The whole gang

‘Are you going to do one?’ ‘Who let you in?’ ‘Are you?’ The book has its feet up on my … More

On truancy

There is a certain jubilation and truancy at the heart of an inspiration […a] liberation and abundance which is the … More

Teachers’ words should not be ‘How to write’ but ‘How to try to say what you really mean’ – which … More

‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as … More

That CK Williams has died. More than two weeks ago! One of my heroes. This is the first thing I … More

Writing my way through bereavement I don’t approve of death. I’m with Edna St Vincent Millay: I am not … More

I have been moving. Not moving house, moving within it. Stuff has come with me, some of it has vanished … More

As I have said before, there wasn’t a plan. Which does not mean I don’t feel the luckiest man alive … More

A Misremembered Lyric, by Denise Riley I heard this poem for the first time a week ago, at the Bodmin … More

This is the first in a series of guest blog posts by writers I admire. Having enjoyed speaking and reading … More

I have been wondering recently if the world of the poem (the one that is currently not-here, just out of … More

I have just come back from a thing. I am tired. A good afternoon of good conversation about large, important … More

Heaven on Earth Now that it is night, you fetch the wash from outer space, from the frozen … More

I first heard Thomas Lux’s poems before I read them. In the autumn of 2000 I was sent a tape … More

I am taking a break from writing brand new blog posts over the summer. Instead of posting new work I … More

I began writing the Lifesaving Poems posts in May, 2011. Below is a list of the twenty most popular poems … More

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

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