Paying attention

Readers of this blog will know I have been thinking a lot about stationery recently. (Actually, that is something of … More

The stationery thing

At the start of each academic year, usually when I have known them for a week or so, I make … More

I was very saddened to learn recently of the death of Michael Baldwin, the novelist, poet, writing tutor and former … More

I once heard Andrew Motion give a poetry reading at a day-conference for teachers, writers and writers in education. There … More

One of the most powerful performances on my old Faber cassette tape of Ted Hughes reading his poems is ‘Bride … More

Damp white imprints dog the feet; snowbound trolley, snowbound street. Her tip of glove to lip and cheek, “Goodbye.” Go. … More

The third Writing Research Across Borders conference takes place this week in Paris. I will be presenting a poster of … More

When I visit schools to read and talk about poetry there is often some sort of Q and A following … More

Teachers’ views of creativity is my new research article exploring poetry writing pedagogy. Here is the Abstract: Discourses of creativity in … More

Phil Bowen gave me this poem, written by a ten-year-old girl, in 1998 to illustrate a writing game he submitted … More

A comment Mark Robinson made in the days following Seamus Heaney’s death in August resonated with me. He said he … More

Rondeau Redouble There is so little left. The room is bare. She’ll strip his sheets and blankets by and … More

I met Evangeline Paterson once, in the early Nineties, at a workshop in London. Rupert Loydell suggested I went as … More

In 1991 I made the decision to teach part-time so that I could put poetry more at the centre of … More

Occasionally the entrance of a poem into your life is a combination of a series of tiny events, each of … More

As I said the other day, Geoffrey Summerfield’s Worlds is one of the most important books in my life. As I … More

Sometime in 1997 I went to hear Kevin Crossley-Holland give a reading at Exeter Central Library. I’d heard he was … More

I became interested in Robert Lowell’s poetry because of the criticism of Seamus Heaney. I had tried reading him before, … More