Poetry society

I am minding my own business, putting out some rubbish, when it happens. An elderly man I know, a neighbour, … More

Except the Americans

As I said recently, I have been moving. Not away, not abroad. But here, within the space that already exists, … More

On Literary Envy “Comparison is the thief of joy” –Teddy Roosevelt You wake up one morning. You check in … More

This is the second in a series of Guest Blog Posts that I am hosting this year. More are … More

after and with apologies to Mark Halliday The missing blog post has gone AWOL. Never sure of its place in … More

My deep thanks to Maria Taylor, who has written the most lovely appreciation of Lifesaving Poems. Thank you Maria for capturing its … More

“A poem begins with a lump in the throat; a homesickness or a love sickness. It is a reaching-out toward … More

An artist needs not so much an audience, as to feel a need to answer, a promise to respond. Robert … More

I have been moving. Not moving house, moving within it. Stuff has come with me, some of it has vanished … More

Dear Peter Cover-to-cover and back-to-back twice, as I do, once before sleeping, then between zeds on a train woken to Tickets, … More

As I have said before, there wasn’t a plan. Which does not mean I don’t feel the luckiest man alive … More

This is the link to the podcast of the interview I gave yesterday on the Arena programme, RTE, about … More

The Sofas, Fogs, and Cinemas I have lived it, and lived it, My nervous, luxury civilisation, My sugar-loving nerves have … More

A Misremembered Lyric, by Denise Riley I heard this poem for the first time a week ago, at the Bodmin … More

Damp white imprints dog the feet; snowbound trolley, snowbound street. Her tip of glove to lip and cheek, “Goodbye.” Go. … More

Artwork by Angus Joseph Alongside each poem in Lifesaving Poems is a short commentary about how I came across … More

Now that we might finally be getting one, I found myself wondering recently how many of my Lifesaving Poems choices were about … More

The central organising principle of Lifesaving Poems is that each poet is represented by a single poem. There are poets you … More