John McCullough

John McCullough's latest book of poems is Panic Response (Penned in the Margins). It contains 'Flower of Sulphur', shortlisted for the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem, and this collection was also featured in The Times as a Notable New Poetry Book of 2022. John's previous collection, Reckless Paper Birds, won the 2020 Hawthornden Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Award.

The Costa judges said 'This collection – hilarious, harrowing and hyper-modern – offers a startlingly fresh insight into vulnerability and suffering.' In the Times Literary Supplement, head judge for the Hawthornden, Christopher Reid, described it as 'a rare literary phenomenon . . . a frank and militant declaration of joy.'

John has won other awards including the 2012 Polari Prize and his collections have been named Books of the Year in The Independent, The Guardian and The Observer as well as his work often appearing in magazines such as Poetry London, Poetry Review and The New Statesman. He lives in Hove with his partner and two cats.