Elizabeth Burns

Elizabeth Burns died in August 2015 after a long illness. She published four full collections, Ophelia and other poems (Polygon, 1991), The Gift of Light (Diehard, 1999), The Lantern Bearers (Shoestring Press, 2007) and Held (Polygon, 2010). She also published a number of pamphlets, one of which The Shortest Days won the Michael Marks Award for poetry pamphlets. Since her death her pamphlet Clay has been shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award and was runner-up in the Callum Macdonald Memorial Awards.

She often wrote about art and frequently collaborated with other makers – potters, basket-makers, painters. Her work appeared regularly in magazines and anthologies, most recently Her wings of Glass: Ambitious Poems by Contemporary Women Poets (Second Light, 2014) and The Hunterian Poems (Luath, 2015).

Originally a Scottish poet, she was highly regarded across the UK, though particularly so north of the border, despite having lived in Lancaster, England, for many years. She was also a much respected and admired creative writing tutor and mentor.

www.elizabethburnspoetry.co.uk