The Power and Potential of Poetry

This is The Power and Potential of Poetry , the talk I gave today at the Somerset Literacy Network annual conference. … More

#NaBloPoMo 4 – Sowing in fertile ground

I wasn’t always lazy. As I have written before, I think it became a safety valve for me around the … More

From the archives: Rondeau Redouble by Dorothy Nimmo

Rondeau Redouble   There is so little left. The room is bare. She’ll strip his sheets and blankets by and … More

Breathing Space July, by Tomas Tranströmer

Breathing Space July   The man who lies on his back under huge trees is also up in them. He … More

On discovering My Voice

This is the last in my end of summer round-up of posts from my archive. I post it again today … More

Influence

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

Controlling how poetry is read: Michael Rosen in conversation with Marina Boroditskaya, via Modern Poetry in Translation

  In the last year, another government initiative has created a compulsory part of the curriculum: learning poetry by heart … More

Lifesaving Poems: Isaac Rosenberg’s ‘August 1914’

August 1914 What in our lives is burnt In the fire of this? The heart’s dear granary? The much we … More

The power of poetry

  A speech given at the NATE annual conference, June 2014   My early poetic experiences were not ‘poetic’ at … More

Guest blog post: Christ the Diet Coke Man – why I read Aemilia Lanyer, by John Field

Continuing the series of guest blog posts on overlooked poets, I am delighted to welcome John Field of Poor Rude … More

Living and breathing Arvon

  ‘I’ve been at the field.’ This, spoken by one of the teachers on last week’s writing residential at Totleigh … More

The voice you hear when you write

Writing is about hypnotizing yourself into believing in yourself, getting some work done, then unhypnotyzing yourself and going over the … More

An interview with Poetry Spotlight

This is the opening question and answer to an interview with Paul Clyne of Poetry Spotlight, published today. To read … More

Out of the Crocodile’s Mouth: a discussion of poetry, education and children, with Michael Rosen and Marina Boroditskaya -from MPT Magazine

Last year MPT Magazine published a brilliant edition wholly dedicated to children’s poetry (Number 2, 2015), titled I Wish… It was one of … More

Researching writers’ engagement with teachers: the Teachers as Writers research project

    Along with colleagues from the Arvon Foundation, The Open University and University of Exeter I have just begun … More

Aldeburgh going

‘Which is why Aldeburgh going is such a disaster. It took years to achieve what they did, years. Of slog, … More

A review of Lifesaving Poems

I am grateful to Victoria Field of NAWE for reviewing Lifesaving Poems in the current edition of Writing in Education. You can download … More

Thirteen ways of remembering Ted Hughes

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