Poetry and disobedience

Early on Saturday morning of the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival (Tom Pickard threatened not to get up in time) Robert Seatter … More

Prizewinning young poets from Suffolk

The opening night of each Aldeburgh Poetry Festival is about young poets stepping into the spotlight and taking the applause … More

An interview with Adélia Prado

On the Saturday afternoon of the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, Festival Director Naomi Jaffa conducted an interew with Adélia Prado, and … More

On generosity

By the time you read this I will be far away from here. It has not happened yet, but I … More

The soldier, the cauliflower, the walking, the monkey and the man’s bottom

Sitting over toast and marmalade with Peter Sansom yesterday morning he said to me: ‘I don’t bother with novels any … More

The Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection Prize 2014

On the basis of these five first collections, there is no reason to assume the careers of the poets who … More

Introducing Chrissy Williams

The Burning Of The Houses Tottenham is on fire and I work in an arts centre where the sky is … More

Aldeburgh and silence

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

Allan Ahlberg’s genius

Photo credit: Felix Clay, The Guardian   Heard I can’t remember a time in my teaching career when there wasn’t … More

Ellen Doré Watson’s ‘Be Here First’

Ellen Doré Watson was a new name to me until recently. ‘Be Here First ‘ is a good example of … More

I quit

I am at a thing. A historic thing. (An historic thing? I will never know). Poets are there. Household names. … More

Writing Research Across Borders (a new poem)

I am delighted to have a new poem Writing Research Across Borders (2014): Poster Sessions in Hinterland With thanks to Judi Sutherland … More

Poetry and illness

Medicine The black hair of my Chinese doctor gleams like combed ink as he leans over his desk, with quick … More

Dusk

Reading Thomas Lux’s magnificent new Selected Poems reminded me recently that I first heard his poems before I read them. One of … More

Past fifty

Well, it’s happening. Happened, I mean. Stuff I thought would last forever -film titles, the actors in them, scenes of … More

On judging

I have been asked to judge a thing. A good thing. A serious thing. (But this isn’t about that. We … More

Thomas Lux’s syntax

I first heard Thomas Lux’s poems before I read them. In the autumn of 2000 I was sent a tape … More

Adélia Prado’s tone

She started as a name. There I was, following my nose, minding my own business, trying to ignore all instincts … More