LOUISE
MACHEN
BIOGRAPHY

Louise Machen is a Mancunian poet and educator. She holds a BA in English Literature from the University of Manchester and an MA in Creative Writing from The Centre for New Writing at the same institution. She has worked as a teacher of English Language and Literature for over a decade. 

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A regular at poetry events across the city and beyond, Louise has headlined at Band on the Wall for Verbose, The Golden Lion for Todmorden Writers, Manchester Cathedral, BBC Radio Manchester and Berlin Spoken Word in Germany among many others. She has performed at events such as TME English Icons at The Friends Meeting House; an event supporting Dave Haslam’s book launch at Bask in Stockport; she has supported Jackie Kay at The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge and she has read at a number of local festivals.

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Her work has most recently appeared in The Poetry Bus (nominated for The Forward Prize, Single Poem), Dreich, Acropolis Journal, The Morning Star, 'Sound and Vision' – an Anthology from Black Bough Poetry and Cape Magazine. Louise has been a featured poet at East Ridge Review with a poem nominated for the Pushcart Prize; she also has two poems nominated for Best of the Net.

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Her collaborative pamphlet, The Words of Others are All We Have, published by Hedgehog Poetry, was staged at Manchester Fringe Festival in Summer 2024 with her co-author J Daniel West. She has a full collection of poetry, I Am Not Light, with Black Bough Poetry due for release in May 2025. She is also currently recording an audio book of original poetry with three other Manchester-based poets. Louise is a reader and critic for The Pencilhouse online offering feedback to poets on their works-in-progress. In addition, she has also guest-edited journals such as Worktown Words.