Katrina Porteous' poetry is strongly rooted in the landscape and culture of Northumberland where she lives. Committed to bringing poetry into people's everyday lives, she has worked with both fishing and farming communities.
She has written extensively for radio, and was commissioned by Radio 4 to write a long poem about Hadrian's Wall.

In a culture which is increasingly urban, we look to the countryside for renewal. But what sort of countryside? Nowhere is this question more acute, or the relationship between conservation, tourism and traditional farming methods more sensitive, than along Hadrian's Wall. Working with individual farming families and with groups such as Young Farmers and Over 60s in the Haltwhistle area of the Wall, Katrina Porteous aims to explore this delicate balance.

She worked closely with local people, recording their own experiences and traditions, developing their writing, and writing poetry of her own. In particular, she encouraged individuals to express their experiences of how the Wall impacts on their lives; what problems it presents; what benefits they feel they get from it; and what particular challenges they faced at the time, in the aftermath of the foot and mouth epidemic which had so devastated this area.

Tourism along the Wall depends upon traditional hill farming methods. This land has been farmed continuously for over 4,000 years: the Roman occupation constituted only a tiny fraction of that time. Farming practices continue to shape the landscape today, and the future of the area depends upon finding ways for farming, tourism and conservation to work together. Both Katrina's work within the community and her own poetry help to promote this understanding.

Photo Credit: Katrina Porteous

The Ruined Thistles

Two Countries