Jean Sprackland facts for kids

Jean Sprackland (born in 1962) is an English poet and writer. She has written five collections of poems and two books of essays about places and nature.

About Jean Sprackland

Jean Sprackland grew up in a town called Burton upon Trent. She went to the University of Kent at Canterbury where she studied English and Philosophy. After finishing her studies, she taught for a few years. When she was 30 years old, she started writing poetry.

Today, Jean Sprackland is a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University. She teaches creative writing, helping students learn how to write their own stories and poems. She also used to be in charge of the Poetry Archive, which is a big collection of poems and recordings of poets reading their work. She held this role from 2016 to 2020.

Her Books and Poems

Jean Sprackland has written many books, mostly collections of her poems. Here are some of her published works:

• Tattoos for Mothers Day (1997)
• Hard Water (2003)
• Ellipsis: Vol. I (with Sean O'Brien and Tim Cooke; 2005)
• Our Thoughts are Bees: Working with Writers and Schools (with Mandy Coe; 2005)
• Tilt (2007)
• Strands: A Year of Discoveries on the Beach (2012) - This book is about her discoveries on the beach throughout a year.
• Sleeping Keys (2013)
• Green Noise (2018)
• These Silent Mansions: A life in graveyards (2020)

Books in Other Languages

One of her books, Tilt, was translated into Spanish. The Spanish version is called Inclinación and was published in Chile in 2018.

Awards and Recognitions

Jean Sprackland's writing has won several important awards and honors. These awards show how much her work is appreciated.

• 1998: Her first poetry collection, Tattoos for Mothers Day, was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize. This means it was one of the top books considered for the award.
• 2003: Hard Water was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Whitbread Poetry Award. These are very important awards for poetry.
• 2004: She was named a "Next Generation poet". This title is given to poets who are seen as important voices for the future.
• 2007: She won the Costa Poetry Award for her book Tilt. This is a major award in the UK.
• 2007: Her poem "The Birkdale Nightingale" was shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize (Best Single Poem).
• 2012: Her non-fiction book, Strands: A Year of Discoveries on the Beach, won the Portico Prize for Literature.
• 2021: These Silent Mansions: A life in graveyards was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley Prize.