Hated by the book

The book is not in love with me. I shower it with love and promises of more stationery, but all … More

When the Holy Spirit Danced With Me in My Kitchen

  When the Holy Spirit Danced With Me in My Kitchen   the first thing I noticed was his arms, … More

Influences: Hugo Williams

I’m talking about real influence now –Raymond Carver This is the first in a new series of blog posts about people … More

I have not read a book in six months

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

Lifesaving Poems: Martyn Crucefix’s ‘Sugar in Banana Sandwiches’

Sugar in Banana Sandwiches   ‘Still something of the child in you’ she says. I find that hard to swallow … More

Lifesaving Poems: Tonnus Oosterhoff’s ‘Middle Ages’

Middle Ages (Translated by Paul Vincent)   Folk from the past jostled for a place in the wall with distant … More

Such fun

We are driving to a thing.  We are lost. It is a lunch thing, so the children are in tow. … More

Should I have heard of you?

‘We are at a party that doesn’t love us‘ – Tomas Tranströmer We are at a thing.  Not a poetry … More

Living the dream

Or this one. You arrive at the venue early but there is no one there to greet you. You pace … More

Now the silences are right

   I am completely torn apart -Rupert Loydell When I first read Raymond Carver’s Fires I loved and understood all of it, … More

A new poem, for Children’s Heart Week

  Yesterday I published a new poem on Rebecca Goss’ website, in aid of Children’s Heart Week. You can find … More

How poets work

We had been in the new city for two months. The house we had bought was even more of a … More

The blogs I read (3)

Here are some more of my favourite blogs to read. I have put these together (I love them all) because … More

This isn’t happening

  Don’t forget, this is inside us every day -Stephen Berg This is not happening. It happened. Past tense. One … More

All this sitting about in cafés

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

Lifesaving Poets: Gerard Benson

I was saddened to hear of the death of Gerard Benson last week. A poet and anthologist, he was probably … More

The bow and the lyre

I followed a lead, nudged by a hunch, and it brought me here. The book is In Their Own Words (edited by … More

The blogs I read (2)

When Ezra Pound claimed that ‘Poetry is news that stays news’ it is likely he was thinking of Katy Evans-Bush’s Baroque … More