The Knaphillian

Thank you for visiting our ‘Culture Shock’ page. As you will see Knaphill is a haven of artists, novelists, actors and poets. We suspect that there are even more cultural types out there that are not on this page. Please email us at the following address if you know any local talent that we may not have been made aware of yet : theknaphillian@yahoo.com

Esther Pearl Ramoutar-Salazar divides her time between living in Knaphill and her native Trinidad, She is one of Trinidad and Tobago’s brilliant and gifted artists and designers. She is a modern day living master-piece of an artistic prodigy. Born with artistic essence of an old master she may be a Renaissance reborn!

Mal Foster has lived in Knaphill since 1993 although his ties with the village go back much further. In 1976 he published his first book of poetry at the age of just nineteen. Often described as a poet of the ordinary man his work has since appeared in a variety of magazines, newspapers and periodicals. In 1993 his much acclaimed poem 'Death of a Football Club' appeared alongside the work of the famous Liverpool poet Adrian Henri along with work by Attila the Stockbroker and Tony Harrison in the Northern Arts anthology Verses United. The book also included material by Stewart Hall, Melvyn Bragg, Bobby Robson and Eric Cantona. In 2008, Mal's poem 'The Wedding' was published in an Australian Schools Anthology Poetry Unlocked which was published as part of Australia's secondary education curriculum. He is currently working on a new screenplay, a one man psychological thriller - so watch this space for further details! www.malfoster.co.uk

Helena Harper is a Knaphill based local poet and children's author and has been a modern languages teacher for 20 years. Her first two books were published in 2008. Her latest publication is It's a Teacher's Life (left) and is a collection of 20 anecdotal poems written in free verse based on my own experiences as a teacher in a girls' private school. Many of the topics addressed, however, are applicable to all teachers wherever they work.  If you read the reviews on amazon.co.uk and amazon.com, you will see that the book is by no means just for teachers. The book is available online and can be ordered from any bookshop. More at www.helenaharper.com

Another renowned author from Knaphill is our good friend Peter A. Harding who resides in Bagshot Road, Knaphill. Peter's recent booklet is Branch Lines to Brookwood, a comprehensive look at the history of the old Brookwood Cemetery & Bisley Camp railways along with some great anecdotes and photographs and more. Certainly one of the best small booklets under its genre.

In 2005 A.Phil.Whittick published for charitable fund-raising purposes Poetry in the Everyday a muse collection based on his personal experiences in the UK and during his travels overseas. For several years he ran a poetry group at Horsell before moving to Knaphill 2 years ago. Prior to that he lived in South Africa for several years and was a member of the Bay Poets meeting at the Café Matisse at Kalk Bay this being a fishing village near Cape Town . His verses have been praised by Richard Stilgoe as being ‘written in honest language and with an honest eye’. Some of his poems have also been read on radio stations in South Africa and the UK and often feature in local publications.

With his goatee beard and straw hat, David Stephens cuts a familiar figure in Knaphill and is always a welcome visitor to The Anchor pub where he sells his poetry collection  Losing the Language and talks openly about his work and what inspires him.

Born the son of a militant Welsh miner, he left school at 15 and worked in many jobs including a long distance lorry driver, film researcher, archaeologist and magazine editor. He has also studied design and Early Modern history.  Most recently he has also been doing historical research for a film and has co-written a script with fellow writer Richard Carman.