Zoë Brigley

Brigley was born in 1981 and grew up in Caerphilly in the Rhymney Valley.[3] She has a BA (2002), MA (2004) and PhD (2007) from the University of Warwick.[2] Her doctoral thesis was titled: Exile and ecology : the poetic practice of Gwyneth Lewis, Pascale Petit and Deryn Rees-Jones.[4] She won a 2003 Eric Gregory Award, an award given by the Society of Authors for a collection by a poet aged under 30.[5]

She has had three volumes of poetry published by Bloodaxe Books: The Secret (2007),[6] Conquest (2012),[7] and Hand & Skull (2019).[8][9] All three were Poetry Book Society recommendations.[1] In 2019 she published Notes from a Swing State: Writings from Wales and America[10] and co-edited Feminism, Literature and Rape Narratives: Violence and Violation.[11]

In 2021, Brigley edited a special issue of the magazine Magma Poetry with Rob A. Mackenzie and Kristian Evans.[12] In 2021 Brigley and Marvin Thompson were appointed as the first joint editors of the magazine Poetry Wales.[13] However, Thompson stepped down from the role three weeks later.[14] Since then, Brigley has introduced a scheme where a series of contributing editors join the magazine for a couple of issues.[15] She edited with Kristian Evans the anthology 100 Poems to Save the Earth for Seren Books, and in 2022 became a poetry editor for the press along with the Welsh poet Rhian Edwards.[16]

Brigley was married to mathematics professor Dan Thompson,[17] but they have divorced.[18]

• The Secret (2007), Bloodaxe Books: ISBN 9781852247874)
• Conquest (2012, Bloodaxe Books: ISBN 9781852249304)
• Hand & Skull (2019, Bloodaxe Books: ISBN 9781780374727)
• Notes from a Swing State: Writings from Wales and America (2019, Parthian Books: ISBN 9781912681617)
• Co-edited: Gunne, Sorcha; Thompson, Zoe Brigley, eds. (2010). Feminism, literature and rape narratives : violence and violation. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780415806084.

• Official website
• Profile at Ohio State University