McMILLAN, Ian 1956-

PERSONAL: Born January 21, 1956, in Yorkshire, England; son of John (a naval officer) and Olive (a shop clerk; maiden name, Wood) McMillan; married Catherine Goldthorpe, July 21, 1979; children: Kate, Elizabeth. Education: North Staffordshire Polytechnic, B.A. (with honors), 1978.

ADDRESSES: Home—9 Tempest Ave., Darfield, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England. Agent—Adrian Mealing, UK Touring, The Croft, Old Church Rd., Colwall, Worcester WR13 6EZ, England. E-mail—personal@ian-mcmillan.co.uk.

CAREER: Hassall Homes, Sheffield, England, laborer, 1978-80; Dunlop Sports, Barnsley, England, laborer, 1980-81; writer, beginning 1981. Performer on radio programs. Host of BBC program The Verb. Founding member of Versewagon (mobile writing workshop) and Circus of Poets (poetry/cabaret group); Words Development Worker for DARTS (Doncaster Community Arts); writer in residence at Padgate Library, Cheshire, and Bolton Boyd Adult Literacy Centre, Bradford, both 1984; creative writing fellow at Sheffield City Polytechnic, 1984-85.

MEMBER: Actors' Equity Association.

AWARDS, HONORS: Grant from Yorkshire Arts Association, 1981.

WRITINGS:

Batteries Not Included, Poetry Leeds Press, 1980.

The Changing Problem (poems), Carcanet New Press (Manchester, England), 1980.

How the Hornpipe Failed, Rivelin Grapheme Press (Hungerford, England), 1983, revised edition, 1984.

Now It Can Be Told (poems), Carcanet New Press (Manchester, England), 1983.

(With John Turner) Metamorphosed Arkwright (radio play), BBC-Radio, 1983.

(With David Hammer) Slow Bow…, produced at PAC Theatre, 1984.

(Editor) Six: The Versewagon Poetry Manual (anthology), Rivelin Grapheme Press (Hungerford, England), 1985.

Selected Poems, Carcanet Press (Manchester, England), 1987.

(Editor) Against the Grain, Nelson Thornes (Cheltenham, Gloucetershire, England), 1992.

Dad, the Donkey's on Fire, Carcanet Press (Manchester, England), 1994.

I Found This Shirt: Poems and Prose from the Centre, Carcanet (Manchester, England), 1998.

(With Paul Cookson and David Harmer) Elephant Dreams, Macmillan (London, England), 1998.

Perfect Catch: Poems, Collaborations and Scripts, Carcanet (Manchester, England), 2000.

The Invisible Villain, Pan Macmillan (London, England)

The Best of Ian McMillan, 2001.

It's Just Like Watching Brazil, Yorkshire Art Circus, 1999.

Ian McMillan Single Poet Collection, Pan Macmillan (London, England), 2002.

Also author of Light and Power, 1980. Author of four one-woman shows for performer Ruth Curtis, titled Fiction, Waves, The Phone Show, and Out of This World.

SIDELIGHTS: Ian McMillan has had a varied career as a poet, performer, commentator, and broadcaster. As the host of the BBC program The Verb, he investigates spoken language around the globe. Much of his work has been directed towards children; he has written books of poetry intended for young audiences, and he has also participated in school programs related to language and many other subjects. He once told CA: "Most of my work is in schools and educational institutions. I am very interested in the performance of poetry and in placing writers in unusual and potentially hostile situations, as well as working with people who wouldn't normally be interested in writing."

McMillan certainly did just that when he took on the unusual post of poet-in-residence to the police force in Humberside, England. For several weeks in that locality, McMillan joined patrolmen on their rounds, penning verses about the things he saw and experienced. He also held workshops for policemen inclined to write their own verses. Assignments on which he accompanied law officers included a training session for police drivers, patrolling a troubled city center, and providing security to a hotly contested football match. Robin Young, a writer for the London Times, noted that McMillan's aim is to make poetry more a part of everyday life. Of the association with the police, Young quoted McMillan as saying, "I suppose I'll feel that my mission is accomplished when policemen start using rhymes when they give evidence in court." Other unusual challenges taken on by this poet include being the official poet of the Barnsely Football Club and writing a poem while pinned beneath a wrestling opponent.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

periodicals

Times Literary Supplement, December 19, 1980; April 13, 1984.

Wales on Sunday, February 10, 2002, Valley Boy, "It's the Dread Poet's Society," p. 31.

online

Ian McMillan's Home Page, http://www.ian-mcmillan.co.uk/ (June 20, 2003).*