Rebecca Swift (10 January 1964 – 18 April 2017) ^{[1] [2] [3]} was a British poet and essayist. She was co-founder in 1996 of The Literary Consultancy.

Biography

Rebecca Margaret Swift was born in Highbury, north London, the daughter of Clive Swift and Margaret Drabble. ^{[1] [4]} Her brothers are Adam Swift and Joe Swift. ^{[1] [2]}

As a student, Swift attended the Camden School for Girls and New College, Oxford. ^{[1] [2]}

From 1989 to 1995, she worked as a junior editor at Virago Press. ^[2] She was fired after Virago was purchased by Little, Brown and Company. ^[4] In 1992 and 1995, she published Letters from Margaret: The Fascinating Story of Two Babies Swapped at Birth, and Imagining Characters, respectively. ^[2] She co-founded The Literary Consultancy, an editing company, in 1996 with Hannah Griffiths. ^{[1] [2]} The Literary Consultancy has helped many writers, including Prue Leith, Neamat Imam, and Jennifer Makumbi. ^{[1] [3]} In 2009, The Literary Consultancy became a founding member of the Free Word Centre. ^[2]

In 1999, Swift wrote "Are You Reading Me?" for her master's thesis at the Tavistock Clinic. ^[2] In 2001, she organised a bursary scheme to provide for free editing services to low-income writers. ^[1] In 2011, she published Dickinson: Poetic Lives, a biography of Emily Dickinson. ^[3] In 2012, she organised the first digital conference for writers in the United Kingdom, "Writing in a Digital Age" at the Free Word Centre. ^{[2] [3] [4]} The conference discussed the current publishing landscape, including self-publishing. ^[2]

Honour

Swift died of cancer on 18 April 2017, at the age of 53. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

In her honour, the Rebecca Swift Foundation was formed. ^[5] In June 2018, it announced the Women Poets' Prize, to be awarded biennially to three poets, at the Second Home Poetry Festival. ^{[5] [6]} It will also provide support to winning poets, in partnership with affiliated organisations. ^[5]

References