Josephine Abbott was born and grew up in Manchester, went to Sheffield University to study English Language and Latin, and now lives in Derbyshire. Her collection Trying Not To Levitate was published in 2006 by Blinking Eye.

Her first poem was published in Staple in 1992, after which her poems appeared in magazines such as Acumen, Agenda, The Frogmore Papers, Stand and others, also in anthologies such as Templar Poetry’s Stripe (2009) and Bliss (2011). She won an East Midlands Bursary and was on the region’s New Voices Tour in 1998. She has given readings of her work, led writing workshops, and been commissioned to work with a variety of community groups.

She has won prizes and/or commendations in a range of competitions over the years, most recently a supplementary prize in The Bridport Prize (2009) and Third Prize in The National Poetry Competition (2013).