Riley, Peter

(1940- )

   Born in Stockport, Cheshire, he studied at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and the universities of Keele and Sussex, and has taught at the University of Odense, Denmark. Since 1975 he has lived as a freelance writer, English teacher and book-seller, first in the Peak District of England and then in Cambridge. He is one of the Cambridge Group of the British Poetry Revival, with poets such as Andrew Crozier and John Riley (see entries). His poetry has appeared in ten principal collections. His long poem Alstonefield (2003) explores the small village on the Derbyshire side of Staffordshire. It is in the Peak District and specifically in the White Peak part of that district; it lies between the rivers Dove and Manifold and is largely a farming community. His other poetry collections: Longings of the Acrobats, 1990. Lorand Gaspar, 1993 (four long poems from French). Snow Has Settled, 1997. Passing Measures, 2000. Some of his poems: "Eight Preludes," "Excavations," "Lines on the Liver," "One Day," "Toy Instruments: A Song," "Window Piece."

   Sources: A Various Art. Andrew Crozier and Tim Long ville, eds. Carcanet Press, 1987. Anthology of TwentiethCentury British and Irish Poetry. Keith Tuma, ed. Oxford University Press, 2001. Biography of Peter Riley (http://au.geocities.com/masthead_2/issue6/biogs6.html). Electronic Poetry Review \#6-Seven Transylvanian Songs (http://www. epoetry.org/issues/issue6/text/cnotes/pr.htm). Other: British and Irish Poetry since 1970. Richard Caddel and Peter Quartermain, eds. Wesleyan University Press, 1999. The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). Carcanet Press (http://www.carcanet.co.uk).