Bard of Bath

The Bard 1999:
Kevan Manwaring

Biography

I hail from the dark heart of England, but have been living in golden Bath for the last 6 years. I won the Bardic Chair there in 1999 with Spring Fall' - an epic poem based upon local legends. I have been writing and performing poetry for the last decade in various venues around South West England. I am a member of Fire Springs - storytellers of Bath, and with them created and toured two original shows; 'Arthur's Dream' and 'Robin of the Wildwood'. The experience of performing live has taught me what works in a story, how to engage an audience of all ages & how words can create worlds.

I now wish to craft my stories on the page, enabling them to reach wider audiences. I am currently studying on the MA in the Teaching and Practise of Creative Writing at Cardiff University under the aegis of Lindsay Clarke (author of the Chymical Wedding) and Patience Agbabi (Transformatrix) among others. During the course I finished the young adult fantasy novel 'The Sun Miners'. It will be my second novel and potentially the start of a series. It has been inspired by my lifelong interest in mythology, sacred sites and cinema. I began creating my own comic books as a child, then moved onto making short films at art college. This frustrated storytelling has come full-circle as I return to the roots of this tradition, using the pure word.

I have penned an unpublished 'time-travelling ghost story'novel, several short stories, a couple of plays and seven collections of poetry. I have been published in several anthologies of poetry, magazines, spoken word CDs and on various websites, most recently on the writers showcase at www.writersservices.com where you can read sample chapters from my new book.

See my Winning Poem

Email me: kevanmanwaring@yahoo.co.uk