This was a good week

Third Sunday in Advent Today I pause from giving you updates from grief’s front line and take a leaf from … More

Lifesaving Poems: Craig Raine’s ‘Heaven on Earth’

Heaven on Earth Now that it is night, you fetch the wash from outer space, from the frozen … More

because of the words and because of the books because of the woman in the anorak at the swimming baths … More

I have so much to be grateful for in 2014. The year began in one of my temporary fits … More

Here are the most read Lifesaving Poems of 2014. For the first time I have been able to compare last … More

One of the biggest influences on my life, let alone my writing, is Martin Wilson. I should know; he’s my … More

I’m grateful to you, you see. I wanted to tell you. –Raymond Carver (‘For Tess’) A kind, wise man once … More

I wrote here recently about losing my ambition as a writer. In case readers are in any doubt, the stuff … More

Love for Now did not begin with an idea but an illness. As I have written elsewhere, there wasn’t a plan. I … More