Ourselves again (again?)

After Joe Biden won the 2020 US presidential election, I posted one of the very few poems to this blog … More

Timorous or bold

Timorous or bold are the first three words of Seamus Heaney’s famous (to me) ‘Elegy’ for Robert Lowell. They’ve been … More

I was very saddened to hear of the death of Brendan Kennelly this week. He had been a long-standing presence … More

Tollund That Sunday morning we had travelled far. We stood a long time out in Tollund Moss: The low ground, … More

As we draw to the end of NaBloPoMo, I have invited Josephine Corcoran to collaborate with me on a joint-interview. … More

I have to be honest and say that, in the light of yesterday’s US Election result, I am tempted to … More

I feel a great sense of weariness as I look at the current political scene. Domestically, in the UK, we … More

Last week saw an important milestone for Teachers as Writers. The CPD/feedback day gave everyone involved in the project – … More

‘I’ve been out,’ says the book. ‘So I see,’ I say. The book is dressed in a pith helmet and … More

In the summer of 1986, when he was poetry editor of New Statesman and not long after Writing Home had … More

A speech given at the NATE annual conference, June 2014 My early poetic experiences were not ‘poetic’ at … More

This is the opening question and answer to an interview with Paul Clyne of Poetry Spotlight, published today. With thanks … More

Here is a list of the most-read Lifesaving Poems during 2015: Mary Oliver, The Journey UA Fanthorpe, Atlas Ted Hughes, … More

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

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

A friend recently asked me if I was writing. I replied, as I always do, saying that it was going … More