Biography Mervyn Linford has been writing poetry for more than three decades and
now edits Littoral magazine. His work has also been broadcast on both local and national radio. He has been a member of the Southend Poetry Group for over twenty years
and regularly gives public readings of his work. He has judged poetry competitions before and has just been asked to join
a panel of three poets to adjudicate a national poetry competition for
the Lions. Of his four published collections of poetry two are now out of print:
Two Essex Poets - with Frederic Vanson - and Talking to the Bees; both
published by The Brentham Press of St Albans.
He has won, been runner-up and highly commended in a number of national
and local poetry competitions including: The Hastings Open Poetry Competition,
The John Clare Cup and The Douglas Gibson Memorial Poetry Competition.
His work has been published in numerous magazines and periodicals such
as: Acumen, Outposts, Orbis, Staple, Weyfarers, Sol, Smiths Knoll, Seam,
Romantic Renaissance, The Poet Tree, A Bard Hair Day, ImageNation, Earth
Love, Peace and Freedom, Candelabrum, Iota, Rubies in the Darkness, The
Essex Countryside Magazine, PN Review, The London Magazine, The Countryman,
The Independent Newspaper, and many more.
Of Two Essex Poets it was said: 'Linford is a man with a notebook out
in the landscape of Essex……. I thoroughly enjoyed all his poems and look
forward to his next collection. Two Essex Poets is definitely a book to
treasure.' Angela Topping - ORE.
Michael Schmidt said of Talking to the Bees: 'I think it rather remarkable
that, given the quality of the work, you have not yet found a publisher.
I should imagine that one of the other smaller presses or indeed one of
the larger commercial houses will, in the near future, succumb to your
work. I certainly hope so.' Carcanet - 1992.
He has two collections of poetry available for purchase at the present
time: Autumn Manuscript - a collection of 48 poems concerning themselves
with the nature, people, landscapes and seascapes of Essex.
Of this collection it was said: 'Linford is a craftsman of the finest
sort. He carves meaning and metaphor, observation and emotion, into dynamic
shapes - leaving no unpolished images.' Hilary Mellon - SOL.
His latest collection is entitled The Beatitudes of Silence and is a spiritual
journey through the seasons, comprising 64 poems written entirely in a
sonnet form he devised for himself. He uses pararhyme and enjambment so
as to keep an underlying structure to the poems without the rhymes and
the rhythms becoming to obvious and predictable.
Of this collection it was said: 'There are some lovely and fully achieved
poems here.' Harry Chambers - Peterloo Poets.