Ben Wilkinson was born in Stafford in 1985, and now lives in Sheffield. He is the author of a pamphlet of poems, The Sparks (tall-lighthouse, 2008) and his writing has been shortlisted for awards including the inaugural Picador Poetry Prize. His poems have appeared in Poetry Review, The Guardian, The Spectator and Liverpool FC Monthly. Among other things he works as a critic, reviewing new poetry for The Guardian and The Times Literary Supplement. For Real was a winner in the Poetry Business Competition, judged by Carol Ann Duffy.