Catherine Balaq

Catherine Balaq is an award-winning writer and body psychotherapist, published in numerous anthologies and journals. Her work has been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In 2022 Catherine was a recipient of The Poetry School MA scholarship. Her poetry play ‘Fuck the Moon’ was commissioned by Paper Nations and shortlisted for the Bristol Old Vic Open Sessions 2019.

Catherine has worked for over 20 years in private health care, NHS and school settings as a consultant psychotherapist and autism specialist. She has also worked as a teacher of creative arts for numerous charitable services and special educational settings.

Catherine now writes full time, and works freelance as an editor, teacher and creative writing mentor. She is co-editor of Black Cat Press. Catherine’s poetry centres around themes of class, gender and the politics of the body and its intersection with the arts. The mythology of underworlds, the subconscious and creative process are areas of special focus. Her debut poetry collection animaginary was published in July 2023 with Black Cat Press. Her second collection Deathless will be published with Verve in October 2024.

Catherine is working on her debut novel ‘Halloweg’, a strong female-driven work of literary fiction with themes of natural magic and herblore. She is also working on her second novel ‘Slocker’, again literary, with flavours of speculative fiction, addressing human loneliness.