Poetry





Katherine's debut collection Playing House, her pamphlet All That Was Wood and her second full-length collection We Could Be Anywhere By Now are published by Seren. Copies are available to buy via the Seren website.


'What really impresses is Stansfield’s power of subtle observation and the dynamism with which that is expressed. […] The poems are full of surprises, not for the sake of being kooky or self-consciously eccentric, but because Stansfield is adept at treading new paths through the world.' Magma


'Katherine Stansfield writes poems that test language and our place in it, and show how the words that help us anchor ourselves in can suddenly cut us adrift. Perhaps that’s why, whatever her subject, her words are so well-chosen, the tones so deftly-handled. These poems are multi-layered and full of surprising transitions: we never quite feel at home in them, yet wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.' Patrick McGuinness

'Katherine Stansfield’s imagination uses logic and rhythm to push her poems into surprise. She dares to tackle one of the ultimate questions: daring to make a new home. Generously, her poems provide beautiful refuge for her readers.' Gwyneth Lewis


Katherine's poetry has been widely published in magazines, including The NorthMagmaPoetry WalesPlanetNew Welsh ReviewThe Lampeter ReviewPoetry CornwallThe Lonely Crowd, The Interpreter's House, The Lighthouse, And Other Poems, Butcher's Dog and Ink Sweat and Tears.

A selection of poems are available via the links below, and you can see Katherine reading from her new collection We Could Be Anywhere By Now on the Seren YouTube Channel.


The Guardian

'Canada' was Carol Rumens' choice for Poem of the Week

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Reading a selection of poems from We Could Be Anywhere By Now

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Katherine reads with Lorraine Mariner, Luke Samuel Yates and Emma Hammond at the Poetry in Aldeburgh Festival 2020, chaired by Dr Helen Eastman.


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Write Where We Are Now

'Contamination of the Archers' features in this pandemic project run by the writing school at Manchester Metropolitan University.

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Music in Hospitals & Care

'Proof for the policy maker', recorded for the charity MiHC

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Atrium Poetry have featured two of Katherine's poems:

One Way and Mars Girl

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Oxford Brookes Poetry Centre

'Bleach' starred as the weekly poem

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And Other Poems

'Amy, how to write poems'

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Ink, Sweat and Tears

'Klonjuze'

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The Shellshock blog

'Misdirection'

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The Writer's Hub at Birkbeck

'Brian Blessed in Pwhelli', 'Royal icing', 'My dental hygienist and I listen to Radio 2'

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Honno's poem of the month

'Telescope'

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Gelynion

A video of Katherine and Nicky Arscott performing their collaborative work 'Two-headed Lambs', written for Gelynion: an exploration of contemporary Welsh poetry through the potential of collaboration, part of the international Enemies Project and supported by Poetry Wales. Katherine was one of 40 poets from Wales who wrote and performed a new piece of work for the tour in May 2015. You can find out more about the Enemies Project here

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Huffington Post

A video of Katherine reading her poem 'O bees of Rhode Island'