Dan Simpson is a writer, facilitator, and creativity coach with over a decade of professional experience in the creative industries, education sector, in science and heritage, and with charities and businesses.
As a poet and spoken word artist, he makes contemporary work that is engaging, thoughtful, and responsive. His subjects include science and culture; history and place; wellbeing and personal experience; people and poetry. He is currently poet-in-residence at the National Memorial Arboretum, and a facilitator-mentor on Ideas Test’s Make Waves programme for young creatives.
A former Canterbury Laureate, Dan has previously been poet-in-residence at Glastonbury Festival, Imperial College London, National Trust Stowe, Waterloo Station, and St Albans Cathedral. He has devised participatory poetry projects using crowdsourced and roaming poetry for organisations such as the Royal Academy of Arts, National Museum of Scotland, Association for Science and Discovery Centres, and the European Commission.
His two collections of poetry - Applied Mathematics and Totally Cultured - are published by Burning Eye Books, with the latter touring to 15 UK cities. Dan has been commissioned by Southbank Centre, Dundee University, and Voice for Nature. He has performed around the world - including at Glastonbury Festival, Chicago’s Uptown Poetry Slam, Sofar Sounds Auckland, on the BBC - and he has taken five solo shows to the Edinburgh Fringe.
As a facilitator, Dan designs imaginative and reflective workshops that encourage participants to express themselves authentically and creatively. He runs a weekly Journal Circle, and supports artists with professional and artistic development. An experienced leader in education settings, Dan is insightful, enthusiastic, and adaptable. He convened and lectured on 'Writing for the Spoken Word' module at Canterbury Christ Church University, and delivers primary and secondary school classes around the UK - including for the Poetry Society, First Story, Barbican Centre, and Apples and Snakes. He has created education resources for A New Direction, The Poetry Society, and Ideas Test.
Working one-to-one, Dan is a creativity coach passionate about supporting people to unlock and harness their innate creative gifts and to live a more aligned life.
"wordplay alchemy... Simpson wants to show us that poetry can connect with everyone. He takes you by the hand and shines a light into this strange counter-culture that is poetry."
- Fringe Review“Simply inspirational - with fun and wisdom all thrown in.”
- coaching client