Luke Kennard (born 1981) is a British poet, critic, novelist and lecturer.
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Biography
Born in Kingston-upon-Thames, Kennard grew up in Luton. He studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Exeter, where he earned a BA (Hons), MA and PhD. He lectures in Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham.
Kennard won an Eric Gregory Award in 2005 for his first collection The Solex Brothers. His second collection, The Harbour Beyond The Movie, was shortlisted for the 2007 Forward Prize for Best Collection, making him the youngest ever poet to be nominated. In 2014, he was named as one of the Poetry Book Society's Next Generation Poets. His debut novel, The Transition, was published by Fourth Estate in March 2017. The novel was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. His poetry collection Notes on the Sonnets won the 2021 Forward Prize for Best Collection. His novel Black Bag was shortlisted for The Booker Prize in September 2026.
Publications
The Solex Brothers (2005)
The Harbour Beyond The Movie (2007)
The Migraine Hotel (2009)
Planet Shaped Horse (2011)
The Necropolis Boat (2012)
Holophin (2012)
A Lost Expression (2012)
Cain (2016)
The Transition (2017)
Truffle Hound (2018)
The Answer to Everything (2021)
Bad Sermons (2021)
Notes on the Sonnets (2021)
The Book of Jonah (2025)
Black Bag (2026)