MATT SIMPSON (1936 - 2009)
Matt Simpson (May 1936 – June 2009) was a poet and literary critic. He was born in Bootle, Merseyside, to a family with a long sea-faring tradition, educated at Bootle Grammar School and read English at Cambridge University. He was senior lecturer in English at Liverpool Hope University and its predecessor Liverpool Institute of Higher Education for around thirty years.
He published six full collections of poetry including An Elegy for the Galosherman (Bloodaxe) and numerous books of literary criticism as well as appearing in over 100 anthologies of poetry for children. Matt Simpson’s Collected Poems is published by Shoestring Press. Some of his other publications are pictured below.
Matt’s poetry is both literary and accessible, dealing with themes of complex and marginal relationships within community and family. As part of his work at LIHE/Hope, Matt initiated annual lectures by Northumbrian poet Norman Nicolson, and latterly a series of memorial readings in his name.
There have been six memorial readings so far by a range of poets: George Szirtes (2018), Liz Berry (2019), Helen Mort (2021 - online), Kayo Chingonyi (2022), Seán Hewitt (2023), Janette Ayachi (2024).
Matt was a founder member and chair of The Windows Project from 1977.
Matt’s published works
Drafts of some of Matt's poems, alongside the published versions
Matt’s poems, ‘Who’s Who in Bootle’, ‘Dream’ and ‘Seven Largely Hedonistic Haiku from Leros’
Matt’s work was also included in academic studies at universities (below by Terry Byrne and Michael Murphy)
Matt was a part of the Bloodaxe Books Catalogue and the Knowsley Wall of Fame
