ROBERT Woof and his team at the Wordsworth Trust have a grand tradition of encouraging new writing, with no less a mortal than this year's Whitbread Poetry Award winner Paul Farley, one of their most recent Wordsworthian, poet-in-residence successes.

The latest to grace the spiritual home of the Romantics with his poetic presence is Henry Shukman who joins Malawian poet Jack Mapanje as a poet-in-residence for the trust.

Henry won a major prize for his first collection of poetry in 2002 and is no stranger to Grasmere, having read from his work during the trust's popular summer poetry reading season.

He started writing poetry at the age of 14 and his debut Dr No's Garden (Cape Poetry) was short-listed for the Forward Prize and won the prestigious Aldeburgh Prize.

It was also chosen by The Times in last year's Christmas books selection and was described as "The most important debut this year," adding "Shukman turns a slow, calm gaze on the world, captures what he sees with a skill that conceals his artistry" - not bad for starters!

After leaving school, Henry worked and toured in South America, still writing occasional poems. He has worked as a teacher and a travel writer and did a stint as a musician.

However, poetry has been his focus in recent years.

He draws inspiration for his poetry from the works of Robert Frost and Thomas Hardy and admires the spiritual way Wordsworth writes about nature: "The poetry I write is either personal, about every day domestic matters, or more abstract about subjects as diverse as a lonely mother attempting to learn the piano to a ski-jump that never ends."

Now based in Grasmere, the 39-year-old will be involved in the Wordsworth Trust's education programme as well as being involved with exhibitions in the trust's window on contemporary art, the 3oW@Island View gallery.

His craftsmanship, lyrical intensity and the warmth of his work has gained him many admirers and trust director Robert informs me that Henry's appearance in the summer made a large impact on those who heard him: "He writes poetry which has great emotional weight but a lightness of touch which keeps them accessible while still thought provoking."

As well as his work at Dove Cottage, Henry has started a Royal Literary Fund Fellowship at Oxford Brookes University with Mario Petrucci.

For further details contact the trust on 015394-35544.

February 6, 2003 11:00