WILKINSON, Rik

RIK (ERIC) WILKINSON

Born and growing up in the Yorkshire Dales, working as an Ordnance Surveyor in the English landscape and then gaining a place at Ruskin College, Oxford, in the late sixties, led Rik to finding his poetic voice among some of the major Oxford poets of the day with whom he shared platforms. He performed at many venues at this time, including Oxford Town Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank. He was first published at this time in an anthology called “The Happy Unicorns”. While still in Oxford, he trained as a teacher and then moved to Hertfordshire where he began his career as an English teacher. In the early seventies he became involved in a rural restoration project in Galloway, Scotland, which became a source of inspiration and resulted later in his pamphlet, “The Pioneers”, published by Hertford Writers Circle.

From the late-80’s he became much more active as a poet and was published in several magazines and literary journals and won notable prizes. Acumen published his first pamphlet, “A Hundred Mile Walk” and he became a regular at the Torbay Poetry Festival. He was also a member of Manifold Voices, performing poetry and translations in various venues. He was a regular member and performer at Ware Poets, Enfield Poets, Ver Poets and Toddington Poetry Society. eHh

His poetry is notable for its subject matter, lending it a muscular strength, and its use of technique. He had a distinctive voice and was an impressive reader of his own poems.

Spring Early Morning In Your Face