This is The Power and Potential of Poetry , the talk I gave today at the Somerset Literacy Network annual conference. … More
Tag: Poetry in Education
#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
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
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
Why poetry matters
The value of poetry is that it should matter … first to the writer and then to the reader. Michael … More
Guest blog post: Poetry and Work, by Shawna Lemay
Poetry and Work I recently took out a book via Interlibrary loan called, The Mind at Work: Valuing the … More