Born in a seaside village in Jamaica, James Berry is an award winning poet. After working in America Berry moved to Britain in 1948 and rose to prominence in 1981, when he won the National Poetry Competition. As an editor of two influential anthologies, Berry has been at the forefront of championing West Indian/British writing. In 1995 Berry's verse, Song of a Blue Foot Man was adapted and staged at the Watford Theatre Palance Theatre in 1995.