Nairn Kennedy

Nairn grew up in Rutherglen, a small town beside Glasgow, later attending Glasgow University, where he studied for a BSc and PhD, and, having moved to his new home of Leeds, taught for many years at Leeds Beckett University.

Despite having been fired with enthusiasm for poetry at school by an English teacher, he was nevertheless only able to dabble in the topic until retirement, when he was helped to hone his craft by many very able and expert poets in various workshop sessions over the years (you know who you are – thank you!).

His work has appeared in Ambit, Orbis, Ink Sweat & Tears, The London Magazine, Stand, The North, Spelt, 14 magazine and Under the Radar (full details on the Publications page).

He’s has had four poems commended in the Hippocrates Competition (not all at once), was highly commended in the Bridport Prize, and commended in the Magma one, as well as winning second prize twice in the Ilkley, has been longlisted in the National Poetry Competition, and was awarded first prize in the funniest poem category in the Waltham Forest Competition in 2022.