Tom Seymour Biography

I was born and brought up in suburban Sheffield in a family full of doctors, teachers and nurses. I'm the oldest of four grandchildren but have been cast as the tearaway as I'm now on a one-man mission to somehow make a living out of rhyming words and making movies.

I was educated at the local state school and, after University, worked for the local council in learning disability services, so I like to consider myself as a Sheffield lad well versed in the city's ways.

I'm a qualified journalist, have a degree in Film and Literature and have worked here and there. As such, I try and ensure my poetry is as universal, clear and concise of image as possible.

I support West Ham, play the drums, watch a lot of films and listen to a lot of John Martyn and Van Morrison. I have a weakness for small animals, smart clothes, cookies and women.

Possibly because of my age, I tend at this stage to write a lot about love and sex, masculinity, feelings of inadequacy, the passing of time and the exertion of control over one's life.

I particularly admire Donna Tartt, Cormac McCarthy, Ian McEwan, Colm Tobin, Roald Dahl and Raymond Carver.

John Donne, T.S Eliot, Emily Dickinson and Ted Hughes have had the most influence on my poetry.