Teaching paying attention

Lately I have been pondering the practice of paying attention, vis-à-vis my habit of keeping a notebook to capture impressions, … More

The stationery thing again

My blog post yesterday about the stationery thing provoked more responses than I ever imagined it would. Among the … More

At the start of each academic year, usually when I have known them for a week or so, I make … More

I was very saddened to learn recently of the death of Michael Baldwin, the novelist, poet, writing tutor and former … More

Twilight Three minutes ago it was almost dark. Now all the darkness is in the leaves (there are no … More

I once heard Andrew Motion give a poetry reading at a day-conference for teachers, writers and writers in education. There … More

The most immediate and forthright analysis of a poem I have seen at any poetry workshop occurred as I passed … More

I am delighted to have two new poems on Josephine Corcoran’s And Other Poems poetry blog. This is where you … More

One of the most powerful performances on my old Faber cassette tape of Ted Hughes reading his poems is ‘Bride … More

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

My wife and I are at the airport of a European capital city. It’s late on a Friday evening, the … More

The third Writing Research Across Borders conference takes place this week in Paris. I will be presenting a poster of … More

I have been thinking a lot recently about final lines of poems. I’ve always been fond of Seamus Heaney’s comment about … More

The Day After I made a leek and potato soup the day after, prompted by the look of the peeled … More

Gift A day so happy.Fog lifted early. I worked in the garden.Hummingbirds were stopping over the honeysuckle flowers.There was no … More

My Crow A crow flew into the tree outside my window. It was not Ted Hughes’s crow, or Galway’s crow. … More

Riddance has been reviewed by cancer patients, and former patients, under the aegis of Macmillan Cancer Support. You can find out … More

Once upon a time I broke the rules and spoke with another poet (it doesn’t matter who) about a … More