Brian Patten

Brian Patten was born in 1946 in Liverpool, and grew up in the docklands. He left school at fifteen, to work on a local newspaper, The Bootle Times. He became recognised as one of the LIverpool Poets in the 1960s, along with Adrian Henri and Roger McGough.

Their main aim was to make poetry immediate and accessible for their audience, and their joint anthology, The Mersey Sound (1967), has been credited for its success in bringing poetry to new audiences. Brian Patten was particularly noted for his mix of serious and humor, well-suited to live performance.

Patten moved from the local paper to editing the magazine Underdog, which gave a platform to the underground poets in Liverpool. His first important work was ‘Little Johnny’s Confession’ in 1967. He aslo published several collections including ‘Vanishing Trick’ (1976) and ‘Love Poems’ (1981), ‘Storm Damage’ (1988); and ‘Armada’ (1996), the latter of which focuses on his memories of childhood. He is also well-known for his poetry collections for children.

Brian Patten also edits poetry anthologies with Adrian Henri and Roger McGough, and edited ‘The Puffin Book of Twentieth-Century Children’s Verse’ (1991).

Patten lives between London and Devon and has been honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.