Biography - short version

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Michael was born in 1963 in Preston, Lancashire, UK.

His 4th book of poetry – ‘Corpus’ – was the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Poetry Award, and was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize for best collection, and the Griffin International Prize. He has previously received the Society of Authors’ Gregory Award, the K Blundell Trust Award, and was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize for his 2001 collection ‘Burning Babylon’.

His continuing collaboration with composer James MacMillan has led to two BBC Proms choral commissions, a song cycle and a new opera for the Welsh National Opera. His work for radio includes ‘A Fearful Symmetry’ - for Radio 4 - which won the Sandford St Martin Prize, and ‘Last Words’ commissioned by Radio 4 to mark the first anniversary of 9/11. His first novel – ‘Patrick’s Alphabet’ – was published by Jonathan Cape in 2006. He teaches at the Writing School of Manchester Metropolitan University.