Rachel McCarthy

Who is Rachel McCarthy?

Rachel McCarthy is a British scientist, poet, essayist, interviewer and broadcaster who lives in London and Exeter. She is Managing Director of ExCite Poetry, the Poetry Society Stanza for Devon. She holds first class honours in Physics and Chemistry from Durham University and a senior scientist at the UK Met Office, the UK's national weather service.

Her reviews and articles, most notably on the changing role of the British Poet Laureate, have appeared in the UK with Panmacmillan, Poetry News and the literary industry journal The Bookseller.

She co-hosts a monthly arts review show on Phonic FM, hailed in the Sunday Times article as "providing some of the most inspiring broadcasting in the country". On air, and as a guest at the Exeter Poetry Festival she has interviewed a number of notable names in the poetry world including, Ruth Padel, Harry Guest and Alice Oswald.

In 2009 she founded the Poetry Society Stanza "ExCite Poetry", which hosts guest poetry readings, workshops and open mic nights in Devon. Within six months of its formation "ExCite Poetry" became the largest regional arm of the Poetry Society by a significant margin, with well over 150 members and in 2013 took over the running of the Exeter Poetry Festival.