Goodbye

Padding down the stairs to make my mid-morning coffee, I become aware of a large black bag lying in the … More

One of the great functions of art -by Adrienne Rich

  One of the great functions                          of art is to help … 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

The fear of poetry -by Muriel Rukeyser

The Fear of Poetry In this moment when we face horizons and conflicts wider than ever before, we want our … 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

What you read in 2015

This blog would be nothing without its readers. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, made a comment or a … More

Always the people

‘To tell you the truth, it’s been shattering. But kind of amazing, as well.’ ‘You never said. You never said. … More

Team Wordsworth

‘It’s even true of Ted Hughes.’ I look across at the book, whose head is now slumped on my desk, … More

The whole gang

‘Are you going to do one?’ ‘Who let you in?’ ‘Are you?’ The book has its feet up on my … More

Oh, but you love writing!

When I write, I feel like an armless, legless many with a crayon in his mouth -Kurt Vonnegut A friend … More

On truancy

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

The return of the book

I arrive late back at the house. It is already dark. The usual reassuring things are there: unopened mail, the … More

Mowing the lawn with Maura Dooley

‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as … More

Art is an attitude

Here is a quotation from Seth Godin’s The Icarus Deception that I have been meditating on for a while now. I have … More

Lost notebook

An event of this magnitude Overshadows the destruction of the Berlin Wall And the troubles in the Caucasus. –Robert Rehder, … More

Why poetry matters

The value of poetry is that it should matter … first to the writer and then to the reader.  Michael … More

KBO

‘80% of success is showing up.’ -Woody Allen I was chatting with a student the other day when I said … More

Waiting to be picked

If you’re not enough without the gold medal, you’ll never be enough with it. – John Candy, Cool Runnings I did not … More