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Ian Yearsley was born in Ingatestone, Essex, and currently lives in Eastwood, Essex, about 15 miles to the south-east of his native village. He began his writing career as a freelance journalist in 1988, at the age of 23. Since then he has written thousands of articles for a variety of local, regional and national (UK) magazines and newspapers. These include Leigh Times, Rayleigh Times, Southend Times, Island Times, Southend Standard, Yellow Advertiser, Essex Countryside, This Month in Essex, Essex Ghosts & Hauntings, Suffolk Countryside, The Sticks, Classic Car Weekly, Practical Classics, Popular Classics, Government Computing, Writing Magazine and Writers News. Ian is best known, however, as a local history author. He has written eight books about his home county: Islands of Essex (1994); Dedham, Flatford & East Bergholt -- A Pictorial History (1996); Ingatestone & Fryerning: A History (1997); Hadleigh Past (1998); Essex Events (1999); Islands of Essex (2nd ed., 2000); A History of Southend (2001); and Rayleigh: A History (2005). Several of these have topped Essex bookshops' bestseller lists. He has also written on the subject of researching local history, led local history writing workshops and taken part in radio documentaries about Essex places. In March 2007 Ian took part in the Essex Book Festival, speaking on the subject of how to become a local history author. He is a long-serving member of the Society of Authors. Ian has also published three poetry books. Tears of Poignancy (2006) is a retrospective collection of 30 of his poems on the subjects of Love, Life and Essex. Some of these poems also featured in a 1997 poetry exhibition of his work at Southend Library. The Battle of Ashingdon (1016) (also published in 2006) is a genre-bridging epic narrative poem, written in the tradition of Anglo-Saxon battle storytelling poetry about the Battle of 'Assandun(e)', which took place in the Essex countryside between English and Danish forces in the year 1016. A second exhibition, featuring excerpts from both publications, was held at Southend and Chelmsford Libraries in March 2007 to coincide with Ian's appearance at the Essex Book Festival. His third poetry book, Unspoken Understanding (2009), features 30 poems on a range of subjects, all written in 2006. Several of Ian's poems have also appeared in anthologies or been published in Essex magazines and newspapers. Ian has led workshops on poetry writing, including at the Southend Poetry Group. Ian has received several awards for his work, including an Originality Award for his book Islands of Essex and a Short Story Award for his story The Fungus from Outer Space. He has also been a winner in Essex photographic competitions and he co-wrote the music to an award-winning amateur film. In September 2008 Ian was awarded an Advanced Diploma in Local History from Oxford University after passing a degree course in that subject. In 2010 he was awarded a Certificate in Local Historical Studies from the University of Essex after passing that. Apart from his writing, Ian has a passionate interest in his native county and is, or has been, a member of various heritage and environmental groups, including the Essex Mills Group, the Friends of Essex Churches and the Essex Wildlife Trust. He has led or been involved in several local environmental and heritage campaigns, including one (which he initiated) which led to the creation of the popular Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park on the borders of Southend and Rochford. From 1999 to 2009 he was a trustee of the Cory Environmental Trust in Southend-on-Sea, serving for almost all of that period as chairman or vice-chairman.
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