Aldeburgh and silence

Mark Doty had it. And John Hartley Williams. And Esther Morgan. And Roy Blackman, introducing Mark Doty talking about Whitman. … More

Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Blog Posts

Below is a collection of my blog posts for the 2014 Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. I will update it as I … More

A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness. Robert Frost … More

I have not read a book in six months -Raymond Carver, ‘Drinking While Driving’ I can still remember the shock … More

The Day After I made a leek and potato soup the day after, prompted by the look of the peeled … More

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

Morning on Earth Morning on earth, light snow, and just whenit was so warm, practically spring.But the thermometer in the … More

A year ago I published Riddance, a book of poems, with Worple Press. It concerns my diagnosis and experience of cancer … More

InstructorThis is the best bit; the steep glide into Milnsbridge,the tight swing under the arch before the home straight,when I’m … More

Praying MantisThis morning I saw a malepraying mantis beingeaten by his female.I could almost hear hiswild shout of ecstasyas his … More

Seven Ways of Reading Gillian Allnutt: How The Bicycle Shone: New and Selected Poems (Bloodaxe; 216pp; £12) 1 It’s … More

8.06 p.m. June 10th 1970poemTom Raworth (from Jumpstart, ed. Cliff Yates, Poetry Society, 1999) As I say in my previous blog post, … More

Saint Francis and the SowThe budstands for all things,even for those things that don’t flower,for everything flowers, from within, of … More

I have just been asked by Abegail Morley to send her a list of my poetry books of 2012 for … More

Kin“You make me sick!” this, with rancor, vehemence, disgust—again, “You hear me? Sick!”with rancor, vehemence, disgust again, with rage and … More

Yesterday was a good day and a sad say. A good day because Smiths Knoll, the poetry magazine edited by … More

BikeYou, who have borne three sonsof mine, still bear my weightroutinely, transporting me.An odd pair: your classic sparelines – elbows, … More

Some writers influence you through the pull of their imagination on your work, opening up new worlds as you read … More