Goodbye to being a poet

For reasons I cannot go into here, I am finishing 2019 in a tired frame of mind. (I am not … More

Afterwards

Greenbelt Festival, Friday 23rd August Outside, it is a very warm 28º. Inside our tented venue the canvass and stage … More

As the holiday season continues I repost this list of various found poems that I have made over the … More

Dear James (may I call you James?) Though it’s been a while (at least ten years, maybe more) it feels as … More

Here are my most frequently-read blog posts of 2018, according to my WordPress stats. First, from the Lifesaving Poems … More

‘You don’t sound very ambitious,’ the book says. ‘And good morning to you, too!’ I say. ‘I mean,’ the book … More

‘What do you want?’ says the book. ‘Who’s asking?’ I say. ‘Me,’ says the book. ‘I am asking.’ ‘What do … More

I am lying on the bed staring at the ceiling, detoxing from the day, as I do. ‘You all right?’ … More

I have been writing recently about going deeper, not wider. Listening to music I already possess, reading the books already … More

The book is looking at me from across the room. It is dressed smartly, but not to impress. It looks … More

Listening to the wonderful array of speakers at the Foyle Young Poets symposium on Monday, I tried to think back … More

My first reader was a man called Fergus. A friend of a flatmate at university, I never got to … More

‘What you reading?’ says the book. ‘Nothing.’ ‘No need to be shy,’ says the book. ‘Go on, what is it?’ … More

Towards the end of my treatment for cancer in 2006 I had one of the most profound conversations of … More

Aesthetics of Creating Something This doesn’t just happen: It happens to you. Kenneth Koch, from One Train, p.64 ∞ ‘Even … More

‘The whole culture is telling you to hurry, while the art tells you to take your time. Always listen to … More

I was having a coffee with a new writer friend the other day. Not having known each other for … More

Dear Friends Here are the blog posts which you read most often in 2017, according to my WordPress stats: … More

It was one of those throwaway remarks made by one writer, male, to another, ditto, in one of those books … More

There’s a problem with that title, isn’t there? While I have not been completely silent (fifteen blog posts at most? … More

His real name was Crispin. Bespectacled, quiffed, bandy legged, Ken wore the aloof expression of the terminally lonely, a tilt of … More