The Collection The Matter of This World: New and Selected Poems (Slow Dancer, 1987) I found The Matter of … More
Tag: Reading Poetry
Making Poetry Happen
Announcing the publication of Making Poetry Happen: Transforming the Poetry Classroom (Bloomsbury, 2015). Making Poetry Happen provides a valuable resource … More
Influences: my first reader
My first reader was a man called Fergus. A friend of a flatmate at university, I never got to … More
Lifesaving Poems: Chrissy Williams’s ‘The Burning of the Houses’
The Burning Of The Houses Tottenham is on fire and I work in an arts centre where the sky is … More
New Year letter
Dear Ant Looking forward to 2015 it’s tempting to think it will never reach the heights of 2014. Big mistake. Huge. … More
Poetry highlights of 2014
I have so much to be grateful for in 2014. The year began in one of my temporary fits … More
The most read Lifesaving Poems of 2014
Here are the most read Lifesaving Poems of 2014. For the first time I have been able to compare last … More
Lifesaving Poems: Catherine Smith’s ‘How It All Started’
During the Christmas period I am reposting some old posts from my archive. Wishing all my readers a very happy … More
Why we need Aldeburgh
Dan O’Brien began by saying he wasn’t really a poet, but a ‘moonlighting playwright’. Selima Hill took out her glasses, … More
‘When I read poetry’: in memory of Mark Strand
I am sad because the great American poet Mark Strand has died. Among the tributes to him in the last … More
On generosity
By the time you read this I will be far away from here. It has not happened yet, but I … More
Allan Ahlberg’s genius
Photo credit: Felix Clay, The Guardian Heard I can’t remember a time in my teaching career when there wasn’t … More
Ellen Doré Watson’s ‘Be Here First’
Ellen Doré Watson was a new name to me until recently. ‘Be Here First ‘ is a good example of … More
Dusk
Reading Thomas Lux’s magnificent new Selected Poems reminded me recently that I first heard his poems before I read them. One of … More
Past fifty
Well, it’s happening. Happened, I mean. Stuff I thought would last forever -film titles, the actors in them, scenes of … More
Thomas Lux’s syntax
I first heard Thomas Lux’s poems before I read them. In the autumn of 2000 I was sent a tape … More
Adélia Prado’s tone
She started as a name. There I was, following my nose, minding my own business, trying to ignore all instincts … More
Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Blog Posts
Below is a collection of my blog posts for the 2014 Aldeburgh Poetry Festival. I will update it as I … More
Lifesaving Poems 