Tag: Creativity

On writing and illness

Reading Arthur W. Frank’s astonishing At the Will of the Body  recently has given me pause to reflect on the relationship … More

Another look at Lux’s ‘An Horatian Notion’

One of my personal, private highlights of last year’s Aldeburgh Poetry Festival was a Sunday morning breakfast hosted by The … More

Why we need Aldeburgh

Dan O’Brien began by saying he wasn’t really a poet, but a ‘moonlighting playwright’. Selima Hill took out her glasses, … More

The woman at the workshop

I am at a thing. Not a famous thing, but an important one nevertheless. People are there, people you and … More

On generosity

By the time you read this I will be far away from here. It has not happened yet, but I … More

Writing Research Across Borders (a new poem)

I am delighted to have a new poem Writing Research Across Borders (2014): Poster Sessions in Hinterland With thanks to Judi Sutherland … More

Thomas Lux’s syntax

I first heard Thomas Lux’s poems before I read them. In the autumn of 2000 I was sent a tape … 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

Influences: Jörn Cann’s art

  This is Jörn Cann. He was my ward doctor at the haematology unit where I was treated for non-Hodgkin’s … More

Influences: Martin Wilson

One of the biggest influences on my life, let alone my writing, is Martin Wilson. I should know; he’s my … More