‘Even the poetic world is social’ (Bakhtin, 1981, 300). This time next week, Saturday 23 June, I will be presenting … More
Author: Anthony Wilson
I am a lecturer, poet and writing tutor. I work in teacher and medical education at the University of Exeter. My anthology Lifesaving Poems was published by Bloodaxe Books in 2015. In 2012 I published Riddance (Worple Press), a collection of poems, and Love for Now (Impress Books), a memoir, about my experience of cancer. The Wind and the Rain, my sixth collection of poems, is available now from Blue Diode Publishing. My current research project, funded by the Foyle Foundation, is Young Poets' Stories: https://youngpoetsstories.com/. This blog is archived by the British Library.
Lifesaving Poems: Carrie Fountain’s ‘Poem Without Sleep’
Poem Without Sleep All the things that could happen to the baby came to me last night as I … More
Nowhere Poet
It is odd to speak of missing someone you never met, but this is how I feel about the American … More
A Fergus
My first reader was a man called Fergus. A friend of a flatmate at university, I never got to … More
Lifesaving Poems: Tom Andrews’s ‘Reading Frank O’Hara in the Hospital’
Reading Frank O’Hara in the Hospital 1 The IV drips its slow news. So long, lean and turbulent morning! … More
Lifesaving Poems: Kathryn Simmonds’s ‘In a Church’
In a Church No, no time for this the outside clamours to be heard, the books, you see, … More
On a failure
Here is a story about a recent failure of mine. It all started with an idea, which I knew, just … More
Sleep, mostly
‘What else are you guilty about?’ ‘Most things,’ I say. ‘It doesn’t stop with poetry, you know. Or those unread … More
Escape to the Chateau
’Anything else?’ the book says. ’What do you mean?’ ’That you want to tell me?’ There is a long silence, … More
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 … More
Kind of ashamed
‘What you reading?’ says the book. ‘Nothing.’ ‘No need to be shy,’ says the book. ‘Go on, what is it?’ … More
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 … More
Brother, genius
One of the central influences on my life is not a poet in the usual sense of the word, … More
Losing My Ambition
Towards the end of my treatment for cancer in 2006 I had one of the most profound conversations of … More
Their Age Now
I went home the other day. I mean home-home, where I was born, and where my parents still live. … More
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, … More
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 … More
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, … More
Lifesaving Poems 