Daljit Nagra is a seasoned poet whose writing has made him one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British poetry. Born to Sikh Punjabi parents, Nagra grew up in London and Sheffield. He was inspired to write poetry at the age of 19 after chancing upon a copy of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, and decided to return to school and study English literature. He did not pursue writing until his late 20s, and submitted poems under a pseudonym, Khan Singh Kumar, while he taught English to secondary school students. In 2002, his first pamphlet, Oh My Rub! was published and it became the Poetry Book Society’s first ever Pamphlet Choice; this was followed by Look, We Have Coming to Dover, which made him the first poet to win the Forward Prize for both his first collection of poetry, in 2007, and for its title poem. Nagra has authored three more collections, and is loyal to his chosen craft: “Poetry is an espresso shot of thought, and public poetry is as necessary as it ever was.” He is the inaugural Poet-in-Residence at BBC Radio 4/4 Extra, and currently teaches Creative Writing at Brunel University. In 2021, he was appointed Chair of the Royal Society of Literature.
