Thank you to everyone who has commented to me either publicly or in private about my new series of blog … More
Tag: Poetry
Lifesaving Lines: Autumn, by Roo Borson
We have a lot of windows. I sit next to them at this time of the year thinking, Just five … More
Lifsaving Lines: Alone, by Tomas Tranströmer
I have been thinking a lot this week about a line from Tomas Tranströmer’s masterpiece, ‘Alone’. (I have also blogged … More
Lifesaving Lines: The Day After, by Michael Laskey
The line that’s been buzzing round my head this week is the final phrase from Michael Laskey’s miracle poem of … More
Lifesaving Lines: Poem for Wednesday, by Naomi Jaffa
Recently, my relationship with Wednesdays has changed. It’s quite a long story, and one I don’t want to trouble you … More
Lifsaving Lines: For Sheridan, by Robert Lowell
The line that’s been buzzing round my head the last couple of weeks is from Robert Lowell’s heartbreaking poem ‘For … More
Lifesaving Lines: The Bight, by Elizabeth Bishop
‘Awful but cheerful’ is the final phrase and line of ‘The Bight‘, by Elizabeth Bishop. I’ve always felt that the … More
Lifesaving Lines: The Gift, by Brendan Kennelly
I was at a thing. Very rarely for me, it was my own thing, only my second in front of … More
Lifesaving Lines: Why We Must Write, by Mark Halliday
I thought of it before I knew I had remembered it. Just the word ‘then’. Rereading and searching at speed … More
New crushes
As I try to hold on to beginner’s mind, I recall the practice of falling in love at a moment’s … More
Who are we serving?
One of the great joys for me this summer was being able to get back to Greenbelt, a festival of … More
Some new poems
I am delighted to announce the publication of some new poems, which you can find at the links below. Having … More
RIP Jaan Kaplinski
I was very saddened to learn today that the leading Estonian poet Jaan Kaplinski has died, aged 80, of motor … More
Writing prompts (blog post ending with a line by Shawna Lemay)
after Shawna Lemay Write a poem about the rain. Or the wind.Write about what you learned at university.Or did not … More
Summer reading
To continue this season of not, where I have been reposting old blog posts and links to some others, I … More
Summer links from the archive
Here are some links from my archive to keep you going while I summon the energy and wherewithal to get … More
Mind over natter
The YouTube clip below is a recording of a reading I made last week for the University of Exeter Guild … More
Lifesaving Poems: Richard Nicholson’s Intense
Intense Look out here comes that bloke with the worn out eyes. He’s always coming ’round here with his talk … More