Natalie Scott

I have been writing for nearly fifteen years. My first taste of taught Creative Writing was during my undergraduate programme of English at Lancaster University where I dabbled in a range of genres, writing mostly short stories and poetry. I loved the informality of sitting in a circle and being able to read and discuss my work openly with a sympathetic but critical audience. I realised then that I couldn’t leave writing behind and pursued a Masters at the Bretton Hall campus of Leeds University. The setting for my studies was in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by sheep and sculptures (it was in the grounds of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park!) and I used the almost idyllic setting as inspiration for many of my poems based on works of art, inspired by the curvaceous, organically formed shapes of Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore. I relished the challenges set by the exercises each week: write a story in which there are no full stops, write a piece of argumentative dialogue, write a poem which forms the undulating shapes of a river. I remember how proud I was when my tutor presented me with an especially printed acetate copy of my ‘river’ poem, with a knowing look on his face, and said ‘this is for the lessons you’ll teach in the future’.

Since then I have organised local poetry groups and readings, working with all ages – which is the great thing about writing, it can be accessed by all. I have written a collection of short stories, a novella and two poetry collections. My first poetry pamphlet Brushed was published by Mudfog in 2010, funded by the Arts Council England and my first full-length collection of voices Berth, written to commemorate the centenary of Titanic in April 2012 and recently awarded Second Runner-Up in the Cork Literary Review Manuscript Competition 2011, is expected early next year. The collection is a series of voices from the perspective of those involved in the spectrum of the ill-fated liner’s conception, journey and death, from the owner of the ship to the ship’s cat. Berth is sponsored by the Titanic Heritage Trust who will be producing a CD of selected voices to accompany the book.

Details about Berth can be found on my website at www.nataliescott.co.uk

Natalie Scott's poems touch me in all the right places: the head, the heart and the ear. She has a lovely lightness of touch and quirkiness of phrase whether voicing the thoughts of a giraffe, a boulder or the pancake woman. She handles her subject matter with compassion, intelligence and that indefinable something extra which makes Brushed a memorable and persuasive debut.

-Anna Woodford

Brushed is available from www.nataliescott.co.uk and www.mudfog.co.uk