Jan Petersen

I was born in Bristol to a family of Scots. I left school with one O' Level and no game plan. After working in a variety of places, from a psychiatric hospital in Stoke-on-Trent to a record company in Los Angeles, I decided to get an education and in the mid 90s, after 17 years in North America, I returned to the UK and completed a first degree in Women's Studies and an MA in Writing Studies.

My poetry has appeared in magazines, anthologies and in 2007 a collection of prose poetry was published in West Coast, North Hill (Flax Books). I also write very short/flash fiction and my first play for radio was highly commended in the BBC Radio 4 2006 Alfred Bradley Bursary Award competition and I am currently working on my second.

I feel privileged to be a member of such a talented group. I'm a lazy writer and the and the regular writing days give me a much needed kick-start.