I was born in 1967, near Nottingham, and have lived in various places in Scotland and England since then.

Having taken a first in English at Cambridge, I moved to the Lake District in 1989 to do a PGCE at Charlotte Mason College in Ambleside.

Then, after teaching in primary schools in Shropshire and London, I went to Liverpool University to take an MA in Victorian Literature, going on to complete a PhD, also in Victorian Literature, in August 1997. At this point I moved back to Kendal, returning to Charlotte Mason College to lecture in English.

After fours years' teaching there, and having some major health difficuties, I left academia, and am currently training to be a counsellor.

I was interested in the Poet Laureate post because it offers the chance to raise the profile of poetry in the area, to meet other writers and readers, and to share my work and the work of others.

I'm MC-ing a Live Lit event at the Kendal Arms Hotel on Saturday 12th June: anyone interested in taking part, whether as performer or audience, is invited to contact me on 01539 727 295.

The Laureateship will also involve writing for commission, a PL's tour of schools, and the establishment of a writing group at Kendal MIND.

For me writing is about exploring and re-framing my experience: it makes possible a way of seeing and coming to terms with my world of exploring what it is to be a human being. My work is often about nature (like all good Lakeland poets!), usually spiritual, and always from the heart: for me, poetry is about communicating and connecting with self and others. I believe passionately that poetry should be accessible and meaningful to as wide a community as possible. So, for me, a poem is successful if someone reads it and thinks, "Oh yes, I know that feeling". One of my best bits of feedback came in Asda, Kendal, where someone stopped me and said (in reference to my first collection, The Gift) "You know Taking it badly and Taking it well? Well, I'm in the crease in the page between those two!".

I have long felt the value of poetry which, like all the arts, can help us to know we are not alone in what we are experiencing.

Poetry can be a lifeline, a cry from the abyss, a celebration, an enquiry, an adventure, a journey of discovery, a relief and a joy; and as Leaureate I look forward to having further opportunities to share my passion for poetry with others.

Lucy Crispin...