Ian Stephen is from the Island of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. He has been publishing poetry and short-stories in many countries since 1979. For many years he worked in the UK Coastguard Service, co-ordinating maritime rescue.

Since 1995 he has worked as a writer and artist. Most of his work has language at its heart and he travels widely to perform, sometimes collaborating with musicians. Recent work has included daily logs, in the form of poetry and stories, sent ashore from voyages in his own 33ft wooden yacht.

In transit station Edinburgh 2006, he began work, with Norman Chalmers and Neil MacConnell, to make a silent movie version of The Sked Crew.

Another transit station work-in-progress, with the actor and theatre director, Alex Patience, explores memory through acts of poetry and netmending.