The poetry of Gianluca Vialli

The great Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli has died, and I am sad. He was 58 and had … More

Standing up to cancer?

I am not completely stupid. I know celebrity culture is here to stay. As my children frequently remind me, ‘It … More

Dear Cancer It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Fifteen years, to be precise. To the day. Amazing to realise it … More

Dear Arthur Frank I’m writing to say thank you for your extraordinary book At the Will of the Body. It is … More

Yesterday former US President Barack Obama tweeted his support of Senator John McCain who has just been diagnosed with brain … More

Dear Arthur Frank I’m writing to say thank you for your extraordinary book At the Will of the Body. It is … More

I am not completely stupid. I know celebrity culture is here to stay. As my children frequently remind me, ‘It … More

A scan, with different initials. The train journey to it, biting nails; the one back pretending not to be radioactive. … More

Dear Anthony Two cycles down, just six more to go. You are not looking bad, considering. The belligerent doctor who … More

Dear Ant So you’ve had your first chemotherapy treatment. That first night, when you came home and carried the sick … More

Riddance has been reviewed by cancer patients, and former patients, under the aegis of Macmillan Cancer Support. You can find out … More

Dear Anthony I’m writing to let you know what you already know in your bones, as you put it much … More

Today is the seventh anniversary of the day I was told I was officially in remission from cancer. The popular … More

Earlier this year I ran a Poetry School course about poetry and health called Written on the Body. It was … More

It was great to hear the BBC’s Deputy Political Editor James Landale’s interview about his experience of treatment for cancer … More

I wrote here a couple of days ago about my aversion to using war metaphor to describe cancer. Judging from … More

The Next Big Thing I have been been tagged by poet and blogger Abegail Morley to answer set questions relating to my memoir … More

On Valentine’s Day, 2006, I was was formally diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. Riddance is … More