Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was the first black writer in America to earn his living from writing. Born in Joplin, Missouri, he had a migratory childhood following his parents’ separation, spending time in the American Mid-West and Mexico. He attended Columbia…

Mary Pierrepont was born in 1689, the first child of the Earl of Kingston. Her mother died in 1694 and Mary was groomed to become hostess and housekeeper for her father, then a Whig MP. Her tasks included presiding over his…

Lachlan Mackinnon is a poet, scholar and critic. He won an Eric Gregory Award in 1986, followed by collections Monterey Cyprus ( Chatto & Windus, 1988),  The Coast of Bohemia (Chatto & Windus, 1991), The Jupiter Collisions (Faber & Faber,…

Born in Ghana in 1962, Kwame Dawes moved to Jamaica in 1971 and spent most of his childhood and early adult life there. As well as poetry, he is a writer of fiction, nonfiction, and plays; he also practices as…