Dr Luke Thompson

Course Leader, MA Professional Writing

Luke is a writer, editor and publisher from Cornwall. His interests include print production, small press publishing, creative non-fiction, biography, human-animal relationships, environmental literature, poetry and South West writers.

Luke is a writer of non-fiction, poetry and fiction, with recent titles including 'Conversations with Other Animals' (Ortac, 2024), 'Treasures of Cornwall' (Macmillan Collector's Library, 2023), 'A Guillemot Guide to Very Small Press Publishing' (Guillemot Press, 2022), 'Rhinoceros' (Broken Sleep, 2020), and 'Singing About Melon' (Shearsman, 2020). His work has been exhibited and performed across the UK.

As a publisher, Luke founded the national award-winning Guillemot Press in 2016, working with a spectacular list of writers that includes established figures such as Selima Hill, Jen Hadfield, David Harsent and Fiona Benson, as well as exciting debuting poets Petals Kalule, Prerana Kumar, Suzannah V Evans, and many, many more. Luke also works as a freelance editor, book designer and producer, with clients including publishers big and small, charities, universities, artists and councils.

External Links

Contact details

Telephone 01326 255705
Email luke.thompson@falmouth.ac.uk

    Qualifications

    Qualifications

    Year Qualification Awarding body
    2016 PhD University of Exeter (Streatham)
    2010 MA University of Exeter (Penryn)
    2006 BA University of Wales, Lampeter

    Research Interests

    Research interests and expertise

    Poetry, publishing, South West literature, environmental literature, biography, short fiction, landscape, nature and place.

    Research Outputs

    Publications and research outputs

    • Menmuir, Wyl

      (2017), In Dark Places, National Trust Books, London, UK, ISBN: 978-0707804422, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Thompson, Luke

      (2016), The Clearing, Atlantic Press Ltd, Penryn, Cornwall, ISBN: 978-0-9571549-8-8

    • Thompson, Luke

      (2016), Clay Phoenix: a biography of Jack Clemo, Ally Press, London, ISBN: 9780993473494, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Thompson, Luke

      (2016), The Clearing, Atlantic Press, Cornwall, ISBN: 9780957154988, Item availability may be restricted.

    • Thompson, Luke

      (2015), Jack Clemo: Selected Poems, Enitharmon, London, ISBN: 9781910392065, (Published), Item availability may be restricted.

    • Loydell, Rupert

      (2017), 'Admissable Evidence', in Triptychs, In: Triptychs, Guillemot Press, Cornwall, ISBN: None

    • Causley, Jim

      (2016), Clay Hymnal, (Published)

    • Thompson, Luke

      (2016), Guillemot Press

    • Thompson, Luke

      (2014), Charles Causley and Jack Clemo, Falmouth, (Published)

    Externally funded research grants information

    Collaborators Currency Funder HESA Category Project title Value Year ending Year starting
    GBP AHRC PhD 54000 2015 2012

    Teaching

    Courses taught

    • Professional Writing MA

    Professional Engagement

    Social, community and cultural engagement

    Luke's professional practice includes exhibitions, festivals, workshops, publications and performances. Some of these are featured below.

    Readings, Workshops and Exhibitions

    • Transreading the Pamphlet, 10-week course for the Poetry School, 2023
    • Phonetic Ouija Board, Belfast, 2023
    • Phonetic Ouija Board, Poetry Society, London, 2022-23
    • Animal Languages, North Cornwall Book festival, 2022
    • Animal Languages, Writers’ Block, 2022
    • Transreading the Pamphlet, 10-week course for the Poetry School, 2022
    • On writing about animals, Animal Studies Network, Birmingham, 2021
    • On Publishing, Who Cares, Shetland, 2021
    • Poetry, Grammarsow, Zennor, 2021
    • Poetry, Tears in the Fence Festival, Dorset, 2021
    • Poetry, Becoming, ed. Camilla Nelson, 2021
    • On a Rhinoceros, Broken Sleep Book Launch, 2020
    • Poetry, Chener Bookshop, London, 2020
    • Poetry, Arvon, Lumb Bank, 2020
    • Poetry, Poetry Café, London, 2019
    • Poetry and Print, Winchester Library, 2019
    • Poetry, Natural History Museum, London, 2019


    Talks

    • On Poetry Publishing, Rebecca Swift Foundation, 2023
    • Small Press Publishing, Bangor University, 2023
    • On Poetry Publishing, Plymouth University, 2023
    • On Publishing, Moniack Mhor, Inverness, 2022
    • On Eels, Caught by the River, Camp Good Life Festival, 2022
    • On Poetry Publishing, University of Exeter, 2022
    • On Portfolio Careers, University of Lincoln, 2021
    • On Publishing, University of Exeter 2021
    • On Publishing, Bath Spa University, 2021
    • On Publishing, Chichester University, 2021

    Other media appearances have included BBC Radio 4's Poetry Please, BBC 1's Inside Out, and the Charles Causley documentary Poet, which aired on both Sky and BBC tv channels.

    Professional esteem indicators

    Year Description
    2023

    Guillemot poets won two Rebecca Swift Awards
    2021

    Michael Murphy Award for Innovative Writing, Shortlisted
    2018

    Michael Marks Publishers' Award Winner
    2017

    Awen Medal
    2017

    Falmouth University Staff Excellence Award