That isn’t me in the photo, though it could be. A bald man in vaguely sportif clothing trying to take an … More
Tag: Education
Saying goodbye
It’s a funny feeling, almost new each time I experience it, an anticipation of loss that is somehow fresh and … More
Lifesaving Poems: Stuart Pickford’s ‘The Curtain Falls’
The Curtain Falls Suddenly a life is over – Ends with such serious charades The Dean makes lame quips … More
Towards a model of poetry writing development
As promised last week, here is my presentation of the paper I co-wrote with Sue Dymoke in which we argue on … More
Poetry writing as a socially mediated process
‘Even the poetic world is social’ (Bakhtin, 1981, 300). This time next week, Saturday 23 June, I will be presenting … More
Brother, genius
One of the central influences on my life is not a poet in the usual sense of the word, … More
Losing My Ambition
Towards the end of my treatment for cancer in 2006 I had one of the most profound conversations of … More
Their Age Now
I went home the other day. I mean home-home, where I was born, and where my parents still live. … More
Some things I learned during the strike
These are some of the things I have learned during the recent industrial action taken by my union, the UCU, … More
UCU Strike Poems 9 – from Cats and a Cock, by Muriel Rukeyser
from Cats and a Cock We walk the streets of the dark city, placards at back light in our heads, … More
USS Strike: A list of blog posts and resources
One of the most inspiring things about being involved in the UCU USS pensions strike has been the outpouring of … More
UCU Strike Poems 8 – Five Minutes Of Work 4.23.2009, by Margaret Alice
Five Minutes Of Work 4.23.2009 Attending the PMDS workshop today a 46-page page performance document to be discussed in … More
UCU Strike Notebook 2
Monday: people are starting to recognise each other on my picket line. They exchange news of how the strike is … More
UCU Strike Poems 7 -Try to Praise the Mutilated World, by Adam Zagajewski
Try to Praise the Mutilated World Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, drops … More
UCU Strike Poems 6 – The Way Things Work, by Jorie Graham
The Way Things Work is by admitting or opening away. This is the simplest form of current: Blue moving … More
UCU Strike Poems 4 -Things I Learned at University, by Kate Bingham
Things I Learned at University How to bike on cobblestones and where to signal right. How to walk through doors … More
UCU Strike Notebook
A passerby comes up to my group and hands us a brown paper bag. ‘It’s full of flat whites,’ she … More
UCU Strike Poems 2 – Invisible Work, by Alison Luterman
Invisible Work Because no one could ever praise me enough, because I don’t mean these poems only but the unseen … More