John Agard

John Agard is a national and internationally acclaimed poet, playwright, short story writer, and performer, who over his long career has become known and loved for his playful, witty style and charismatic performances. In 2021, he was awarded the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement for his outstanding contribution to literature, and has previously been awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry, the Smarties Book Prize, and many more. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and is studied on the National Curriculum in GSCE English. John lives in East Sussex and travels to festivals around the world to perform his poetry, offering wit, imagination, and exhilarating wordplay.  

His latest poetry collection Border Zone has received wide acclaim, and Follow that Word – a collection of 60 of his most beloved poems – has quickly become a “must on every bookshelf”.