Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of my diagnosis with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system. … More
Search Results for: what I have learned about cancer
What I have learned about remission
I am taking a break from writing brand new blog posts over the summer. Instead of posting new work I … More
The ‘rollercoaster ride’ of cancer: an Interview with James Landale
It was great to hear the BBC’s Deputy Political Editor James Landale’s interview about his experience of treatment for cancer … More
When Your Friend is Diagnosed with Cancer
If you have a friend who is diagnosed with cancer, the best thing to do in terms of what to … More
What I have learned about remission
In February I wrote a blog post on the anniversary of my diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), a cancer … More
Smile! You’ve got cancer by Barbara Ehrenreich from The Guardian
via guardian.co.uk A marvellous piece from the Guardian weekend pages a couple of years ago. Reading today’s piece on … More
Diagnosis anniversary 7
Today is the seventh anniversary of my diagnosis with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system. I … More
Why I wrote Love for Now
I began writing Love for Now, my journal-memoir of diagnosis and treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2006, one week before I … More
The Quiet Room
Six years ago today I was told I wasn’t going to die. Those weren’t the words my consultant used, but … More
Summer reading
To continue this season of not, where I have been reposting old blog posts and links to some others, I … More
The how of it
A little taster for you. This is an essay from my forthcoming book Deck Shoes. – I was having … More
The Year of Living Deeply 8: Doing One Thing
I am really bad at doing one thing. If I am chopping an onion, I am listening to the radio. … More
Brother, genius
One of the central influences on my life is not a poet in the usual sense of the word, … More
The how of it
I was having a coffee with a new writer friend the other day. Not having known each other for … More
Smith
Smith Objectionable, mercurial, fierce, wise, bandaged, solitary and irresistible, Phil Smith and I were not close. Only in our … More
Remission anniversary ten
The way I found out, just as with my diagnosis, was via a segment of a conversation about other things. … More
Lifesaving Poems: Charles Wright’s ‘After Reading Tu Fu, I Go Outside to the Dwarf Orchard’
After Reading Tu Fu, I Go Outside to the Dwarf Orchard East of me, west of me, full summer. … More
It’s not about you, it’s me: on saying goodbye to Twitter
What I want is to – to be present. That’s what I’ve learned. I want to strive for presence, now, … More