Here is a story about a recent failure of mine. It all started with an idea, which I knew, just…
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Sleep, mostly
‘What else are you guilty about?’ ‘Most things,’ I say. ‘It doesn’t stop with poetry, you know. Or those unread…
Escape to the Chateau
’Anything else?’ the book says. ’What do you mean?’ ’That you want to tell me?’ There is a long silence,…
The world expert on John Ashbery
‘What else are you not telling me?’ says the book. ‘Nothing,’ I say. The book rolls its eyes, gives a…
Kind of ashamed
‘What you reading?’ says the book. ‘Nothing.’ ‘No need to be shy,’ says the book. ‘Go on, what is it?’…
The New York Times bestseller list
‘What’s wrong?’ says the book. ‘Nothing,’ I say. ‘Liar.’ ‘Am not.’ ‘Are.’ ‘Aren’t.’ ‘Pants on fire. You’re hopeless. You should…
Brother, genius
One of the central influences on my life is not a poet in the usual sense of the word,…
Losing My Ambition
Towards the end of my treatment for cancer in 2006 I had one of the most profound conversations of…
Their Age Now
I went home the other day. I mean home-home, where I was born, and where my parents still live.…
Some things I learned during the strike
These are some of the things I have learned during the recent industrial action taken by my union, the UCU,…
UCU Strike Poems 12 – Diving into the Wreck, by Adrienne Rich
Diving into the Wreck First having read the book of myths, and loaded the camera, and checked the edge of…
UCU Strike Poems 11 -An Horatian Notion, by Thomas Lux
An Horatian Notion The thing gets made, gets built, and you’re the slave who rolls the log beneath the block,…
UCU Strike Poems 10 – from A New Guide, by Kenneth Koch
from A New Guide 7 Look at this arch. It is part of a building more than seven hundred years old.…
UCU Strike Poems 9 – from Cats and a Cock, by Muriel Rukeyser
from Cats and a Cock We walk the streets of the dark city, placards at back light in our heads,…
USS Strike: A list of blog posts and resources
One of the most inspiring things about being involved in the UCU USS pensions strike has been the outpouring of…
UCU Strike Poems 8 – Five Minutes Of Work 4.23.2009, by Margaret Alice
Five Minutes Of Work 4.23.2009 Attending the PMDS workshop today a 46-page page performance document to be discussed in…
UCU Strike Notebook 2
Monday: people are starting to recognise each other on my picket line. They exchange news of how the strike is…
UCU Strike Poems 7 -Try to Praise the Mutilated World, by Adam Zagajewski
Try to Praise the Mutilated World Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, drops…