Diana Lois Hendry (born 2 October 1941)Profile, debretts.com; accessed 2 October 2015. is an English poet, children's author and short story writer. She won a Whitbread Award (later the Costa Prize) in 1991 and was again shortlisted for the prize in 2012.
Background
Hendry was born in the Wirral, England, one of three children."Small Talk: Diana Hendry", 4 January 2013, Financial Times.Walker Books profile She worked for a time as a journalist in print and radio, including a post at The Western Mail in Cardiff (1960–65).
She took a degree when she was 39 years old at the University of Bristol. She wrote "As luck would have it my professor's wife was the author Diana Wynne Jones, who saw my writing and suggested a publisher." This began a successful writing career.22 November 2012, The Scotsman She taught English at a boys' school and later creative writing at the University of Bristol (1995–97).
Hendry has written over 40 books for children, including Harvey Angell, which won a Whitbread Award in 1991. She won first prize in the 1996 Housman Society Competition for her poetry and was writer in residence at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary (1997-1998). Her collections of poetry for adults include Making Blue (Peterloo, 1995), Borderers (Peterloo, 2001) and Twelve Lilts: Psalms & Responses (Mariscat Press, 2003) and Late Love: And Other Whodunnits (2008).Scottish Poetry Library profile Her book The Seeing, inspired by her childhood memories of the war, was shortlisted for the Scottish Children's Book Award (2013).Scottish Book Trust , video (5mins) She tutors at the Arvon Foundation and writes for The Spectator magazine.Official website , biography
Hendry lives in Edinburgh with her partner Hamish Whyte of Mariscat Press. She has two children and three grandchildren."The Seeing by Diana Hendry: review", Daily Telegraph 13 July 2012 Her influences include novelist Charles Langbridge Morgan, Albert Camus, Muriel Spark, Elizabeth Bishop and Seamus Heaney. She enjoys yoga and playing the piano.
Awards and honours 1976: First prize Stroud International Poetry Competition 1985: Short-listed for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize 1993: Second prize Peterloo Poetry Competition 1993 1991: Whitbread Award (for children's novel) 1991 1996: First prize Housman Society Poetry Competition 2001: Scottish Arts Council Children's Book Award 2002: Scottish Arts Council AwardOfficial website , children's books 2007: Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship (with Hamish Whyte)Official website Poetry 2008: Fellow at University of Edinburgh, Science and Engineeringroyal Literary Fund profile 2009: Fellow at Office of Lifelong Learning, University of Edinburgh 2013: Shortlisted for the Costa Book Award 2013: Shortlisted for the Scottish Children's Book Award
Works
Poetry collections Making Blue, Peterloo Poets, 1995 Borderers, Peterloo Poets, 2001 Twelve Lilts: Psalms & Responses, Mariscat Press 2003 Sparks! (with Tom Pow), Mariscat Press 2005 Late Love and Other Whodunnits, Peterloo/Mariscat Press, 2008 The Seed-Box Lantern: New & Selected Poems 2013
Children's fiction: selected The Very Noisy Night, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Little Tiger Press, 1998 The Very Busy Day, illustrated by Jane Chapman Little Tiger Press, 2001 The Very Snowy Christmas, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Little Tiger Press, 2005 Oodles of Noodles, illustrated by Sarah Massini. Little Tiger Press, 2008 Harvey Angell, Julia MacRae/Walker Books, 1991; Red Fox, 2003 and 2012 Harvey Angell and the Ghost Child, MacRae/Red Fox 1997, 2003 and 2012 Harvey Angell Beats Time, Red Fox, 2003 and 2012 You Can't Kiss It Better, Red Fox, 2003 The Seeing, Bodley Head, 2012
References
External links Hendry at the Spectator Interview with Hendry ACHUKAbooks