Mogwai vs. chemotherapy

On headphones in the day case ward and in my kitchen late at night, Mogwai’s New Paths to the Helicon, … More

Review of Riddance in Magma 56

Andrew Neilson has reviewed Riddance in Magma poetry magazine. He describes it as a ‘a moving, often harrowing, book, while also … More

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

This is Jörn Cann. He was my ward doctor at the haematology unit where I was treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma … 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

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

Tomorrow the Church Times publishes a combined review of my memoir of cancer Love for Now and Riddance, my … More

It was great to hear the BBC’s Deputy Political Editor James Landale’s interview about his experience of treatment for cancer … More

I wrote recently about poets who disappear from view, specifically Susannah Amoore, from Faber’s Poetry Introduction 6. My point is far … More

I wrote here a couple of days ago about my aversion to using war metaphor to describe cancer. Judging from … More

A friend of mine drew my attention via Twitter this week to an article detailing Robert Peston’s thoughts on his … More

Nine days after I was told that my chemotherapy treatment was not working in April 2006 the doctors discovered the … More

I want to live – Sharon Olds The most intense reading group I ever belonged to wasn’t really a reading … More

Seven years ago this is what happened halfway through my treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I went for a midway scan … More

Today is the seventh anniversary of my diagnosis with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system. I … More

Seven years ago today, the date in the photograph above was the day I knew had cancer. By this … More

The Next Big Thing I have been been tagged by poet and blogger Abegail Morley to answer set questions relating to my memoir … More

When I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma nearly seven years ago the aspect of telling people I dreaded most was … More