Liz Niven was born in Glasgow in 1952. She was educated at Glasgow University and Jordanhill College of Education, subsequently living in Easter Ross for ten years, and for 18 years in Newton Stewart, Galloway. As a teacher, she has had a strong interest in Scots language in education, recognising that many Scots-speaking children and families are denied their right to speak, and be respected for using, their native tongue. She has been Scots Language Development Officer for Dumfries and Galloway Education Department and has written or edited a range of language resources to support renewed use of Scots. She has done much work as a poetry facilitator and with creative writing workshops, and held many residencies.
Liz’s own poetry has been published in most major Scottish magazines, as well as along the River Cree in Galloway, in a commissioned collaboration with sculptors and wood-carvers. Her poetry collections include Cree Lines (2000), Stravaigin (2001), Burning Whins and Other Poems (2004), and The Shard Box (2010).