John McCullough

John has been teaching creative writing for 19 years at universities, with a focus on poetry. His own book of poems, Reckless Paper Birds, was published with Penned in the Margins and won the 2020 Hawthornden Prize for Literature as well as being shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Award.

Approach to teaching
My approach is friendly, high-energy and very enthusiastic. I aim to help students grow and develop as writers by taking artistic risks, and to inspire passion for poetry.

What inspires your own work
The kind of poetry I write is all about feeling: I want to stir someone who doesn't know me. I often begin with observations of people and places jotted down in my notebook, or with a surreal image created through playing around with words.