Lifesaving Poems: Fleur Adcock’s ‘The Soho Hospital for Women (IV)’

The Soho Hospital for Woman (IV) I am out in the supermarket choosing – this very afternoon, this day … More

Lifesaving Poems: Myra Schneider’s ‘Goulash’

Goulash A crucial ingredient is the right frame of mind so abandon all ideas of getting on. Stop pedalling, dismount, … More

After Reading Tu Fu, I Go Outside to the Dwarf Orchard East of me, west of me, full summer. … More

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

I am deeply grateful to Dave Russell of Survivors’ Poetry for his review of Lifesaving Poems in the current edition of Poetry … More

Thank you Lord, thank you. Thank you for all the gifts that you have given me today, Thank you for … More

after and with apologies to Mark Halliday The missing blog post has gone AWOL. Never sure of its place in … More

My deep thanks to Maria Taylor, who has written the most lovely appreciation of Lifesaving Poems. Thank you Maria for capturing its … More

An artist needs not so much an audience, as to feel a need to answer, a promise to respond. Robert … More

I have been moving. Not moving house, moving within it. Stuff has come with me, some of it has vanished … More

Dear Peter Cover-to-cover and back-to-back twice, as I do, once before sleeping, then between zeds on a train woken to Tickets, … More

As I have said before, there wasn’t a plan. Which does not mean I don’t feel the luckiest man alive … More

This is the link to the podcast of the interview I gave yesterday on the Arena programme, RTE, about … More

The Sofas, Fogs, and Cinemas I have lived it, and lived it, My nervous, luxury civilisation, My sugar-loving nerves have … More

A Misremembered Lyric, by Denise Riley I heard this poem for the first time a week ago, at the Bodmin … More

Damp white imprints dog the feet; snowbound trolley, snowbound street. Her tip of glove to lip and cheek, “Goodbye.” Go. … More

Artwork by Angus Joseph Alongside each poem in Lifesaving Poems is a short commentary about how I came across … More

Now that we might finally be getting one, I found myself wondering recently how many of my Lifesaving Poems choices were about … More