Ashley Edge
Ashley (xe/they) is a non-binary, autistic poet, editor and writing tutor from Staffordshire, with a Cheshire twang and Spanish heart. They take great pleasure in opening the rusty can full of phobic critters, shining a laser on them and beating them with a poetic hammer. Prone to tugging at your soul with their tales, Ashley is also able to produce the odd happy poem. Usually about cats or dragons!
They have been published in many anthologies over the years, including the latest edition of Steel Jackdaw, Queerlings and Diva magazine. They have won multiple slams and were shortlisted for the National Poetry Day YouTube poetry event Speak Your Truth in 2019, with their performance of their poem "Autistic Sensibilities".
Ashley is a fan of trying all poetic styles, on the stage and on the page. Their debut collection, "Those Days, These Days", initially published in 2020, underwent a fantastic re-release in 2023 after changing their name. This retrospective introspective takes you through growing up, coming out and the adventures that took Ashley through it all. In this collection, they look at love in every form. From exploring their sexuality to poems which declare their everlasting love of football, this is a ferocious, sometimes furious but always bittersweet must-read.
Ashley is also a fan of sharing their knowledge, as well as encouraging and inspiring other writers. They run multiple writing workshops, covering a range of writing forms and subject matters, and also co-host an online open mic that promotes disabled performers and does its utmost to be as accessible as possible for all.
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