Biography
Ryan Van Winkle took up position as Reader in Residence at the Scottish Poetry Library and the Edinburgh City Libraries in 2008. He runs a monthly literary cabaret called The Golden Hour and is an Editor at Forest Publications. He lives in Edinburgh but is still an American (and he says ‘Tomato’ that way). His work has appeared in New Writing Scotland, The American Poetry Review, AGNI Northwords Now and The Oxford Poet series.
He has won Salt’s Crashaw Prize – resulting in the publication of his critically praised first collection, Tomorrow, We Will Live Here in 2010 – and been shortlisted for the Bridport and Ver Poetry Prizes. Ryan is taking a break from residence duties until January 2012 when he’ll be returning to Edinburgh City Libraries for all new poetry sessions and support. In the meantime, you can enjoy him on The Scottish Poetry Library’s weekly podcast.
Workshop Leader
Ryan has been a workshop leader since 1999. In that time he’s worked with dozens of writers helping to develop and encourage their work. Most recently Ryan was a creative writing tutor at the SUISS Summer School at Edinburgh University. He also spends time in schools, care homes and other places where poetry workshops are needed. Sometimes workshops involve talking, sometimes they involve scissors and glue. He is available for hire via The Scottish Book Trust’s Live Literature Programme. Go here for more details on sessions and performances which could be delivered and how to apply for funding.
Project Leader
In addition to being a co-founder of Forest Publications, Ryan has been an active project leader since 2000. While working at The Forest, Ryan has organized book launches, literature walks, film screenings, theatre events, art exhibitions, translation workshops, Golden Hour Tours and massive parties involving lots of paint. Have a look at The Forest web-site to learn more about this amazing collective. <www.theforest.org.uk>
Other Things
Ryan does a weekly podcast for the Scottish Poetry Library and has made two spoken word albums. Everything is produced with friends and are free to download. Please enjoy them by visiting my audio page.
If you are interested in audio / visual collaborations, interviews, or anything like that, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
