Herod

Herod With Wikileaks in the headlines you could say the timing was perfect. Three Iraqi profs in … More

Lifesaving Poems: John Logan’s ‘The Picnic’

The Picnic It is the picnic with Ruth in the spring. Ruth was third on my list of seven girls … More

When I began teaching the Year 5 class of children whose work would form the basis of my doctoral … More

Ann Gray and I were chatting the other day. We were trying to decide how long we had known each … More

In 2002 I heard WN Herbert read ‘The Black Wet’ at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. This is not remarkable in itself, you might say, and … More

Photo: Derek Adams Some writers influence you through the pull of their imagination on your work, opening up new worlds … More

Ted Hughes died on 28 October, 1998, aged 68. He had been suffering with colon cancer. Just about everyone I … More

The Other Life in memory of Emily Riall I want to wake up in a house where the … More

This has already been a memorable year, for I have seen my old friend Cliff Yates twice, both at poetry-related … More

I was deeply saddened to hear ten days ago of the death of Jörn Cann, the ward doctor in the … More

I was very sad to read yesterday that the American poet Robert Rehder died in 2009. I had no idea. He … More

What the Living Do Johnny, the kitchen sink has been clogged for days, some utensil probably fell down there. And … More

James Schuyler is back from the dead with the lovely “Other Flowers” a posthumous book of his unpublished, uncollected poems. … More

I will forever be grateful to Emma Metcalfe from the Bath Festivals’ Write Team for recommending to me Mandy Coe’s … More

I first read Moniza Alvi’s wonderful ‘I Would Like to be a Dot in a Painting by Miro’ in … More

I am a little late in writing these reflections prompted by the tenth anniversary of 9/11. What I want … More

A very special thing happened this week: a large delivery of poetry pamphlets fromHappenstance Press arrived. It included the wonderful No … More

In my last blog post I wrote about the importance of following one’s nose in terms of developing a taste … More