Book news and events

I am delighted to announce some readings to promote my forthcoming books The Afterlife and Deck Shoes with Worple Press and … More

The Year of Living Deeply 14: Which artists do you admire most?

I have been reading Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It For Life recently. In it she asks … More

I have carried it with me each day, that sense of shame about the fact that I write, that it … More

About a month before my friend Pammy died, she said something that may have permanently changed me. We had … More

I was saddened to hear of the death of the Australian poet Les Murray yesterday. In the autumn of 1997, … More

I wrote the poem below in the summer of 2015. David Cameron had won a slim majority in the … More

Dear Alicia I can’t believe it is three years since I got to hang out with you at Totleigh … More

after Shawna Lemay Write a poem about the rain. Or the wind. Write about what you learned at university. … More

Dear Ted Hughes You probably won’t remember me. I wrote to you before, in the summer of 1998. I did … More

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

‘I’m trying again. A man has to begin over and over – to try to think and feel only in … More

Towards the end of her Greenbelt Festival poetry reading Q and A with Sasha Dugdale in 2017, Rebecca Goss said … More

I always think of myself as working at a rock face. Ninety days out of ninety five, it’s just a … More

A line that has really been haunting me recently is ‘Horses turned out into a cold field have it’ from … More

I am not sure how this is going to turn out. It was something somebody said in response to my … More

Waiting for the Barbarians What are we waiting for, assembled in the forum? The barbarians are due here today. … More

Going There is an evening coming in Across the fields, one never seen before, That lights no lamps. Silken … More

’Have you seen my coat?’ says the book. ’Nope. You seen mine?’ ’Nope. You look tired. Are you tired?’ ’You … More