"Stick, Hook, and a Pile of Yarn" Poetry Collection
Mervyn Seivwright
Poet, Workshop Facilitator, Lecturer
United States
Mervyn R. Seivwright writes to balance social consciousness & poetry craft for humane growth. He is from a Jamaican family and was born in Dulwich, a south suburb of London, England. His childhood started in Ipswich, Suffolk in England and at age 10 he moved to the United States. He later joined the United States Air Force for 22 years leading to his traveling the globe. During this time Mervyn took part in performance poetry and wrote 7 self-published collections of poetry while in these other countries or on deployed service.
Highlights from performance poetry events included an opening for Def Jam's Comedian Bruce Bruce in Florida and Tommy Davison while deployed. He finished in the top 5 in the German American Institute Germany National Invitation Slam in Heidelberg Germany. He was a featured artist in the Paris Connection, an ethnic art collective that holds dinner functions in Paris France. He took first place at Cafe Kraaij & Balder Poetry Slam in Eindhoven Netherlands allowing him to finish in the top 4 at the Netherlands national level for Eindhoven. In England, he featured in Peterborough, Cambridge, and at Oxford’s Hammer and Tongue events. In London, he featured at the Bloomsbury Theatre, Brixton Arts Gallery, The Jazz Café, and placed 5th in England’s first National Poetry Slam.
Since returning to the United States, Mervyn completed an MFA at Spalding University’s School of Writing, Louisville, Kentucky. He taught over 600 professional development students professional writing techniques for four years at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Education Facilities. He has provided guest lectures to the University of Maryland Global Campus, Webster University, Broward College, Wright Patterson Education Center, and Jefferson Community and Technical College.
In addition, Mervyn has appeared or has forthcoming published works across 9 countries in African American Review, AGNI Literary Magazine, Allium A Journal of Poetry & Prose, Arlington Literary Journal, Auroras & Blossoms Poetry Journal, Black in White Poetry Competition, Black Sunflower Poetry Press (England), Bread and Roses Poetry 2021 Anthology (Culture Matters Ltd - England), Briefly Write, Burningword Literary Journal, Cape Cod Poetry Review, Common Threads Literary Journal, Constellations Lit, Cosmonauts Avenue Literary Journal (Canada), Blot From the Blue Anthology (Scotland), Cry of the Poor 2021 Anthology (Culture Matters Ltd - England), filling Station Magazine (Canada), Flights Literary Journal, Flora Fiction Literary Journal, Flying Ketchup Press, Good River Review, Griffel Literature Review (Norway), Hellebore Press, I-70 Review Literary Magazine, INNSÆI Journal (India), iō Literary Journal, Ligeia Magazine, Line Breaks Literary Journal, Military Experience & the Arts' (M.E.A.) literary journal "As You Were", Montana Mouthful Literary Magazine, Mount Island Literature Review, Pangyrus Lit Review, Pembroke Magazine, Poetry Online, Prometheus Dreaming Cultural Journal, River Heron Review, Rigorous Magazine, Round Table Literary Journal, Salamander Literary Magazine, Santa Fe Literary Review, Saranac Review, Seaside Gothic Magazine(England), Sixfold Poetry 2022, TAB: The Journal of Poetry & Poetics, The American Journal of Poetry, The Black Experience Anthology, The AuVert Magazine, The Fourth River, The Lumiere Review, The Nonconformist Magazine, The Scribe Literary Journal, The Stirling Spoon, The Trinity Review (Canada), The Write Launch Literary Journal, The Writer's Block Magazine (Netherlands), The Ocotillo Review, Stone Poetry Quarterly, Toho Journal, Transom Journal, Voices Israel Anthology (Israel), Westward Quarterly, Willow Wept Review, Wingless Dreamer, Z Publishing's Kentucky's Best Emerging Poets 2019, and Zimetra International Review (Sri Lanka).
He has received recognition as Third Place, Black in White Poetry Competition 2022 and Honorable Mention, October 2022; listed in John Hopkins National Poetry Month Collection, April 2022; Finalist, CutBank Literary Journal Annual Genre Contest, University of Montana: Apr 2021, Honorable Mention, 31st Reuben Rose Annual Poetry Competition, Summer 2021; 2021 Pushcart Nomination, Santa Fe Literary Review, Oct 2020; Semi-Finalist, Ember Chasm Review Fiction and Poetry Contest, Oct 2020; Second Runner-Up, The Lucy Terry Prince Prize, Judged by Major Jackson, Mount Island, Summer 2020; Longlisted, The Lascaux Review, Lascaux Prize in Poetry: Jul 2020; Semi-Finalist, Midwest Review's Poetry Contest, The Great Midwest Poetry Contest, Apr 2020; and Commissioned, British Museum, Exhibition for the “200 Year Anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade”, Ipswich, England, September 2007. Mervyn currently lives in Schopp, Germany.
Short Bio:
Mervyn Seivwright writes to balance social consciousness & poetry craft for humane growth. He is a nomad from a Jamaican family, born in London, England, & left for America at age 10, now residing in Schopp, Germany. His performance poetry highlights include events in 9 countries, with features at The Jazz Café, & a finalist at the UK’s Word-for-Word National Poetry Slam. Mervyn completed a writing MFA at Spalding University & has appeared in AGNI, American Journal of Poetry, Salamander Magazine, African American Review, & 64 other journals across 10 countries, receiving recognition as 2021 & 2023 Pushcart Nominee & Voices Israel's Rose Ruben Poetry Competition Honorable-Mention.
His new collection, "Stick, Hook, and a Pile of Yarn, is available through Broken Sleep Books (Wales/September 2023).
