He began writing as an undergraduate at Oxford, and has since published nine collections, from Unhistorical Fragments (Secker & Warburg, 1980) to Girlie Gangs (Enitharmon, 2011). Whitworth’s poems have appeared in Poetry Review, London Magazine, The Spectator, and in major magazines in the United States and Australia. In 2007 he came second with ‘The Examiners’ in the Times Literary Supplement poetry competition, judged by Wendy Cope. He has been the recipient of the Cholmondeley Award, The Silver Wyvern from Poetry on the Lake, and numerous other magazine prizes. He is also the author of a writing manual, Writing Poetry (A&C Black), now in its second edition.