I have murdered my darling. Like a bird of a certain blue vintage, it is ex, dead, kaput, finished. The … More
Tag: Education
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
Going Against the Flow: Ted Wragg’s last interview
I have been thinking a lot this week about the late Ted Wragg. When I joined the University of Exeter … 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
Prizewinning young poets from Suffolk
The opening night of each Aldeburgh Poetry Festival is about young poets stepping into the spotlight and taking the applause … 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
Influences: Peter Bourke
In 1991 we moved to a house in Brixton, south London. Of all our welcomes, that of our neighbour, the … 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
Lifesaving Poems: the book
Photograph © Bloodaxe Books Ltd I am delighted to announce that my Lifesaving Poems series of blog posts has now become … More
The Good, in memory of Anna Craft
My friend and colleague Anna Craft has died. She was famous -if that is the right word- as a researcher … More
It is summer for months
It Is Summer for Months Clothes are skimpy and tans are gotwithout flight bags.We saunter beside a canalwhere horses pull … More
The man kept piling things on
I am driving to a thing. Not a famous thing, an out of the way thing. A classroom, perhaps. … More
Lifesaving Poems 