Now the silences are right

I am completely torn apart -Rupert Loydell When I first read Raymond Carver’s Fires I loved and understood all of it, … More

Lifesaving Poets: Gerard Benson

I was saddened to hear of the death of Gerard Benson last week. A poet and anthologist, he was probably … More

Having not succeeded at school, I’ve always thought of poetry as the holidays, rather than term-time. Hugo Williams I went … More

I once heard Andrew Motion give a poetry reading at a day-conference for teachers, writers and writers in education. There … More

One of the most powerful performances on my old Faber cassette tape of Ted Hughes reading his poems is ‘Bride … More

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

When I visit schools to read and talk about poetry there is often some sort of Q and A following … More

Hysteria As she laughed I was aware of becoming involved in her laughter and being part of it, until her … More

A comment Mark Robinson made in the days following Seamus Heaney’s death in August resonated with me. He said he … More

Timetable We all remember school, of course: the lino warming, shoe bag smell, expanse of polished floor. It’s where we … More

Sometime in 1997 I went to hear Kevin Crossley-Holland give a reading at Exeter Central Library. I’d heard he was … More

When I speak to trainee primary school teachers about their views of poetry I am often struck by their divergent … More

I wrote yesterday about pitching poems in the classroom which are aimed not at the crowd but perhaps one … More

Who? Who is that child I see wandering, wandering down by the side of the quivering stream? Why does … More

I count myself lucky to have been taught by a team of English teachers who I have no doubt … More

I once saw Michael Rosen teach a theatre full of tearfully happy children and adults these wonderful nonsense word games … More

I was lucky. I was taught English in one of those classrooms with complete sets of A Taste of Honey, … More

One year I decided that I would decorate one of my teaching rooms with my collection of Poems on the … More