knives No. 4'' (

Egg Box An egg carton (also known as an egg box in British English) is a carton designed for carrying and transporting whole eggs. Description These cartons have a dimpled form in which each dimple accommodates an individual egg and isolates that egg ...

, 2011) and ''The Best of British Poetry'' (

Salt Publishing Salt Publishing is an independent publisher whose origins date back to 1990 when poet John Kinsella launched ''Salt Magazine'' in Western Australia. The journal rapidly developed an international reputation as a leading publisher of new poetry ...

, 2015)''.'' In collaboration with Dave Haysom, Blakemore translated ''My Tenantless Body'', a collection of poetry by Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo. The collection was published by the

Poetry Translation Centre The Poetry Translation Centre (PTC) is an organization dedicated to translating poetry from Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity. It was founded by the British poet Sarah Maguire in 2004. I ...

as part of their World Poets Series in 2019. Since 2021, Blakemore has moved toward becoming a novelist. Her

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''The Manningtree Witches'' (

Granta Books ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...

, 2021), is a fictional account of the Essex witch trials. It has received generally positive reviews, and was the 2021 winner of the

Desmond Elliott Prize The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual award for the best debut novel written in English and published in the UK. The winning novel can be from any genre of fiction and must exhibit depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The winner receiv ...

. ''The Glutton'' (Granta Books, 2023) fictionalizes the true story of

Tarrare Tarrare (; 1772 – 1798), sometimes spelt Tarar, was a French showman, soldier, and spy noted for his unusual appetite and eating habits. Able to eat vast amounts of meat, he was constantly hungry; his parents could not provi ...

, a French showman with

polyphagia Polyphagia, or hyperphagia, is an abnormally strong, wikt:incessant, incessant sensation of Hunger (physiology), hunger or desire to eat often leading to overeating. In contrast to an increase in appetite following exercise, polyphagia does not s ...

who served as a military courier in the French Revolution. It was shortlisted for the

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

and the

Encore Award The £15,000 Encore Award for the best second novel was first awarded in 1990. It is sponsored by Lucy Astor, presented by the Royal Society of Literature The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King Ge ...

Adaptations

In July 2022, The Forge Entertainment optioned the rights to adapt ''The Manningtree Witches'' for television. ''The Manningtree Witches'' was adapted for stage by Ava Pickett. Directed by Natasha Rickman, the play will premiere in February 2026 at the

Mercury Theatre, Colchester The Mercury Theatre is a theatre in Colchester, producing highly regarded original work under the title "Mercury Productions" and also receiving touring shows. The theatre has two auditoria, and is led by Steve Mannix (Executive Director & CEO ...

Bibliography

Poetry

*''Amy's Intro'' (Nasty Little Press, 2012) * ''Humbert Summer'' ( Eyewear Publishing, 2015) * ''pro ana'' (If a Leaf Falls Press, 2016) * ''Fondue'' (Offord Road Books, 2018)

Work as translator

* ''My Tenantless Body'' (

, 2019), written by Yu Yoyo

Novels

*''The Manningtree Witches'' (

, 2021) * ''The Glutton'' (

, 2023)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blakemore, A.K. Living people 1991 births 21st-century English novelists 21st-century English poets 21st-century English translators Alumni of the University of Oxford English women historical novelists English women novelists Novelists from London Recipients of Desmond Elliott Prize