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.

Interview with the book

‘Aren’t you going get the phone?’ I say. ‘It won’t be for me.’ With a little groan the book … More

The vision thing

Here is how it happens. The vision is, sub specie aeternitatis, a set of mental relationships, a coherent series of … More

The risk of failure

‘What do you think?’ I say to the book. It has held on to my poem for a week, and … More

The safety net of approval

Even though it is sweltering, the book is wearing its dinner jacket. Its legs are stretched out, feet on my … More

The book is fifty blog posts old

The adventures of the book have now clocked up fifty blog posts. Here is a list of all of them, … More

But I’m a poet

The book is in its gardening clothes. ‘I’m going out,’ it says. ‘You’ve let the lawn go again.’ ‘You can’t … More

What a waste

‘I don’t know if I can do this any more.’ ‘Do what?’ the book says. ‘This.’ ‘Sit around waiting for … More

Addicted to the news

‘Listening to the cricket again?’ says the book. ‘I think I’ll join you.’ ‘What do you mean, ‘again’?’ I say. … More

Hugo Williams

In the summer of 1986, when he was poetry editor of New Statesman and not long after Writing Home had … More

The next book

‘That thing you mentioned the other day,’ the book says. ‘Is it true?’ ‘What thing?’ I say. ‘About there being … More

The ambition thing

‘How have you been?’ says the book. ‘Fine,’ I say. ‘You?’ ‘Tired,’ says the book. ‘I’m tired.’ ‘Me too,’ I … More

My stammer

I do not stammer, but some of my earliest memories of speaking at school (‘What are eight sevens, Wilson?’) are … More

Lifesaving Poems: Ted Kooser’s ‘A Rainy Morning’

A Rainy Morning A young woman in a wheelchair, wearing a black nylon poncho spattered with rain, is pushing … More

Lifesaving Poems: Isaac Rosenberg’s ‘August 1914’

August 1914 What in our lives is burnt In the fire of this? The heart’s dear granary? The much we … More

Separate people?

Jack Palance: Do you know what the secret of life is? Billy Crystal: No, what? Jack Palance: This [he … More

Lifesaving Poems: Tania Hershman’s ‘By Any Other Name’

By Any Other Name First, he called her My Little Aubergine as if she was … More

Lifesaving Poems: Josephine Corcoran’s You say “drone”

You say “drone” and I think of bagpipes refrigerators aeroplanes I think of bees a male bee in a colony … More

Advertisement (after Tim Dooley) State-approved cookery books in every emporium of food. Information concerning lipids in dayglow font between … More