Contact Details

Tel: +44 (0) 1243 816334
Email: d.swann@chi.ac.uk

David Swann was born four doors up the street from the novelist Jeanette Winterson, who was fond of scaring him stiff with spooky stories. Later, he was given the even more frightening task of reporting on Accrington Stanley's football matches for the local newspaper. After a three-year stint as a journalist in the Netherlands, he returned to England to take an M.A. in Creative Writing at Lancaster University, which he passed with Distinction. From 1996 to 1997, he was Writer in Residence at H.M. Nottingham Prison. He now teaches modules in Creative Writing, Journalism, and Screenwriting at University of Chichester, where he also runs the popular 'Tongues and Strings' literary cabaret with his colleague Hugh Dunkerley. Dave's short stories and poems have been widely published. In 2003, his story, 'The Last Days of Johnny North' came third in the Bridport Prize, judged by Rose Tremain, while his poem 'Bunker' was awarded first prize by Mimi Kalvhati in the Pitshanger Open Poetry Competition. Two other stories, 'In That Brilliant Village' and 'The Collector of Small Town Secrets' were also awarded first prizes in national competitions in 2003. Dave's debut short story collection, 'The Boggart Hole', is forthcoming from Elastic Press.

Notable Works

Books (as editor)

1998 Beyond the Wall, anthology of prison writing, HMP Nottingham

2001 Mouth Ogres, anthology. Co-edited with Hugh Dunkerley

Books - forthcoming

2006 The Boggart Hole (stories), Elastic Press, Norwich

Publications (short fiction)

1995 'High Tide', Watch Fire, ed. Chris Kenworthy

1995 'Badly Good', Northern Stories, Vol. 6, ed. David Dabydeen & A.L. Kennedy.

1996 'In Pieces', The Bridport Prize Anthology, ed. Michael Dobbs

1996 'Speedbone Sauna Blues', Northern Stories, 7, ed. Mark Illis & Jane Rogers.

1997 'Them Tomatoes', Arc Short Stories, Vol. 8, ed. Livi Michael & Maureen Freely.

1998 'The Spike', Arc Short Stories, Vol. 9, ed. Sarah Dunant & Tibor Fischer.

2000 'A Polder, A Place To Live', The Bridport Prize Anthology, ed. Lynne Reid Banks & George Szirtes

2003 'In that Brilliant Village', Connections, ed. J. Hardy

2003 Forthcoming 'The news at 10' and 'Voodoo Address Book', Staple (November)

2003 'The last days of Johnny North', Bridport Prize Anthology, ed. Rose Tremain & U.A. Fanthorpe

Article

2003 'The Privilege of Rain', Staple 55/6, eds. Atkinson & Barrett

Poetry

1997 'In the Days when I Worked Miracles' & 'Stained Top', Poems: 20, ed. T. Pickard & C. Martin.

1998 'The Poetry of Hatred', Poems: 21, ed. Douglas Dunn.

1999 'Waiting for Frank's Pigeons' & 'The Devil's Laundry', Poems: 22, ed. Jo Shapcott

2000 'The Prison Has One Beautiful Tree', 'Sun Tan', 'Jail', 'Song of the Flask', 'Vapour Trail', 'Charge', 'View' and 'Rained' (Poetry Nottingham International, Vol. 54, no. 1

2000 'A Lifer Offers Me a Cup of Tea', Generosity: Anthology, ed. Hugh Reveley

2001 'Thyme', Poems: 24, ed. Maura Dooley

2002 'Another Country', Samizdat, Vol. 4.

2002 Fires on the Coast of Death' and 'Hairdresser', New Forest Poetry Society Open Poetry Anthology. Judge: Matthew Sweeney

2003 'A Drowning Off Brighton Pier', 'Icarus in the Drizzle', 'Joy of the Mountains', Saturday Night Desperate, ed. Mee & Murch

2003 'Apology', Agenda, Vol. 39, nos. 1-3, ed. Cookson & McCarthy

2003 Forthcoming: 'A Place to Live', 'For the Murdered', 'Before', Timbila

2003 Forthcoming: 'Wednesdays', Agenda

2003 'Boggarts', 'Pleasure', 'Ghost Train', 'The Angel of Old Men's Shins', 'In the Grotto', The Sensitively Thin Bill of the Shag

2003 Forthcoming: 'Pass the Parcel' and 'The Winston Smith Moment', Poems: 26, ed. Paul Farley (Lancaster: LitFest)

Publications (miscellaneous)

1998 Exhibition: Bird (photography & poetry on prison life, with Mike Usiskin), HMP Nottingham Prison & various galleries, England.

2001 Poems, 'Gone' & 'Magic Hour', posters displayed at Duke of York Cinema, Brighton, Poetry in Motion event, Brighton Festival, ed. Brendan Cleary.

Competitions & awards

1996 Story. 'The News at Ten': 1st prize, Stamford Writers' Open Story Competition. Judge: Nigel Colborn.

1996 Performance story. 'Them Tomatoes': prize-winner, Institute of Contemporary Arts' (ICA) national 'New Blood' competition. Judges: Alison Fell & Kevin Toolis.

1997 Story. 'The Maker's Name': 3rd prize, Avalon Library Association's 6th National Competition. Judges: Fiona Pitt-Kethley, Robert Holdstock & Joanne King.

1997 Short-short. 'Drummer Boy': Linkway Magazine's fiction prize.

2001 Poem. 'Cornwall': 1st prize, free verse category, Coast to Coast National Writing Competition.

2001 Poem. 'Wednesdays': 2nd prize, Leicester National Open Poetry Competition. Judge: John Burnside

2001 Story. 'Another Bloody Cowboy': 3rd prize, Wells Festival of Literature Short Story Competition. Judge: Margaret Drabble

2002 Story, 'Lucifer Brings Light', short-listed, Wells Short Story Contest.

2003 Poem, 'Bunker', 1st prize, Pitshanger Open Poetry Competition, Ealing, London. Judge: Mimi Khalvati. Poem, 'Blattaria', commended.

2003 Poem, 'The Boy with the Peak Frean Eyes' runner-up, BBC South Appetite competition.

2003 Poem, 'Vultures of Pontevedra', commended, Essex Open Poetry Comp.

2003 Story, 'The Collector of Small Town Secrets', 1st prize, Wells Festival of Literature Short Story Competition, Judge: Sarah Harrison

2003 Poem, 'The Memory of Snails', commended, Barnet Poetry Competition. Judge: Mario Petrucci.

Public performances

1995-98 Short story readings, Ilkley Literary Festival, Yorkshire.

1996 'Them Tomatoes' (short story, staged with Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh: ICA, London).

1999 Reading of prison poems: Wordsworth Trust Summer Reading Season, Dove Cottage, Grasmere.

2000-03 Poetry & story readings, Tongues & Strings: various venues in Portsmouth, and Chichester Fringe Festival.

2001 Short story reading ('Another Bloody Cowboy') with Words Allowed (Bristol). Portsmouth Arts Centre, Southsea

2002 Prison poetry reading, The South, Southern Energy, Brighton.

2003 BBC-commissioned poem, 'Ghost Train', read by mentor Jackie Wills at 'Pleasure' event, Corn Exchange, Brighton Festival.

Miscellaneous

1998 Arista International Workshop on Screenwriting. Madrid, Spain.