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
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
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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.
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Loydell, Rupert
(2017), 'Admissable Evidence', in Triptychs, In: Triptychs, Guillemot Press, Cornwall, ISBN: None
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Causley, Jim
(2016), Clay Hymnal, (Published)
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Thompson, Luke
(2016), Guillemot Press
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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 |