Sam Burnside was born in Co Antrim and now lives and works in Derry.
He is the author of The Cathedral (1989) a long poem which won the
Sunday Tribune/Hennessy Literary Award for Poetry in that year.
His work has attracted a number of literary prizes, including an
Allingham Poetry Prize, the University of Ulsterís, McCrea Award
for Literature and a Bass Ireland Award. His poetry has been published
and broadcast widely. He has also published Walking the Marches
(Salmon, 1990) and Horses (1993) a handmade book published in a
limited edition by Ballagh Studios and with woodcuts by the Canadian
artist Tim Stampton. His latest publication is Faham Mura (1995)
with an introduction by the Donegal poet Frank Harvey. He is represented
in The Great Book of Ireland in The Crazy Knot (1996) a collaboration
between Ulster writers and artists. He is the author of Writer to
Writer (1990), a discussion of community-based creative writing
initiatives; he has edited Ourselves and Others (1988) a gathering
of childrenís poems and The Glow Upon the Fringe (1994) a collection
of essays that celebrate the literary heritage of the North West
of Ireland; he was guest editor of Issue 99 of the Honest Ulsterman.
His long poem ìThe Grey Eyeí formed part of a collaboration with
artist Leslie Nicholl and sculptor Colin Corkey and the resulting
exhibition was presented by the Orchard Gallery, Londonderry (March
1966) and the Old Museum Arts Centre (Belfast April, 1966).
Sam is the founder and director of The Verbal Arts Centre in Derry
(currently heading a £1.7m capital development programme in establishing
the first venue devoted to written and oral literature. He is a
former Board Member of the Western Education and Library Board,
immediate past-Chair and Vice-Chairman of the Western Education
and Library Board, Library Committee, a past chairman of the NI
Adult Education Association and is a Trustee of Derry City Theatre
(a £14.5m cultural development project in the city centre); he was
a Board Member of the Northern Ireland Arts Council 1995-1999 and
a Board Member (and Chairman of the Ireland Group) of the Voluntary
Arts Network, a body devoted to promoting amateur arts in England,
Scotland, Wales and Ireland. He was a founding member and Associate
Director. John Hewitt International Summer School-first 7 years.
He is a member of the joint European Centre for Culture and the
European Cultural Foundationís Geneva workshop on The Role of Culture
in Conflict and its Alleviation.
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