Richard Peirce was born in Gosport one month before the birth of the NHS. A former teacher of mathematics, activist and poet, he has travelled in Western Europe, Russia, Turkey, Thailand, the Philippines, China (for afternoon tea), Tanzania, Kenya, the USA and the Isle of Wight. His poems have been translated and performed in Romanian and Spanish. He is a co-founder of Southsea’s T’Articulation spoken word troupe. Favourite pastimes? Walking the hollow lanes of the South of England or snorkeling off the pristine beaches of Palawan and Camiguin. One day he will pause to update his travel blog. Having become a great fan of the slow journalism of Paul Salopek, he realises that he has to speed up a tad.