A huge thank you to Ken Head and Helen Ivory at Ink Sweat & Tears for this review of Riddance … More
Tag: non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Standing up to cancer?
I am not completely stupid. I know celebrity culture is here to stay. As my children frequently remind me, ‘It … More
Open letter to Arthur Frank (on reading At the Will of the Body)
Dear Arthur Frank I’m writing to say thank you for your extraordinary book At the Will of the Body. It is … More
Cured
A Tuesday, appropriately. (Tuesday being the day I was formally diagnosed.) Poetic, it strikes me now. But at the time, … More
#NaBloPoMo 18 – Afterwards
After they left, the house went very quiet. No one really knew about the quietness but me. I played a … More
Tracks, by Tomas Tranströmer
Tracks 2 am: moonlight. The train has stopped out in the middle of the plain. Far away, points of … More
Remission anniversary ten
The way I found out, just as with my diagnosis, was via a segment of a conversation about other things. … More
On not having cancer
On certain afternoons I am certain it has come back. A twinge in my right side, where the pain … More
Walking into the light
We walked into the brunt light, towards the hospital. The air was dry, February-cold. Traffic was going about its business. … More
Things people said when I had cancer
‘I am so, so sorry.’ ‘You’re going to be fine.’ ‘Fight it, you know you’re a fighter.’ ‘Are we going … More
Ten years today
This is a momentous week. It marks the tenth anniversary of the day I was told I had cancer. To … More
Cancer vs. chipper
The thing about having cancer was that it was pretty obvious what was going on. I had been feeling fairly … More
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
What I have learned about remission
I am taking a break from writing brand new blog posts over the summer. Instead of posting new work I … More
It’s not about you, it’s me: on saying goodbye to Twitter
What I want is to – to be present. That’s what I’ve learned. I want to strive for presence, now, … More
Lifesaving Poems interview podcast
This is the link to the podcast of the interview I gave yesterday on the Arena programme, RTE, about … More
Lifesaving Poems has arrived
Lifesaving Poems has arrived Well, it has finally arrived. The anthology which began life as a blog, which began life as … More
What is a lifesaving poem?
Tomorrow I will be taking part at the Wenlock Poetry Festival in an event with Roz Goddard. We will be … More