Pure distraction

In the rift between what is going to happen and whatever we would wish to happen, poetry holds attention for … More

A curry with Matthew Sweeney

I am in the pub with Rupert. We are talking about planning a thing. It’s definitely going to happen. A … More

Sugar in Banana Sandwiches ‘Still something of the child in you’ she says. I find that hard to swallow … More

We had been in the new city for two months. The house we had bought was even more of a … More

The most immediate and forthright analysis of a poem I have seen at any poetry workshop occurred as I passed … More

I love watching poets having fun. Think of Don Paterson shooting the breeze with Bill Herbert in the South Bank … More

W.H. Auden once said that writers should always be honest, even about their prejudices. So here is my confession: when … More