Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • Re-Opening FAQ
  • Poetry
    • Poems
    • Poets
    • Our National Poet
    • Podcasts
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Poetry and Mindfulness
    • Champions 2020
    • Posters
    • Publishers
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • National Poetry Day 2019
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Exhibitions
    • Venue hire
    • List an event
  • Shop
    • Scotland’s Makar
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Pocket Poets
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Our projects
    • Jobs
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
    • Easy Fundraising
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
  • >
  • Poets
  • >
  • JL Williams
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

JL Williams

b.1977

JL Williams
POEMS LISTEN BIBLIOGRAPHY

JL Williams was born in New Jersey and studied at Wellesley College and on the MLitt in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow. Her poetry has been included in many magazines and anthologies, and she has published three full collections and a pamphlet. Condition of Fire was inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses and a journey to the Aeolian Islands; Locust and Marlin explores the idea of home and where we come from. Our Real Red Selves (Vagabond Poets, 2015), a triptych collection featuring Williams and two other Scottish poets, considers themes of war and birth. House of the Tragic Poet, a sequence of poems inspired by the loss of a poem, was published by Sam Riviere’s If A Leaf Falls Press in 2016. Her most recent collection, After Economy, explores the fine line between abundance and apocalypse.

Williams is particularly interested in expanding dialogues through poetry across languages, perspectives and cultures and in cross-form work, visual art, opera and theatre.  She was awarded a grant from the Scottish Arts Council for a poetry collaboration entitled chiaroscuro pentimenti and, in 2009, the Edwin Morgan Travel Bursary from the Scottish Arts Trust.  She was selected for the 2015 Jerwood Opera Writing Programme and for the TRG3 Residency Programme at Talbot Rice Gallery in Edinburgh.

Performer in the poetry and music band Hail of Bright Stones with composer and musician James Iremonger, Williams gives regular poetry readings and workshops and is on the Live Literature funded list of Scottish Book Trust Authors.  She has read and performed in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Turkey, Cyprus, Canada, Hungary, Romania, Montenegro and the US. She curates poetry events and creates workshops and professional development activities for poets.

JL Williams was the Events Manager at the Scottish Poetry Library between 2012 and 2016.

Read more

Read the poems

  • Logos
  • Locust and Marlin
  • Time Breaks the Heart
  • Imago
  • Volcano

Listen

n/a

Selected Bibliography

Condition of Fire (Shearsman Books, 2011)
Locust and Marlin (Shearsman Books, 2014)
After Economy (Shearsman Books, 2017)

Further Information

JL Williams’ website

Chiaroscuro Pentimenti

From the Library Catalogue

Publications about JL Williams
Publications by JL Williams

Share this
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Learn more

Umbrellas of Edinburgh

July 2017
In a special edition of our podcast series, we take a tour of Edinburgh through its poets' eyes. Featuring Ryan Van Winkle, Christine De Luca, J.L. Williams and more.
Listen to the Podcast

Opening Lines

March 2009
An interview with J L Williams and a new track from Laertes, Why Are You Crying?, plus the stunning 'Goodbye Belfast' by Myra Davies, and a quest for great opening lines.
Listen to the Podcast

Events

Discover poetry events at the Scottish Poetry Library and beyond.
Find forthcoming Events
  • Newsletter signup
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2021.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
By leaves we live

The Scottish Poetry Library is staffed weekdays from 10am – 2pm and is providing a limited service including postal loans and Click & Collect. For details, click COVID-19 in the menu bar above. Dismiss