Just a few hours left of 2021. Time to reflect on what this year has been. Until a week or … More
Tag: Simon Parke
This was a good week
Third Sunday in Advent Today I pause from giving you updates from grief’s front line and take a leaf from … More
Tired, but
I am tired. Though I write from a place of privilege and of safety, I am tired. Tired of feeling … More
Places of hope
Here are some places that I have been visiting recently and derived much comfort from. I hope you enjoy them … More
Poems from The Afterlife
After what feels like a very long wait since the publication of Riddance in 2012, I am delighted to be publishing … More
Poems from The Afterlife
After what feels like a very long wait since the publication of Riddance in 2012, I am delighted to be publishing … More
UCU Strike Notebook
A passerby comes up to my group and hands us a brown paper bag. ‘It’s full of flat whites,’ she … More
Late February notebook
Aesthetics of Creating Something This doesn’t just happen: It happens to you. Kenneth Koch, from One Train, p.64 ∞ ‘Even … More
End of January notebook
Blind panic when the anthology I am in arrives. The hunt, ever more despairing, for my poem, certain that they … More
January notebook
Two successes I can claim as a parent: they both love music and football (even if one of them supports … More
Suit. A new poem at Simon Parke’s blog
I am delighted to have Suit, a new poem published on Simon Parke’s blog, in his poem of the week … More
Guest blog post: A gripping ‘Howdunnit?’, by Simon Parke
This blog is a thrilling ‘Howdunnit?’…possibly. You find me just starting on my fifth murder mystery, you see. I do … More
Everything I Know of What I Want to Say
I am delighted to have Everything I Know of What I Want to Say, a new poem, published on Simon … More
This may not work
Since I decided to leave Twitter and abscond from Facebook I have been reminded of some of the guiding principles … More
Climbing up the walls
Or perhaps you’re waiting at the bus stop. You could text someone. But if you said ‘no’ to the text, … More
The blogs I read (4)
Locus Scolus: The New York School of Poets is a thing of wonder and beauty. Named after a 1914 French novel by Raymond … More