Dear Alicia I can’t believe it is three years since I got to hang out with you at Totleigh … More
Category: Teaching Poetry
Ann Sansom’s ‘Instructor’ (LentBlog10)
Ann Sansom is one of my all-time favourite people, poets or normal, ever. I count myself fortunate to have worked … More
Writing in the cracks
I was having a coffee with a new writer friend the other day. Not having known each other for very … More
What we talk about when we talk about writing
The more I talk about writing with students, teachers, colleagues and other writers, the less I am sure that we … More
Stealing
One of the joys of working on the Teachers as Writers project is that I get to steal. As … More
Living and breathing Arvon
‘I’ve been at the field.’ This, spoken by one of the teachers on last week’s writing residential at Totleigh … More
Thirteen ways of remembering Ted Hughes
Teachers’ words should not be ‘How to write’ but ‘How to try to say what you really mean’ – which … More
Why poetry matters
The value of poetry is that it should matter … first to the writer and then to the reader. Michael … More
Writing and silence
I am taking a break from writing brand new blog posts over the summer. Instead of posting new work I … More
Lifesaving Poems: Yevtushenko’s ‘Damp white imprints dog the feet’
Damp white imprints dog the feet; snowbound trolley, snowbound street. Her tip of glove to lip and cheek, “Goodbye.” Go. … More
Mike Ferguson reviews Making Poetry Happen
‘Making Poetry Happen is a fundamental resource for all English teachers for the way if collates both thinking about … More
Why do it?
because of the words and because of the books because of the woman in the anorak at the swimming baths … More
Making Poetry Happen
Announcing the publication of Making Poetry Happen: Transforming the Poetry Classroom (Bloomsbury, 2015). Making Poetry Happen provides a valuable resource … More
Poetry highlights of 2014
I have so much to be grateful for in 2014. The year began in one of my temporary fits … More
The most read Lifesaving Poems of 2014
Here are the most read Lifesaving Poems of 2014. For the first time I have been able to compare last … More
Poetry and tennis
On the Sunday morning of the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival I breakfasted with poets discussing the theme of writing poetry and … More
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
It is summer for months
It Is Summer for Months Clothes are skimpy and tans are got without flight bags. We saunter beside a … More
How to be a writing tutor
Thanks to the vision and generosity of Jean Sprackland, between 1999-2001 I had the privilege of working with the great … More
The burnt horizon
I am at a thing. It is my thing, contributing to the thing of others, who I do not know. … More
