On Christmas Day 1940, a Jewish family that had left London during the Blitz gave birth to Pete Brown in Surrey. With a deep interest in the war, its progress, and its effects, Pete returned to London in 1951. He was expelled from the local Jewish grammar school after deciding that the demands of being forced to profess his religion were untenable.
Pete started writing poetry in 1955, initially being influenced by Gerard Manley Hopkins, Dylan Thomas, and then the US Beats. Before obtaining his big break and seeing his works published, primarily in America, he did various lowly jobs for many years.
Pete first met the poet Mike Horovitz at the Beaulieu Jazz Festival in 1960, and he later joined his itinerant art group, New Departures. They worked together on several jazz poems and formed a jazz poetry ensemble with some of the best “Brit jazzers.” In 1965, they gave poetry readings at the legendary London Marquee Club, where they were granted a residency in 1963.
Who is Pete Brown’s wife Sheridan Brown?
Senior lecturer and teacher educator Sheridan Brown works for the Nottingham Institute of Education and is the wife of Pete Brown. She is a member of the teaching faculty and the English Pathway Leader for the PGCE in Post-Compulsory Education and Training. She also teaches the MA in Education.
For her inspiring instruction, Sheridan was given the NTU Vice Chancellor’s Teaching Award in 2017. As an instructor for the Post-Compulsory Education and Training (PGCE) program, Sheridan began working for NTU in 2012. Since then, she has taught pupils in many subject areas. In 2014, she was granted increased authority to design and oversee the specialized English pathway.
