AN AWARD-WINNING poet has ventured into a new market by releasing two compilations of his work in e-book form. Anthony Knight, 61, now offers poetry fans the chance to download electronic versions of his work on Amazon's Kindle e-reader.
Mr Knight, who lives in Stansted Close, Billericay, started wrote his first poem at the tender age of 13.
He was introduced to poetry by his English teacher, Mr Tierney, whom he said "played a major part in my becoming a poet".
Mr Knight added: "He was hugely influential and, from that point on, I never wanted to express creative writing in another form other than poetry."
The dad of two said the inspiration for his writing, a mixture of traditional and modern poems, comes from "all sorts of things".
"It could be from a film I've seen, a newspaper article I've read, or something I've heard about," he explained.
"I write about things from the war, to politics, to my personal life."
His two e-books are titled The Debris Field and Beyond The Terminus, the latter of which contains the award winning poem, The Journey. Based on the Holocaust, it won first prize in the prestigious Rhyme International Competition.
Indeed, it is Knight's favourite poem too, given its success.
Mr Knight has had a wealth of experience in writing, spending 28 years working in London's Fleet Street for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.
As well as being a poet, he now works part-time as a pharmacy assistant at Basildon Hospital.
Both of Knight's poetry collections are on sale for 77 pence each, although he said he would have been equally happy to have given his work away for free.
He added: "It's never about gaining money, but gaining the readership of the public."
Mr Knight decided to release his work in e-book form after hearing about it from a friend who had done the same. He hopes this will help to improve his reputation as a writer.