He has published six collections of poetry: Effects of War (1986);[1] Split Shift (with Geoff Hattersley) (1990);[2] The Barman (1993),[3] Here In Scotland (with Milan Knizak) (2000) and Potters: A Division of Labour (2017) which won the inaugural Arnold Bennett Book Prize.
John Lancaster was born and grew up in the village of Biddulph Moor, Staffordshire and educated at Hanley High School, Stoke-on-Trent and Sheffield University.
While working in Birmingham he was trombonist with Dan Pawson's Artesian Hall Stompers (1973–1979) and during this period spent time living and playing jazz in New Orleans, USA: it was in these years that he began to write.
In 1980 he moved to Huddersfield, West Yorkshire where for thirteen years he became part of a flourishing local poetry scene, largely centred around the critically constructive workshops of The Poetry Business[4] and The Albert Poets in which many fine writers participated including Simon Armitage, David Morley, Peter Sansom, Janet Fisher, Milner Place, John Duffy, John Bosley and Stephanie Bowgett.
In 1993 he moved to rural Aberdeenshire where he lived for eight years, this being the inspiration for his fourth collection Here In Scotland (with Czech artist and writer Milan Knizak).