ABOUT

WELCOME!

ABOUT JOHN bevis

Books and bookishness, in one form or another, have been a constant resource and activity in my life. I’ve worked professionally in book design, print and publishing at Coracle Press; typesetting and proof reading at the Victoria & Albert Museum; retailing at the Whitechapel Art Gallery bookshop; and book purchasing at Stevens & Brown library agency. Currently I write, edit and proof read on a freelance basis, and in early 2021 was appointed a Senior Writer at StoryTerrace.

My escape plan from the clutches of the book machine has demanded interludes of what I call “whistling work,” which include employment as painter and decorator, gardener, plumber’s mate and labourer.

During this time, irrespective of my daytime job, writing has been a consistent activity. Publications include a number of collections of poetry; artist’s books, cards, prints and printed objects; catalogue essays; critical studies; true crime stories; short fiction; and a DVD of live readings.

I discovered I had prostate cancer in 2008, and wrote my experiences of diagnosis, treatment and recovery in book-length form as Prostate Cancer Unplugged, available as a digital book.

Currently I live and work in Ironbridge, Shropshire, and in London.