Ian Farnes is a writer and translator from Fife, Scotland, now living in Barcelona. Before studying at university he worked as a manual labourer. He writes about labour histories, notions of belonging and industrial/postindustrial relationships to landscapes. His debut poetry pamphlet, Burntisland, was published by ignition press in March, 2025.
He works as a literary translator (Spanish to English) and offers creative feedback and editing services, either as part of a translation service, or for pieces written in English.
He first left the education system at fifteen to work in his local shipyard, but returned to education through attending evening classes then studying English Literature and Theatre Studies full time at The University of Glasgow. Attaining a post graduate diploma in education he started work as a schoolteacher in 2007 and spent over a decade teaching literature and theatre to teenagers and adults.
He has had prose published in literary journals and magazines such as thi wurd, Deus Machina and Razur Cuts; has had work published online with The Selkie and The Common Breath and has appeared in the latter's anthology The Middle of a Sentence.
His poetry has appeared in Gutter Magazine (twice), Spelt Magazine, Lighthouse Magazine and in anthology by Broken Sleep.
He has translated film scripts, short stories, children's books, comic strips, poetry, articles for magazines and catalogues for publishers.
He is interested in music and film and has worked creatively in those media for many years, most recentlyas a contributing artist with Cynthlab and the group The Bitter Mass.