Simon Armitage was born in Marsden, West Yorkshire in 1963. He studied Geography at Portsmouth and Psychology at Manchester University, qualifying as a social worker and working in the Probation Service. He also found temporary employment as a shelf-stacker, lathe-operator and disc jockey. His varied career has been the source of a lot of his poetry. He is now a published and acclaimed poet, teacher of creative writing and broadcaster. He is also the Vice President of the poetry society. He has a colloquial but realistic style, and a dry Yorkshire wit.