Description
Praise for Ben Bransfield
‘Ben Bransfield’s sharply observational poems focus on his growing up in Shropshire, and on his family – […] Fond nostalgia is undercut by darkness […]. The idea of courting risk recurs in ‘Amanita phalloides’, a poem about male infertility, “Though I cannot bear a child of my own, / I might one day have a Death Cap Mushroom.” Who could have predicted that? There is mordant humour when the ‘father’ realizes he may not be able to protect the child, “I still get nervous every summer’s end, / when the druids and foragers might creep”, with an aim to eat it, even though “no known antidote exists.” […] Such is the flair displayed by each of these poets that I can only wait eagerly for their individual collections.’ – Pam Thompson on Primers Vol.2 in Sabotage Reviews
‘Ben Bransfield’s work is crisp and incisive. […] Excellent, polished writing about memory and loss.’ – David Harmer in Primers Vol.2 in Orbis 181
‘Ben drew us in with a poetry that is intimately entangled with place; poems that offer up tangible slices of lives lived, a celebration of family ties and personal portraits with all of their emotional complexities, but also sharp, unexpected turns.’ – Jane Commane on Primers Vol.2
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Ben Bransfield was born in Shropshire and now lives in London. He read English at Brasenose College, Oxford, received an MA from the Shakespeare Institute, and graduated from the National Film and Television School. Named a Poetry Society Teacher Trailblazer, Ben has taught in schools for over a decade and was selected by the Poetry School and Nine Arches Press for the Primers mentoring scheme. He serves on the board of the Stephen Spender Trust.
