Dr Maggie Butt

Dr Maggie Butt is an ex-journalist and BBC television producer, turned poet and novelist. Her publications include five poetry collections and one novel, House of Dreams (published under the name Maggie Brookes). A strong interest in history and war runs through her writing, with themes of human rights and the resilience of women, relieved by a healthy smattering of humour. House of Dreams (Endeavour Press 2015) is a magic-realist, time-shift romance set in 1945 and 1998. Her poetry collection Degrees of Twilight (The London Magazine, 2015) follows the illustrated books Sancti Clandestini – Undercover Saints, Ward-Wood 2012) a hagiography of imaginary patron saints, illustrated in colour by the staff and students of Middlesex University’s BA Illustration course, and Ally Pally Prison Camp, which tells the moving story of the 3,000 civilian men who were imprisoned at Alexandra Palace during the first world war through extracts from letters and memoirs, photographs, paintings and Maggie’s own poems. Earlier collections were petite,(Hearing Eye 2011) a book of pocket-sized poems, and her first collection Lipstick. Her poems have escaped the page into festivals, schools, choreography, a geo-locative mobile phone app, live musical accompaniment and her website, which includes videos and recordings. She is researching a new war-time novel. Maggie has a PhD from Cardiff University and has taught creative writing at Middlesex University since 1990, where she also held roles from programme leader to Deputy Dean. She was Chair of the National Association of Writers in Education from 2007 to 2012, and principal editor of the journal Writing in Education. She also edited a collection of essays, Story – the heart of the matter (Greenwich Exchange 2007) and a festschrift poetry anthology KG confidential (Circle Time Press 2015.) Website: www.maggiebutt.co.uk