Joseph Ridgwell was raised in East London and left school with no formal qualifications but despite this read his way through every classic book, underground writer, poet or philosopher he could get his hands on.
At nineteen he was stabbed in a bar brawl and decided to leave the UK, travel the world and learn how to write.
Ridgwell Stories - published in June 2015 by New York’s Bottle of Smoke Press - was nominated for a 2016 Pushcart Prize and long-listed for the 2016 Saboteur awards.
Ridgwell’s work has also appeared in numerous anthologies, Chiron Review, Abridged, Hanzir, Dwang, Tra Ver Sees, Push, Paper & Ink, Razur Cuts, The Arsonist ... and many others.
A 7th collection of poetry - She Moves Through the Fair - was published by Kilmog Press in 2020
In 2020 Ridgwell was the recipient of a Creative Scotland Arts Grant to write his latest novel - The Island.
Joseph Ridgwell's Best Road Novels of All Time on Shepherd