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

Aldeburgh going

‘Which is why Aldeburgh going is such a disaster. It took years to achieve what they did, years. Of slog, … More

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

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

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

One of the great joys of writing this blog in the last year has been to invite some of my … More

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

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

Teachers’ words should not be ‘How to write’ but ‘How to try to say what you really mean’ – which … More

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

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

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

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

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

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

That CK Williams has died. More than two weeks ago! One of my heroes. This is the first thing I … More

Those kind and wonderful people at Change This have just released a new batch of free, downloadable manifestos. These articles … More

Poetry and Work I recently took out a book via Interlibrary loan called, The Mind at Work: Valuing the … More