{"id":23,"date":"2007-02-20T10:32:29","date_gmt":"2007-02-20T17:32:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/?page_id=23"},"modified":"2025-07-22T17:46:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T16:46:43","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/?page_id=23","title":{"rendered":"The Bio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Short shelving version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shaun Belcher is a UK-based poet known for his eco-poetry and experimental style. His work often explores themes of nature, dislocation, and technology. Here are some key aspects of his poetry:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Publications and Events<\/strong>: He has participated in events like the Open Book readings, showcasing his work alongside other poets like Tony Challis \u00b9 \u00b2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Style<\/strong>: Belcher’s poetry combines literary depth with experimental soundscapes, as seen in his work “Dark Weather: A Suite for the End of Nature”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Influences<\/strong>: His rural upbringing and experiences as a teacher have significantly influenced his writing, which often touches on wider themes of social change and technology’s impact on society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/strong>: Originally from Oxford, Belcher now resides in Nottingham and has been writing poetry since his mid-20s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

http:\/\/www.trailerstar.co.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Full Shelf version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Portrait of the poet as shelves..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

‘a concern for language and for how it shapes memory and identity’
ANNA CROWE,  LINES REVIEW, EDINBURGH.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Belcher cannot be accused of nostalgia or pastoral myth-making but is as vituperative in tone as Larkin’
RAYMOND FRIEL, SOUTHFIELDS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

..the poems individually and cumulatively preserve aspects of identity and genealogy rooted in a particular soil and way of life..an underlying humaneness’
STEWART CONN (Scottish Poet Laureate, Playwright )<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘your poem is so beautiful..I love the tenderness of the carrying of the horse which was rescued.’
(The Ice Horses)
TESS GALLAGHER (Poet)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born Oxford, England, 1959<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oxford Polytechnic Foundation Art & Design 1978-1979
Hornsey College of Art : B.A. Fine Art 1979-1981
Nottingham University Teacher Training P.G.C.C.E. 2003-4
Derby University Postgrad. Cert. in Art Practice 2007-8
Nottingham Trent University M.A. Fine Art by Registered Project 2012-14<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started writing poetry in mid 1980’s after Art College and from 1992 I was published in a range of literary magazines including Lines Review, Gairfish, Southfields, Staple, Slowdancer and Oxford Poetry etc. I then helped found the Last Gasp poetry group in Oxford in 1992 with Giles Goodland and Bridget Hobbs (Kursheed now).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then moved to Edinburgh in 1994 following my heart (literally) and joined the Shore Poets in Edinburgh and a poem of mine was used as the title of the group anthology The Ice Horses in 1996<\/a>.
This anthology was edited by Stewart Conn and Ian McDonough and included Ian Chrichton Smith and other leading Scottish poets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I became interested in folk and alt-country music in the late eighties and still performs as alter-ego ‘Trailer Star’.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I moved back to Oxford in 1996 from Edinburgh and then started an online music review zine Flyinshoes<\/a> which ran until 2004 under my editorship and then passed to Rob Ellen in Scotland and runs to this day ..see link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then lost my heart somewhere inside the M25 and moved to Nottingham in July  2002.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A ‘Tribute to Trailer Star’ CD ‘Moon Over The Downs’ <\/a>was released in 2003 in aid of Cancer Research following my father’s diagnosis in 2002. He died in 2004 and my mother also passed away from cancer in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then trained as a Further Education teacher at Nottingham University (P.G.C.C.E) graduating in 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then I have taught a ‘varied portfolio’ including art & design, basic skills, creative writing in prisons (Inside Out group) and from 2007 to 2014 was a web design lecturer at NTU School of Art and Design which role ceased in July 2014 with the closure of the ‘Multimedia’ course. I now teach occasionally as a support lecturer at Nottingham College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a selection of my published poetry released as a pamphlet by Salt in December 2010 as ‘Last Farmer<\/a>‘ in the Salt Modern Voices series and then read at a series of readings in London, Oxford and Manchester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"farmer\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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POETRY READINGS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SALT MODERN VOICES TOUR 2011<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oxford \/ Manchester\/ London \/Nottingham<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2008 STAPLE LAUNCH: LOWDHAM FESTIVAL<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2001 BACKROOM POETS, OXFORD :
With W.N.Herbert & Joe Butler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2000 FIRE MAGAZINE READING Highgate London:
various writers associated with Fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2000 LEDBURY POETRY FESTIVAL :
Three Oxford Poets with Giles Goodland & Jeremy Hilton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1999 SOUTHFIELDS MAGAZINE READING :
Magic Cafe, Oxford with Richard Price & Giles Goodland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1996 SHORE POETS :
Fruitmarket gallery, Edinburgh with John Purser & Gillian Ferguson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1993 DIDCOT FESTIVAL :
Didcot Library with fellow Didcot poets Jonathan Davidson & Greg Sweetnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1992 SLOWDANCER 28 :
Angel Row Gallery, Nottingham with Kirsty Gunn and Mark Robinson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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for more Shaun Belcher artwork and songwriting click HERE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Short shelving version: Shaun Belcher is a UK-based poet known for his eco-poetry and experimental style. His work often explores themes of nature, dislocation, and technology. Here are some key aspects of his poetry: Publications and Events: He has participated in events like the Open Book readings, showcasing his work alongside other poets like Tony…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-23","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6nhh-n","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3720,"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/23\/revisions\/3720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shaunbelcher.com\/writing\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}