Peter Carpenter is a poet, teacher and publisher.
He contributed to ‘London: City of Disappearances’ (Hamish Hamilton/ Penguin) and is both contributor to and character in Iain Sinclair’s ‘London Orbital’. His chapter on creative writing (‘Singing Schools and Beyond’) appeared in the O.U.P. ‘Handbook of Contemporary British and Irish Poetry’ (2013).
He is a regular reviewer and essayist for Agenda, The North and was a contributor to The Continuum Encyclopaedia of British Literature (2003). He has written essays for many literary journals including the English Review, London Magazine, the Use of English, P.N. Review and Critical Survey.
He has performed his poetry, mentored and run writing workshops for many organisations including the Arvon Foundation, Poetry Ireland, the Dartington, Wessex, Ledbury and Aldeburgh poetry festivals, and Survivors’ Poetry.
He has taught creative writing for the University of Cambridge, was made a Visiting Fellow at the University of Warwick in 2001, and was Creative Writing Fellow at the University of Reading during 2007-08. He was made a Teacher Trailblazer by the Poetry Society in 2009 in recognition of his services in the teaching of poetry. http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/education/trailblazers
Poems have appeared many literary journals and magazines including the TLS, Poetry Review, Poetry Ireland Review, English, Poetry Wales, Agenda, Stand, Oxford Poetry, Metre, The North, The Rialto, the Independent and The Independent on Sunday.
He has had seven collections published: links for publishers pages
Choosing an England (Worple, 1997) No Age (Shoestring, 2001), The Black-Out Book (Arc 2002), Catch (Shoestring, 2006), After the Gold Rush (Nine Arches, 2009); ‘Just Like That: New and Selected Poems’ (Smith/ Doorstop, 2012) and ‘Peace Camp’ (Maquette, 2015).
His collections have been widely and favourably reviewed in, for example, Poetry London, the TLS, Ambit, The North, Leviathan, Poetry Ireland Review, Staple, English and The Use of English.
He has been a teacher of English from 1980, and has taught at Tonbridge School since 1992, working in Senior Management roles and as Head of Department. He set up ‘Tonbridge Professional Development’ courses and has run professional development courses for teachers in many contexts.
He has lectured on a variety of topics and authors including Geoffrey Hill ( Univeristy of Warwick University and University of Cambridge University Summer School), Thom Gunn ( Agenda conference, UCL), Louis MacNeice (Aldeburgh) and Bernard Spencer (University of Reading University)
He has worked in school projects including ‘Write Over London’ at Kenwood House in June 2011, Canning School, Eastbourne College, Dulwich College, Wellington College, Eton College and Radley College (as writer in residence) and the Marsh Academy, University College School, for example.
Peter Carpenter 