"The North in her poems is much more than a geographical location." - Bob Beagrie

My name is Katie Metcalfe and I am a professional writer, blogger, poet and publisher based in Sweden.

I have several years experience in the literary and publishing sectors in the UK and Scandinavia, and in 2010 graduated with 1st Class BA (Hons) in Creative Writing from the University of Cumbria.

I've been writing on the subject of 'North' for over a decade, and am dedicated to celebrating everything Nordic.

I also aim, through my work, to enhance public knowledge and awareness about the history, culture, peoples, flora and fauna of the Arctic, as well as the current climate crisis.

Mental health - specifically anorexia, anxiety and bi-polar  - and its impact on the self and society regularly features in my writing.  My experience in this field also extends to therapy and healing, and I've written extensively on using writing as a self-help tool.

The natural rhythms of life and death influence my creativity, as does folklore, the occult and all things untamed. 

As an active performance poet, I've had the good fortune to perform at literary events in Canada, Norway, Sweden and across the UK, including at the Royal Festival Hall in London. In 2017 my poetry (and photography) was exhibited, for the first time, in Belgium.

My poetry and fiction has been published in various anthologies and magazines including: Ink on Paper Poetry/Art Anthology (Mudfog Press), The Wilds Anthology (Ek Zuban Press), Discoverers: Anthology of Short Stories (Mudfog Press), Ten by Ten Poetry Anthology, Kenaz (Ek Zuban Press), The Black Light Engine Room Literary Journal, Sentinel Literary Journal, Teesside Artists’ Journal,  Exposure and Full Moon & Foxglove: An Anthology of Witches & Witchcraft (Three Drops Press).

Since 2003 I've had several books published, including: Anorexia: A Stranger In The Family (Accent Press), One Of Many Knots (Mudfog Press), Dying Is Forbidden In Longyearbyen (Nordland Publishing) and In The Hours Of Darkness (Self-Published).

In 2009 I founded Beautiful Scruffiness, an illustrated print (and online) literary magazine. In the five issues which it ran, Beautiful Scruffiness provided space to over 100 writers and artists from across the world, including English poet Bob Beagrie, Finnish poet Esa Hirvonen and English poet and short story writer Angela Readman.

I launched my first blog in 2004 and since then, have founded and curated several sites including The Girl With Cold Hands: Life & Love In Sweden and Vargamor.

In 2013 I founded the dark art and lifestyle blog Wyrd Words & Effigies which was active until 2017. The blog featured hundreds of creatives working with dark art. I had the privilege of interviewing the likes of Ragnar Bragason, one of Iceland's most critically acclaimed filmmakers, and Jannicke Wiese-Hansen, an influential Norwegian tattoo artist and figurehead in the Norwegian black metal scene.

In December 2017 I released my first album entitled Arctic Fever, a spoken word/dark ambient collaboration with the prolific musician Meghan Wood of Crown Of Asteria.

In my career as a freelance writer, I've written over 250 articles for pioneering companies including: Routes North, The New Heroes & Pioneers, Thought Catalogue, Beautiful Bizarre, CVLT Nation, Dirge Magazine, Dark Beauty Magazine, Zero Tolerance Magazine, Blogosphere Magazine, Tattoo Me Now, and Baby GaGa.

Currently, I'm completing the manuscript for my seventh poetry collection, My Father The Wendigo, as well as writing a book about life in Sweden. I'm also about to launch two new blogs, Untamed Homemaker: The Nature of Living Differently and MostNorthern: For The Northerly Obsessed.

Exhibition photos courtesy of Jan Van Woensel.