John Burnside

John Burnside (born March 19, 1955) is a Scottish writer known for his contributions to poetry and literature. He is one of the prestigious few to have won both the T. S. Eliot Prize and the Forward Poetry Prize for the same book, 'Black Cat Bone.' Born in Dunfermline and raised in Cowdenbeath and Corby, Burnside studied English and European Thought and Literature at Cambridge College of Arts and Technology. After working as a computer software engineer, he transitioned into freelance writing in 1996. He has served as a Writer in Residence at the University of Dundee and is currently a Professor in Creative Writing at St Andrews University, where he specializes in teaching creative writing, literature, ecology, and American poetry.