Aldeburgh going

‘Which is why Aldeburgh going is such a disaster. It took years to achieve what they did, years. Of slog, … More

Team Wordsworth

‘It’s even true of Ted Hughes.’ I look across at the book, whose head is now slumped on my desk, … More

‘So is that your main idea?’ ‘That’s it, yes.’ ‘That people get stuff done out of a social need to … More

In terms of my poetry world, 2015 has turned out to be a year of endings and legacies. The Poetry … More

When I write, I feel like an armless, legless many with a crayon in his mouth -Kurt Vonnegut A friend … More

Anthony often writes that he is ‘at a Thing.’ I go to Things all the time. Poetry World is full … More

Dear Michael I picked up your book the other day and wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying … More

It’s complicated. There I am in the bookshop, the one we all love, looking for a book. No one is … More

There is a certain jubilation and truancy at the heart of an inspiration […a] liberation and abundance which is the … More

I am grateful to Victoria Field of NAWE for reviewing Lifesaving Poems in the current edition of Writing in Education. You can download … More

I arrive late back at the house. It is already dark. The usual reassuring things are there: unopened mail, the … More

Teachers’ words should not be ‘How to write’ but ‘How to try to say what you really mean’ – which … More

‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as … More

Here is a quotation from Seth Godin’s The Icarus Deception that I have been meditating on for a while now. I have … More

The value of poetry is that it should matter … first to the writer and then to the reader. Michael … More

I first met Maurice in the sitting room of a mutual friend, a lifelong Labour supporter, the night after the … More

‘80% of success is showing up.’ -Woody Allen I was chatting with a student the other day when I said … More

If you’re not enough without the gold medal, you’ll never be enough with it. – John Candy, Cool Runnings I did not … More