Our Team

The Black Spring Press Group is run by a small team of freelance team of poets, writers, editors, book designers and artists. We come together on various book projects, to get the job done, with a sense of empathy, artfulness and pride – the same care, process and attention to excellence that we would treat our own work.

A few kind words from our authors... 

I’m absolutely delighted with my book. It is a dream come true. The cover is just what I imagined. I think the house style is wonderfully presented. I like how you have a clear brand. Thank you so much. Simple things like having the spine printed and little glasses really will make it stand out in bookstores. I really appreciate everything you and the team have done.

Michael A. Brown - Poet based in Cambridge and LGBTQ campaigner. We published his third poetry book, Meet Me At The Harbour, in 2019. 

I'm still smiling from the fantastic Eyewear launch in London earlier this week. My editor was so insightful in helping to bring my collection to print, and really took the time to make sure that I submitted the best version. Edwin Smet designed a beautiful cover for me, delving into the imagery of Norse mythology. Todd was on hand for guidance and encouragement at every stage. I am so proud of my finished Eyewear collection, Longship.

Jessica Mayhew - Winner of the Melita Hume Poetry Prize 2018.  
We published two of Jessica's books, Amok, and Longship. 

Chief Advisor Dr. Rick van der Ploeg (PhD, Cambridge)

Dr. der Ploeg is the Research Director of the Oxford Centre for Analysis of Resource Rich Economies at Oxford University. He has formerly taught at Cambridge, LSE, European University Institute, Tilburg University, VU University and University of Amsterdam. Dr van der Ploeg is also a former Member of Parliament and a State Secretary in the Netherlands, and former Member and Vice Chair of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. His research interests include macro and public finance with interests in climate economics and natural resources. He has consultancy experience with the EU, IMF, World Bank, ADB and AfDB. He is a longtime supporter of BSPG, and is happy to offer his advice and guidance to the press, meeting regularly with the director

  • Publisher and Director Todd Swift

    Todd founded Eyewear in 2012 and acquired Black Spring before the Pandemic. He was a 2017-2018 Visiting Scholar at Pembroke College, Cambridge, as the Writer-in-Residence. He has published over twenty poetry collections in Canada, the US, Ireland, and the UK. Mentored by A. Alvarez in London, he considers himself a confessional poet. He has a PhD in creative and critical writing from the University of East Anglia. He has written over 100 hours of television for Paramount, CBC, Fox, CINAR, Disney & HBO - and the series editor for anime cult classic Sailor Moon.

  • Executive Assistant to the Director and Prose Editor Evie Rowan

    Evie has a Masters of Arts in History of Art from Edinburgh University, specialising in 1960s American conceptual art and critical theory. Also a writer herself, Evie publishes reviews of British theatre and dance. 

  • Poetry Editor and Administrative Expert Cate Myddleton-Evans

    Cate graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in English Literature, writing her final dissertation on William Blake. She also has an MA in Acting, which was born from a love for stories, literature and especially poetry. She is the editor for our best-selling title, Idiot Verse, by Keaton Henson. She has studied with The Poetry School in London, and spent many wonderful evenings listening to poetry readings. Cate has worked on and off for us at BSPG/Eyewear since 2012.

  • Crime Series Editor and Inhouse Sales Representative Luca Veste

    Luca is the internationally bestselling author of eight novels, the host of the hit podcast Two Crime Writers and a Microphone, and the co-founder of the Locked Up Festival, which has raised over £25,000 for the Trussell Trust charity. He is editor of the Spinetingler award nominated anthology Off The Record, and has over a decade of extensive experience within the crime fiction genre. He studied psychology and criminology at the University of Liverpool, and lives on Merseyside with his wife and two daughters.

  • Public Relations Manager and Reviews Jane Collins

    Jane has 25 years+ experience as a journalist, editor, and writer. Her articles have appeared in many well-known newspapers and magazines for decades. She has written a feminist study of sex advice for women, The Sex We Want: Straight talking from 90s women published by an imprint of HarperCollins.

  • Chief Graphic & Cover Designer since 2012 Edwin Smet

    Edwin has worked as an independent graphic designer for over two decades, and is based in The Netherlands. He has published three books of poems and images, Pessoa loopt door de straten van New York (2005), Een Landschap (2008) and A Repetition Of Something Useless That Might Be Considered Beautiful (2015). Over the last eight years, he has focused more and more on painting and designing books. He designed almost 100% of our books until the pandemic, and still designs many of them now, especially the poetry and literary works.

     

  • Typesetting Assistant Subash Raghu

    Subash is based in India, where he has been working as a freelance book designer and typesetter for seven years. He attended Manonmaniyam Sundarnar University in Tamil Nadu. He has typeset dozens of BSPG books with us. He is married, with a young family.