13 Facts About Imtiaz Dharker

Imtiaz Dharker was born on 31 January 1954 and is a Pakistani-born British poet, artist, and video film maker.

Imtiaz Dharker won the Queen's Gold Medal for her English poetry and was appointed Chancellor of Newcastle University from January 2020.

For many Dharker is seen as one of Britain's most inspirational contemporary poets.

Imtiaz Dharker was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2011.

Imtiaz Dharker says she describes herself as a "Scottish Muslim Calvinist" adopted by India and married into Wales.

Imtiaz Dharker is a prescribed poet on the British AQA GCSE English syllabus.

Imtiaz Dharker's poems Living Space and In Wales, wanting to be Italian appear in the Eduqas WJEC poetry anthology for GCSE English Literature.

Imtiaz Dharker was a member of the judging panel for the 2008 Manchester Poetry Prize, with Gillian Clarke and Dame Carol Ann Duffy.

Imtiaz Dharker grew up in Glasgow where her family moved when she was less than one year old.

Imtiaz Dharker was married to Simon Powell, the founder of the organisation Poetry Live, who died in October 2009 after an 11 year battle with cancer.

Imtiaz Dharker's daughter, Ayesha, is an actress in international films, television and stage.

The main themes of Imtiaz Dharker's poetry include home, freedom, journeys, geographical and cultural displacement, communal conflict and gender politics.

Imtiaz Dharker is a video film maker and has written and directed more than a hundred films and audio-visuals, centering on education, reproductive health and shelter for women and children.