Tim Turnbull is a poet from the north of England. He was born in Yorkshire in 1960 and started writing poetry in the early Nineties after being employed in forestry. His poems are almost all intended to be performed rather than read to oneself in a book, and during his college career he became a regular on the performance poetry circuit in London. He is also a regular competitor in and winner of slam poetry competitions.
Turnbull was appointed Writer in Residence at Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institute in Warrington, England, in 2004, shortly after winning the Edinburgh Fringe Festival poetry slam. He was also made Writer in Residence at Saughton Prison in Edinburgh. His most acclaimed book of poetry, Caligula on Ice and Other Poems, was published in 2009.
Turnbull has been compared to John Keats by many scholars, an unlikely comparison on the face of it, and even after deeper study; however, the comparison was made at first by the poet himself who fashioned his controversial poem, "Ode On A Grayson Perry Urn" after Keats' "Ode To A Grecian Urn", modernizing and updating Keats' work while staying true to the themes of the original poem. This poem is now being studied by high school students alongside traditional staples of English Literature, including Keats.
