Jim Bennett was born in Liverpool in 1951 and adopted into the Bennett family at 2 years of age. He began writing poetry and short stories in the 1960's and was performing his poetry in O'Connor's Tavern in Liverpool long before he was of age to go in legally. He had several jobs after leaving University but in 1976 gave up working in the conventional sense to pursue a life of writing, lecturing and performing his poetry. Jim has written freelance journalism, short stories and poetry for the years since. His lecturing has included creating courses in Transport and Safety Studies, Creative Writing, Media, Journalism, Speculative Writing, Travel Writing and various Poetry Courses, for Universities and other educational organisations. He has written 57 books ranging from Transport Studies, Children's and Poetry, and in addition has written many songs and had a CD of his poetry and songs released, and many booklets and brochures of his poetry have been produced to tie in with various performances.
Jim's career as a performance poet has earned him many awards amongst which are three DADAFest awards, and a Silver Stake from the Manchester Slam. He has also won awards for his poetry including the 2006 Frost Award, and the Fante Award in 2002. In 2005 his book THE MAN WHO TRIED TO HUG CLOUDS was voted Best Poetry Book in English at the Berlin Book Festival. He has been nominated five times for a Pushcart Award and has twice won the performance award the San Francisco Beat Festival and was Poetry Superhighway Favourite Poet of the Year 2000.
His poetry has been published widely and Jim has grasped the Internet as a tool for poets and helped create the most visited independent website in the world for poets and writers, POETRY KIT. Poetry Kit was created in 1998 by Ted Slade and Jim worked with him on developing and editing on-line Poetry magazines until Ted's death in 2004 when Jim took over as the sole owner and principle editor of the site and its spin off magazines.
Jim delivers lectures on a wide range of Creative Arts and has worked in many schools and collages, but particularly for the past ten years for the Continuing Education Centre at the University of Liverpool and the Workers Educational Association. He has also delivered courses for Edge Hill University and delivered talks and courses for Skidmore Collage, Albany and SUNY.
Jim tours regularly and has performed his poetry around the UK, Europe and USA. He has worked as a poet in residence for schools and Civic Authorities and in 2005 was Poet in residence at Birkenhead to produce the POEM FOR BIRKENHEAD. He has performed his poetry for official events including a visit to Liverpool by HRH Prince Edward and other Conferences and special events. He has performed at events for both Liverpool and Everton Football teams.
From 2006 - 2008 Jim is Poet in Residence at Liverpool's Dockland and Visiting Poet to New York's Historic Waterfront.
He is always open to discuss new commissions and projects and will travel anywhere to find and develop new audiences for poetry.
the best day we ever spent 2nd July 2006 it is always difficult to write about evening the way it arrives in the late afternoon the air cools the sunlight gentler before you know it it's evening the hum of conversation no longer boisterous -- now somehow softer the distant TV football watching crowds silent the barbeque dying off -- the burnt wood smell retreating into the damp leaves grass and insects return to the world from a perch on a TV aerial a blackbird joins the bird song with a magpie on the fence top and another in the tree later as the sun sets, the guitar and the Beatle songs Let it Be and Yesterday then Brel and all the words we could remember from Amsterdam and Jackie wishing Attila could have been here to sing ces gens-la because we loved it when he sang it on the CD instead it was les bourgeois and if you go away someone remembered then it was a year since the London Bombs we read some poems cried a little and finished as we always do thinking it was the best day we ever spent and it probably was 7.7.2005 the world has changed again it happens like that as soon as I started to understand it it changes woke up got out of bed pulled the comb across my head but when I came out of the bathroom the TV was on and you were watching a news story about something I sang lay lady lay it didn't work this time this time your attention was fixed in the screen Christ it's happened in London London you said I phoned Liam he was Ok then the mobile phones were all off we didn't hear from him again until that night but he was Ok we sat watching the news lost a day somewhere with the Kinks supplying the soundtrack the children are all older than last time but I still can't explain it to them Millions of people swarming like flies 'round Waterloo underground But Terry and Julie cross over the river Where they feel safe and sound it was evening when I went down to make breakfast listening to Waterloo Sunset *Lyrics from A Day in the Life - The Beatles Lay Lady lay - Bob Dylan Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks the last poet at the last open floor event ever stood up to the mic he began a poem about the last poet at the last open floor event ever he was going to read a poem about asteroids and climate change population and weapons and other Earth shattering events instead he just said what his poem was to be about other than that he felt there was very little point the last poet at the last open floor event ever stands and waits like everybody else for whatever end will come bows and leaves the stage Poem for Woodyit is said there is casualness about the way he writes his poems as though they are scribbled notes intended to be returned to later but they are not they are just waiting to be read and in that way brought to life ---------- I want to talk about the --- but the computer will not let me every time I write the word --- it vanishes and I am left with --- I can write about ----- and --- oh well maybe I can't there must be something inside the computer stopping me something put there to prevent me and everyone else writing about the --- changing words or refusing to print some words that challenge the ---------- see it's done it again ------ what a ---- up soon I wont be able to ----- ---------- I wanted to write a poem about the (three letter word; beginning with w ending in death) and stand with it printed on a placards outside palraiaement but while this goes on I can't perhaps that is why so few protest why a gorevnmnet that is so obviously estranged from truth digity and honour and a Prime Minister who's lies hang like tombstones round his neck survive election instead of being buried under the weight of history their spin is just another sort of censorship turns us all into silent witnesses to the death of nations incendiary words hung out like twigs in autumn fall and random line like matches at the barbeque last summer spilt across the patio found wedged months later in a wound between the flagstones still turn up occasionally words like those matches that can burn twice if you remember the children's joke that can strike at any time incendiary like the garden lights they are not real lights not just glow balls like that punch a hole twigs through the darkness in without autumn illuminating anything as I water the patio pots in the dark it is not always like this but it was hot last night and the words we spoke were incendiary
