Paul Stenning | |
|---|---|
 Stenning inMauritius, 2019 | |
| Born | Paul David Stenning (1976-06-12)12 June 1976 (age 48) Brighton,East Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Education | Urmston Grammar |
| Period | 1990s–present |
| Genres |
|
| Children | 1 |
Paul David Stenning (born 12 June 1976) is an English author andghostwriter. He has written twenty-nine books, of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and biography. The best-known of his books isThe Robert Pattinson Album, a biography ofRobert Pattinson, first published in 2009 and appearing in seven languages since then.[1]
Stenning was born inBrighton in East Sussex.[2][3] His family moved toManchester when he was eight years old.[4] Stenning attendedUrmston Grammar School amongst others, includingBury Church of England High School.
Stenning wrote poetry through his late teens and submitted his first poem in late 1999, which was published as part of an anthology titledMagical Memories, a year later.[5]
During this time he worked forTake That as assistant to their financial advisor Simon Orange, the brother ofJason Orange. During his time working at the office in Cheadle he had an accident where he fell through a roof inside the building and was almost electrocuted.[6]
He also worked as a DJ, often playing sets before live concerts, particularly before shows at theManchester Apollo.[7]
Stenning has said music was his first love and he wrote music reviews for fun during his teens.[4] In the mid-1990s he submitted reviews toMetal Hammer where he soon became a regular contributor. Other music magazines he wrote for includedRolling Stone,Record Collector,Metal Maniacs,Decibel,BraveWords,Terrorizer andAlternative Press. He has also written forFHM,Front and, after moving to Cyprus in 2008, theCyprus Weekly. He continues to contribute to Record Collector most recently interviewingFish and writing onGamble Rogers.[8][9] Stenning contributed a piece toThe Independent newspaper on the anniversary ofMichael Hutchence's passing.[10]
Stenning's first book was onGuns N' Roses, an unofficial biography that was later cited as the most accurate book on the band by guitaristSlash.[11][12]
He also wrote unofficial biographies ofIron Maiden,Metallica,My Chemical Romance,Rage Against the Machine andAC/DC. Stenning describesTommy Vance and especially theFriday Rock Show as big influences on his early career. He dedicated his biographies of Iron Maiden and Slash to Vance.[13][14]
He has conducted hundreds of interviews includingMeat Loaf,Pete Best,Alice Cooper,Steve Guttenberg,Kathy Sledge,Peter Steele,John Myatt andLinda Hamilton. Stenning's interviews often run over the allotted time allowed. He spoke to Peter Steele andLeslie Easterbrook for almost 3 hours despite an interview restriction of an hour. Easterbrook told Stenning he asks "great questions".[5][12][15]In 2006, Stenning interviewedSteven Adler live onstage atThe Cavern Club in Liverpool.[11][16]
After working on a biography ofRobert Pattinson, Stenning focused on areas beyond music. Since 2009 he has worked primarily as a ghostwriter, working withPatty Schnyder,Jason Newsted,Frank Abagnale,Tomáš Berdych,Steven Adler,Adam Dubin,[17]U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted Fugitives Jody K Thompson[12] and British champion wrestler Ray Robinson.[18][19]
In 2013 Stenning releasedSuccess – By Those Who've Made It, which featuredMario Andretti,Jörgen Elofsson,Ching He Huang,Cherie Lunghi,Roy 'Chubby' Brown,Greg Merson,Susan Polgar,Phil Gallagher akaMister Maker andPenelope Spheeris.[20]Anne Wafula Strike was the last personal biography featured in the book, which Stenning explained was because her story was the most powerful and the greatest example of success.[21][22]After the book was released, Stenning gave talks on success at corporate events, festivals and schools.[23]
Stenning's books have been released in multiple languages with several titles in Bulgarian, Polish and Portuguese.[24]
Since 2018 he has been the official poet for the tourist board ofGuinea-Bissau.[25][26][27][28][29][30]
Stenning is the host of TheMinder Podcast, launched in 2021.[31] He also chaired a roundtable discussion for the Dragonfly podcast regarding the murder ofBrett Cantor.[32]
Stenning has a wife and daughter. He travels around the world to ghostwrite and is based in the United States andCyprus.[33]
Stenning has been a campaigner foranimal rights since his teens and is a vegetarian.[34] He is a fan of theBaltimore Orioles,New York Giants andPittsburgh Steelers.[35]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |