About Hannah Lowe

Hannah Lowe, writer, author, poet, academic, mentor, UK, The Woman in the Chinese Collar, Old Friends, Rock, Bird, Butterfly, The Kids, writing otherwise

Hannah Lowe, writer, author, poet, academic, mentor, UK, The Woman in the Chinese Collar, Old Friends, Rock, Bird, Butterfly, The Kids

Hannah Lowe was born in Essex to an Afro-Chinese father and White English mother. Her father’s death, when she was twenty-two, prompted her to begin writing and led to a wide range of literary investigations into the Chinese presence in the Caribbean, postwar migration to Britain, and of British multiculturalism. She holds an MA in Refugee Studies, and undertook a PhD in Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

Her poetry and non-fiction prose has garnered numerous awards and accolades, including The Costa Book of the Year, The Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer’s Award and the Michael Murphy Memorial Award for Best First Collection. In September 2014, she was named as one of 20 Next Generation poets. Her work has also featured widely on radio, including Radio 4’s Book of the Week, Free Thinking, and Front Row.

This year, she will host the Glimpse podcast, produced by the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation. Her new book The Woman in the Chinese Collar, will be published by Scriber in early 2027.

Doing History with Poetry

‘Doing History with Poetry’ The 2025 Creighton Lecture Looking forward to this [...]

The Woman in the Chinese Collar

Hannah Lowe’s THE WOMAN IN THE CHINESE COLLAR, winner of the 2023 [...]

Kim Addonizio

Come join myself and Kim Addonizio in conversation at Burley Fisher books [...]

New workshops on Poetic Form

I’ll be teaching two workshops on Poetic Form, both online, both pay [...]

Lunaria – on writing, research and motherhood

A new lyric essay, Lunaria, published today in the Eastern Iowa Review:

London Grip review of Rock, Bird, Butterfly

Thanks to Pam Thomson for this review of Rock, Bird, Butterfly

Feature in Jamaican Gleaner

Happy to be featured in the Jamaican Gleaner this week

Thanks to the Friday Poem for this review of ‘Rock, Bird, Butterfly’

https://thefridaypoem.com/rock-bird-butterfly-hannah-lowe/

‘Old Friends’ reviewed by The Friday Poem

https://thefridaypoem.com/old-friends-hannah-lowe/

Northern Soul in Durham?

A new little project about the Northern Soul scene in Durham…if anyone [...]

Fellow of the Royal Society for Literature

ad a dreamy night becoming a fellow of the Royal Society of [...]

BBC Radio 3 The Verb – ‘Hidden’

I had fun recording The Verb last week with Sarah Howe, Kayo [...]

Beginning in A City, 1948 – James Berry

Beginning in a City, 1948 Stirred by restlessness, pushed by history, I [...]

Rock, Bird, Butterfly and Old Friends are launched

Thanks to Westminster Library for a lovely launch, to Hercules Editions, and [...]

From Chinoiserie to Fu Manchu

Ahead of the new Hercules Edition books, I chatted to Christopher Harding [...]

New books forthcoming with Hercules Editions

Happy to share the covers of new books due in May with Hercules [...]

A few dates over summer…

The Kids is going on a tour, mostly of the north of [...]

A little trip to Waterstones, Tottenham Court Road, to sign some books

Radio 4 Extra – Long Time No See (again)

So lovely that Radio 4 are re-playing Long Time No See this [...]

A few words from me on teaching through a pandemic

It wasn’t the nightmare we thought it would be, but it wasn’t [...]

BBC Radio 3 The Verb – Adversaries! And a new poem…

I enjoyed talking ‘Adversaries’ in literature with Marlon James, Jo Moshenka and [...]

Ahead of Stanza Poetry Festival, an interview with Beth McDonough from DURA

Beth McDonough in conversation with Hannah Lowe

The Costa Book Awards Ceremony highlights…

‘Frank, funny, vulnerable’…The Kids reviewed in the Sunday Times

A little online reading…

The Kids is back in stock

Pleased to say The Kids is back in stock in shops, through [...]

The Kids wins the Costa Book of the Year

I still can’t believe my little book of sonnets has won the [...]

The Kids featured on The Jam Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYoHLwpSfNg

The Kids makes The Ilford Recorder! (and the Barking and Dagenham Post)

www.barkinganddagenhampost.co.uk

The Kids featured on ‘Read On’

The T.S Eliot Prize Reading 2021

Congratulations to Joelle Taylor and all of the wonderful shortlisted poets this [...]

Front Row

I had a lovely trip to Broadcasting House this week to talk [...]

The Kids wins the Costa Poetry Award

I’m delighted The Kids has won the Costa Poetry Award! Thanks to [...]

The Kids shortlisted for the Costa Book Award

So happy to be shortlisted with Ray Antrobus, Kayo Chingonyi and Victora [...]

The Kids reviewed by Sean Hewitt in The Irish Times

‘The Kids combines formal skill with a rare bravery, and bears a [...]

Coronet Reading, Notting Hill – 9th December

I’ll be reading from The Kids with Imtiaz Dharker and Kayo Chingonyi [...]

The Kids is shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize

I’ve been dreaming of being on this shortlist since I began my [...]

Poetry East – Saturday 25th September

Looking forward to my first live reading in a year and a [...]

Upcoming Readings – The Kids

16 OCT / BLOODAXE LAUNCH with Selima Hill and Stephanie Norgate (online) [...]

Guardian review

Happy to see The Kids is reviewed here in the Guardian’s poetry [...]

Earl Cameron at the BFI

The BFI season on the late, wonderful Earl Cameron includes a screening [...]

Launch Event for the Kids

I’ll be launching The Kids alongside new books from Selima Hill and [...]

PBS Choice – hurray!

I’m so pleased that The Kids is the Poetry Book Society Choice [...]

Borderliner

“Borderliner” – my guest editorial for Writers Mosaic is just published – [...]

Radio 4 – ‘On Form’

Happy to read two poems from The Kids for this new BBC Radio [...]

Birkbeck Arts Week – conversation with Julia Bell

Birkbeck Arts Week

I had a lovely conversation with Julia Bell from Birkbeck about life [...]

Writers Mosaic – launch event April 28th 2021

Writer’s Mosaic is a very exciting new venture, supported by the Royal [...]

Anti Nazi League Carnival 1994

Happy to share the cover of The Kids, due in September with [...]

A Girl Like You

In solidarity with women everywhere, I’m sharing a poem I wrote a [...]

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Writing Otherwise with
Hannah Lowe

A Year of Creative Transformation
March 2026 – March 2027

Writing Otherwise is a mentoring programme those who wish to embark on a transformative journey. This course, of only ten participants, is designed for those who want to live more creatively and attentively, whether or not they identify as writers. The course focuses on memoir, poetry, hybrid forms and any creative practice rooted in lived experience.

In these times of profound uncertainty – politically, environmentally and socially – it feels urgent to reflect on how we tell stories, how we interact with memory and history and how our creative work can sustain us. Over the year, we will explore the process of writing otherwise – outside the confines of convention, and with care, attention and creative responsibility.

Read more about Writing Otherwise here

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