“The Birds Were The Only Ones Singing”, is a collection of poems which I written over the years drawing from life experience. I studied countryside management at Aberystwyth University and since then I have spent time working the field of conservation management both in the UK and abroad. for the last ten years I have worked mainly in horticulture. I have worked on large country estates, organic farms, and nature reserves.

Today I work as a professional artisan gardener. Working mainly around Oxfordshire, I have developed a wide range of skills and knowledge, which have helped develop my craft as artisan gardener. I find being emersed in nature allows my mind to draw from this inspiration, for outside of gardening and sometimes whilst gardening I am creating poetry; it is something I find natural; I love to play around with language and different themes.

I have built up a collection of twenty poems, which I have performed at open mics, and have had audiences captured and laughing.

Nicholas House is an independent author writing primarily Science Fiction and Paranormal Thrillers but is happy to turn his hand to whatever genre takes his interest.

He was born in Southern England but moved to North Wales at a young age and took up writing early. Inspired by the works of Jules Verne, Greek mythology and the Welsh valleys, he wrote about wizards and fantasy whilst dabbling in some poetry.

Encouraged by the mountains he grew up surrounded by, Nicholas would embrace his love of the outdoors and study Geoscience at University. Afforded the chance to travel during his studies, Nicholas found a renewed inspiration in the varied cultures and landscapes he would encounter.

After his studies, he would move to Oxfordshire with his wife and son, using his knowledge of Geology and an interest in space to write articles for an astronomy magazine and produce scripted videos for his personal YouTube channel.

I discovered my writing voice in English at the turn of the millennium after a thirty-year-long nervous breakdown.

I’ve had a colourful, vibrant life not only as a single mother of four and intermittent wife/lover, but also on the stage as an opera and tango singer and actress.

As a Colombian woman of colour my work explores race as a social phenomenon, in particular the experience of internalised racism and the subtle undertows of its development within each of us, through our upbringing in a post-colonial global culture; as well as the different aspects of misogyny that pervade all levels of society, even amongst the most conscientious and well meaning individuals.

At the 2026 OIBF I will be launching and signing copies of the latest edition of the full Physics of Passion trilogy, which explores these essential themes, reflected through a prism comprising the facets of science, spirituality and relationships.
Joining me will be:

Anila Syed brings a distinctive voice that moves effortlessly between literary fiction and children’s books. Her genre-defying collection Prompted showcases her imaginative storytelling, alongside a growing body of work for younger readers.

Italian author Renata Lanzoni, whose novel Shattered Moon draws on real-life experience to tell a gripping story of abuse, resilience and survival on a tropical island. She is also the author of the travel guides Oxford in One Afternoon and The Light-Packer’s Guide: Globetrotting on Bare Essentials.

Russ Barr writes character-led fiction with heart and soul, sometimes dark, sometimes funny, but always trying to scratch beneath the surface of the human condition.

His debut novel, War Inc., is a darkly comic story about our insatiable appetite for content, and people who turn chaos into opportunity. He is also the author of the short story Crybully, published in 2024.

His current novel, Ten-Pound Note, is set in 1990s London and follows a single imperfect ten-pound note as it passes from person to person, revealing a chain of connected lives, bad decisions and unexpected consequences.

Russ is drawn to flawed characters, broken systems and the absurdity that often sits just beneath the surface of serious things.

Author of both thrillers and romantic-fantasy. Four books out in the world, the fifth due out on 21 November this year. Chandler lives with her husband, two kids, and occasionally a cat in Germany.

Strange Region is a publisher of experimental writing by artists, novelists and poets.

​They endeavour to use publishing as a collaborative tool to celebrate writing as performance, as architecture, as a mechanical component of creative practice and as a space to enjoy the perilous corners of the human experience.

​They were established in 2022 and are based in Bristol, UK.