Marvin Thompson was born in London to Jamaican parents and now lives and teaches in south Wales. In 2021, he made headlines by winning the Poetry Society’s National Poetry Competition. He was the first Black poet to win since James Berry in 1981.

Thompson’s debut collection, Road Trip, was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. In June 2020, the Poetry Book Society selected Road Trip as one of five Black Lives Matter Inspiration books. The Guardian described Road Trip as an ‘invigorating journey through the complexities of black British family life.’ The Telegraph selected Road Trip as one of the Poetry Books of the Year, 2020. In 2026, Thompson was selected as a Bookshop Day campaign ambassador.