One of the things I have learned about myself in the last year or so is that I can sometimes … More
Category: Teaching
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
#NaBloPoMo 12 – The Alan Booth method
I have been thinking a lot recently about Alan Booth, my English teacher from the ages of 11 to 13. … More
Life beyond the door
Last week saw an important milestone for Teachers as Writers. The CPD/feedback day gave everyone involved in the project – … 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
Influences: Alan Booth
I am taking a break from writing brand new blog posts over the summer. Instead of posting new work I … 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
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
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
Going Against the Flow: Ted Wragg’s last interview
I have been thinking a lot this week about the late Ted Wragg. When I joined the University of Exeter … 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
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
Influences: Alan Booth
Alan Booth wasn’t the first teacher to teach me something, but he was the first who drew me into the … More