UCU Strike Poems 7 -Try to Praise the Mutilated World, by Adam Zagajewski

Try to Praise the Mutilated World Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, drops … More

UCU Strike Poems 6 – The Way Things Work, by Jorie Graham

The Way Things Work   is by admitting or opening away. This is the simplest form of current: Blue moving … More

UCU Strike Poems 5 – Day of Song, Day of Silence, by Ada Limón

  Day of Song, Day of Silence   The strange crying sounds of the peacocks on the private school grounds … More

What you read in 2017

Dear Friends Here are the blog posts which you read most often in 2017, according to my WordPress stats:   … More

Not a ‘thin’ year for poetry

It was one of those throwaway remarks made by one writer, male, to another, ditto, in one of those books … More

Discovering Geoffrey Summerfield’s Worlds

In support of crowdfunding our new anthology of poems, No One You Know, with Unbound, Sue Dymoke and I are … More

No One You Know -a new anthology with Unbound

With my friend and colleague Sue Dymoke I am delighted to announce the launch of No One You Know a new project … More

Writing in the cracks

I was having a coffee with a new writer friend the other day. Not having known each other for very … More

In Praise of Rupert

  Rupert Loydell is shouting at the countryside. I have got up at sparrow-fart to drive him to the Blandford … More

#NaBloPoMo 24 – See you later

Today is the last day of NaBloPoMo, that month in the year when someone decides it is a nice idea … More

#NaBloPoMo 23 – Prayer

Dear God   Do you think you could fix it so that I might have some of Martin’s playfulness, his … More

#NaBloPoMo 22 – When Josephine Corcoran interviewed me

As we draw to the end of NaBloPoMo, I have invited Josephine Corcoran to collaborate with me on a joint-interview. … More

#NaBloPoMo 20 – On ambition

It wasn’t much of a day. I was in noodle-mode, sticking things into my day book, quotes and articles and … More

#NaBloPoMo 17 – Coffee? (meditation on a blog post by Josephine Corcoran)

If you came round for coffee these days you’d be offered decaff. Doctor’s orders, I’d say. And against my better … More

#NaBloPoMo 13 – His notebook highlights strewn

Dean Paul Granny § ‘What students in classrooms say is an exceptionally precious learning resource. Every time a teacher receives … More

#NaBloPoMo 8 -Try to Praise the Mutilated World

Try to Praise the Mutilated World   Try to praise the mutilated world. Remember June’s long days, and wild strawberries, … More

#NaBloPoMo 7 – The paradox of poetry, by Seamus Heaney

I have to be honest and say that, in the light of yesterday’s US Election result,  I am tempted to … More

#NaBloPoMo 6 – The Ottowa Poetry Newsletter

My friend Rupert Loydell has emailed me a list of blog posts curated by Rob Mclennan on writing at the … More