Workshopping Settee in Autumn

Settee in Autumn The leaves change colour and fall on the russet settee. Sticky buds are stuck … More

Lifesaving poems of summer

As the summer holiday season takes hold, I am posting an old blog post or two from the archive. See … More

after Mark Halliday Because of the writing days. And because The discovery will not happen on its own, unprompted, … More

‘Did you hear?’ says the book. ‘Ted Hughes’s brother has died.’ ‘I did see that, yes,’ I say. ’95, though. … More

Some writers influence you through the pull of their imagination on your work, opening up new worlds as you read … More

‘To tell you the truth, it’s been shattering. But kind of amazing, as well.’ ‘You never said. You never said. … More

Dear Michael I picked up your book the other day and wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying … More

Teachers’ words should not be ‘How to write’ but ‘How to try to say what you really mean’ – which … 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

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

I have been wondering recently if the world of the poem (the one that is currently not-here, just out of … More

My first reader was a man called Fergus. A friend of a flatmate at university, I never got to … More

I have so much to be grateful for in 2014. The year began in one of my temporary fits … More

Dan O’Brien began by saying he wasn’t really a poet, but a ‘moonlighting playwright’. Selima Hill took out her glasses, … More

Everyone who enters the stage begins by saying thank you * That silence * Mostly nearly all the time * … More

By the time you read this I will be far away from here. It has not happened yet, but I … More

Sitting over toast and marmalade with Peter Sansom yesterday morning he said to me: ‘I don’t bother with novels any … More

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