Amy Katrina Blakemore, who publishes as A. K. Blakemore[1] (born in 1991), is an English author, poet, and translator.
Life and career
Blakemore was born in London, England, in 1991.[2][3] She studied Language and Literature at the University of Oxford.[1] She has published two full-length collections of poetry, two novels, and a poet's manifesto. Blakemore has also translated the work of Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo and contributes to various literary publications and collections.
Their debut poetry collection was Amy'sIntro, published in 2012 by Nasty Little Press.[3] Full-length collection of poetry, Humber Summer (2015) was published by Eyewear Publishing after Blakemore won the 2014 Melita Hume Prize. She was interviewed on Lunar Poetry Podcast about this collection, reading five of the poems.[9] A full-length collection of poetry, Fondue, was published by Offord Road Books and awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize for Best Second Collection.[10]
Blakemore translated Sichuanese poet Yu Yoyo's collection of poetry, My Tenantless Body, in collaboration with Dave Haysom. This collection was published by the Poetry Translation Centre as part of their World Poets Series.[11]
The Glutton (2023) is set in 18th-century France. Blakemore's second novel fictionalises the true life story of Tarrare, an impoverished boy in revolutionary France, who becomes known as The Glutton of Lyon for having an insatiable appetite and eating all manner of things. It was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize.[15] It was shortlisted for the 2024 Encore Award, given by the Royal Society of Literature to celebrate the "difficult second novel" that follows an author's literary debut.[16]
Awards and recognition
Aged 15, she had her poem Peckham Rye Lane published in the London Evening Standard.[1] Blakemore was Foyle Young Poet of the Year in 2007 and 2008.[3] She was awarded the 2014 Melita Hume Prize which resulted in her publishing her first full-length collection of poetry Humbert Summer.[2][3][1] In 2017, The Poetry Society invited her to write a 'poetry manifesto', which she named "The flower is forever my capitain".[17] She appeared at the Greenbelt Festival in 2018.[18] Her second poetry collection, Fondue, was awarded the 2019 Ledbury Forte Prize.[10] Blakemore's debut novel The Manningtree Witches won the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize. Her second novel, The Glutton, was shortlisted for the Encore Award in 2024.[19]
