Barry Tebb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Barry Tebb is one of the uk's leading writers.His poetry was first published by Alan Tarling's 'Poet and Printer Press'in the sixties,along with Ted Hughes,Michael Longley and Ian Crichton Smith.His first collection was praised by John Carey in |The New Statesman and his work was included in the Penguin anthology 'Children of Albion'.After a twenty year writer's block he began to write again in 1990.Appalled by the state of poetry publishing he founded Sixties Press in 1993 which has published over forty books and pamphlets.Tebb's own Selected Poems,'The lights of Leeds'was published by Redbeck Press in 2001.Among the many writers Sixties Press has published are Daisy Abey(first novel 'Like the Wind'(2003,republished by Vijitha Yapa in Sri Lanka in 2005 and given rave reviews by,among others,Carl Muller,in the 'Daily News)and one of her poems has been chosen for the Norton Anthology 'Eastern Voices'to be published in 2007.Other poets include Kim Taplin,Debjani Chaterjee,Thomas Blackburn,James Simmons,Jon Silkin,W.D.Snodgrass,Martin Bell,Mark Floyer,Michael Haslam,Jeremy Reed,John Horder,John Heath Stubbs Edward Lucie Smith and Brenda Williams.Tebb is notorious for his scalding and scathing attacks on the 'New Gen Poets'in reviews he wrote in 'Leeds Poetry Weekly'.His novel 'Pitfall Street'chronicles his upbringing in 40s working class Leeds(where Peter O'Toole,Richard Hoggart,Tony Harrison,Keith Waterhouse also grew up)and gives a hilarious account of the many Gregory Fellows in Poetry at Leeds University he knew well,especially Peter Redgrove and Jon Silkin.With Debjani Chatterjee he edited 'The Sixties Press Anthology of Gregory Fellows Poetry'.His autobiograhy,'The Fiddler and His Bow'appeared in 2005 and 'The Nostalgia Bus:Collected Poems and Selected Prose' will appear in late 2007.Tebb is also a passionate campaigner(with Brenda Williams)for better mental health services.His 'Life and Death in Camden' and 'Censored in Camden'attest to this.He has edited two major anthogies of poetry and prose,'Beyond Stigma'and 'The Real Survivors Anthology'.Now an OAP he devotes his time to being a carer,writing,campaigning and editing.He has over 100 Google listings and runs six websites,including www.sixtiespress.co.uk and www.critivalobs.co.uk.