Hi. My name’s Mark.
I’m a multi-award-winning poet, performer, battle rapper & children’s author living just outside of Cambridge in the UK.
I’ve been Peterborough Poet Leaureate, Chief Bard of the Fens, Edinburgh Fringe Slam Champion & have been honoured twice at the International Webby Awards. I’ve also gained over 60 million views for my poetry & rap videos online.
I also used to be a teacher, so a lot of my work is designed for teenagers/young adults/teachers/children. My newest book for younger readers, ‘Rhinos Don’t Cry’ is out in shops & available online now:
I write other poems for younger audiences like this:
And I make poetry for older audiences like this:
I also produce silly music videos like this:
Every year I complete a number of commissions (including educational content for BBC Ideas and BBC Teach).
I spend my spare time writing new books or working on my podcast documentary series ‘Mark Can’t Rap’; a deep dive into the craft of writing rap lyrics & and the ways in which we can underestimate or misunderstand the craft.
When I’m not writing or working on my podcast I visit schools all over the world & help teachers to make poetry more fun & engaging. I love working with others & get a real buzz from helping students to express themselves through poetry & rap.
If you’re ever looking for a bio for an event, please feel free to use this:
An ex-teacher, Mark Grist is now a multi-award-winning poet and international battle rapper with over 60 million views for his poetry & rap videos online. He has been honoured in two categories at the Webby Awards, won two International Lovie Awards for his poetry online, has been named Edinburgh Fringe Slam Champion and has toured hundreds of schools around the world.
Recently, Mark’s work has appeared on BBC1, ITV, BBC Teach, Channel 4 and BBC 6 music and he recently starred in Redbull TV’s ‘Mark Grist Battles The World’.
As well as writing picture books for Bloomsbury, Mark enjoys working on his hit podcast ‘Mark Can’t Rap,’ which is backed by Arts Council England & National Centre for Writing.