Tag: Education

Lifesaving Poems: Craig Raine’s ‘Heaven on Earth’

Heaven on Earth   Now that it is night, you fetch the wash from outer space,   from the frozen … More

Why do it?

because of the words and because of the books because of the woman in the anorak at the swimming baths … More

Lifesaving Poems: Boris Pasternak’s ‘Hamlet’

Hamlet   The buzz subsides. I have come on stage. Leaning in an open door I try to detect from … 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

Making Poetry Happen

  Announcing the publication of Making Poetry Happen: Transforming the Poetry Classroom (Bloomsbury, 2015). Making Poetry Happen provides a valuable resource … 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

Poetry and tennis

On the Sunday morning of the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival I breakfasted with poets discussing the theme of writing poetry 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

Allan Ahlberg’s genius

Photo credit: Felix Clay, The Guardian   Heard I can’t remember a time in my teaching career when there wasn’t … 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

Poetry vs 9/11

  I am taking a break from writing brand new blog posts over the summer. Instead of posting new work … More