What is Near

Kay Syrad's publications include a collection of poetry, Double Edge (Pighog, 2012); two novels, The Milliner and the Phrenologist (2009, reprinted 2012), Send (2015, both published by Cinnamon), Exchange, an art-text collaboration with environmental artist, Chris Drury (Little Toller, 2015), based on a rural residency and exhibition for the climate change cultural organisation, Cape Farewell, and the poetry collection, Inland (Cinnamon Press). Kay, who lives in East Sussex, often collaborates with artists: she has worked with the international art collective Sensory Sites and, between 2013-2016, was the commissioned writer on Last Station, a multi-media arts project exploring the history of the British lightships that used to be stationed around Britain's coasts; here she wrote the libretto for a choral piece featuring an original score by the jazz and world-musician, Trevor Watts, and her artist's book for the project, 1000 tasks: work of the lightship men, was bought by the National Maritime Museum for their permanent collection. With the performer Clare Whistler she has contributed work to Art: Language: Location (Cambridge, 2013) and Telling Stories II at Sevenoaks Library Art Gallery (2014). Kay also writes reviews and articles for various poetry journals.