Advent meditation 3

This time last year, I had begun a third period waiting for a response to a new manuscript of poems. … More

Head. Space.

As the book might say, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? As the book also might say, I have been … More

Praise the Rain

Praise the Rain Praise the rain; the seagull diveThe curl of plant, the raven talk—Praise the hurt, the house slackThe … 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

But I’m a poet

The book is in its gardening clothes. ‘I’m going out,’ it says. ‘You’ve let the lawn go again.’ ‘You can’t … More

Giving up writing

Last week I gave up writing. For about a day. I had been given a book by one of my … More

Tarmac lessons 2

I know I am hardly the first to draw parallels between running and writing. But, for what it is worth, … More

Tarmac lessons

I am still not sure why, but in the middle of December I decided to take up running again. When … More

Guest blog post: A gripping ‘Howdunnit?’, by Simon Parke

This blog is a thrilling ‘Howdunnit?’…possibly. You find me just starting on my fifth murder mystery, you see. I do … More