ABOUT
AJ (Amy) Hardingson (she/they) is a mixed-race, queer poet, writer and storyteller from Southampton. AJ’s current work includes explorations of motherhood, belonging and ethnic diversity in the New Forest, workshopping around how to make climate change stories more fun and accessible, and working on their historical fiction novel about queer renaissance writer and spy Christopher Marlowe.
Where it all started
Books were always my safe space, and in many ways the place where I learned how to be a human. Even when I had periods of enthusiasm for careers in archaeology, politics or journalism, this just sat alongside my dream of being an author and storyteller. As a student, I took every opportunity I could to make things. I wrote two plays, three short films, a radio drama, and numerous short stories, poems, articles and personal essays. After university my main priority was paying the bills, and I became a copywriter. And family life took over when I became a parent in 2015. However, going through severe post-natal depression shook me up and took me on a journey where I realized I had to start prioritizing my creativity again.
2019 to today
I’ve been intentionally building a profile as a local author and creative since 2019, beginning with becoming Writer in Residence at The Granary Creative Arts Centre and running my first writing workshops and hosting events under the mentorship of Kezia Hoffman.
Also in 2019, I became a town councillor for Totton and Eling parish council, where I had the opportunity to work on community arts projects such as the Totton Train Station Mural, and to develop relationships with many local organisations including Hanger Farm Arts Centre, Totton Festival of Drama, and Garage Youth Centre. I also spearheaded the update of the council’s standing orders and equality policy to be more inclusive and rigorous. I was a councillor from 2019 until 2023.
In 2022, my family and I were featured in the Raising Us documentary by Besea.n (the British East and South East Asian Network). I also shared a poem about my Grandfather in the Raising Us film, which you can view here.
In 2023, I was a founding member of Boost Totton and Eling - a local eco group supporting individuals and organisations in making green lifestyle changes, and to advocate for climate change policy at a local government and business level.
In 2024, I was selected for the transnational writing development scheme Write Beyond Borders and began work on my first novel. I performed my debut poetry pamphlet ‘This is what healing feels like’ at Placeholder Southampton, and ran a poetry zine making workshop as part of the Play on Words festival run by ArtfulScribe. I also hosted a week-long art exhibition at Totton Train Station.
In 2025, I was commissioned by ArtfulScribe to write a research report about ethnic diversity in the New Forest and what ethnic minorities want from their local arts sector (due to be published Spring 2025). I will be running a workshop at Bournemouth Writing Festival in April called ‘A Home for your Words’. I am also working on local programming for Railway200 in the autumn.