1996 brought him to Brighton where he completed an MA in twentieth-century poetry at Sussex University. It was here he met Carole Satyamurti, then-writer in residence, who took his first poem for publication. This led to an Arts Council sponsorship to attend an Arvon Foundation course where he was tutored by Roger McGough and David Constantine. It marked the beginning of the long process of shaping his first collection.

Since then, Wyke’s CV has been more than impressive. He was winner of The New Writer poetry competition (1998) and has been published in many anthologies. His poetry magazine credits are legion and include Orbis, Other Poetry, Oxford Poetry, The Reader, The Rialto, Smiths Knoll and Thumbscrew.

Then in 1999 he won an Eric Gregory Award, a prestigious prize for promising poets under the age of 30. It was helpful for providing him with more time to write thanks to a generous grant from the Society of Authors. Obviously this didn’t last forever. For the last eight years he has worked part-time for Age Concern, co-ordinating a Reminiscence Project.

Wyke has read at various venues including the Lewes Literature Live Festival and The Open House with The South. Scattering Ashes was third in a series of fourteen Waterloo Press samplers. He was also the featured poet in a recent issue of Staple.

Wyke's tightly-wrought poems coil deadpan to their magical shifts where such a flare of words illuminates the journey.
Simon Jenner

Dan Wyke's poems - like 'Deer' and 'At Rodmell' - are what I read The Rialto for. A full volume is as oveerdue as any poet now writing
Amanda Sewell

'In the Dark' is a tense, primed piece, strikingly focused and unforced - a good example of Dan Wyke at his best.
Alan Morrison

To read extracts please click here