The echo chamber

‘It gets harder.’ ‘What does?’ ‘It. Everything. Teaching. Writing. Listening to you.’ ‘I didn’t see that coming.’ ‘You never do.’ … More

What people say they have been up to on Twitter

‘I’m tired.’ ‘You said,’ says the book. ‘No, I mean, I’m tired. Of my handwriting.’ ‘What’s wrong with it? It’s … More

The way I felt when I first heard Public Enemy

‘You look tired.’ ‘I am tired,’ I say. ‘But term hasn’t even started yet. You’re not match fit. Just you … More

Moral ethics

‘I’m tired.’ ‘Go to sleep then,’ the book says. ‘There’s plenty for me to be getting on with while you’re … More

No one you know

‘You look upset.’ ‘I am upset,’ I say. ‘Well, not so much upset as disappointed.’ ‘Want to talk about it?’ … More

Gazing out of someone else’s window

‘Where have you been?’ the book says. ‘Where have you been?’ ‘Here, waiting for you,’ the book says. ‘Working.’ ‘Same … More

I hope your new book is a disaster

‘How’s it going then?’ ‘What going?’ ‘Your ‘New Book’,’ says the book. ‘Fine, thanks,’ I say. ‘No early difficulties with … More

Starting a new book

‘Where have you been?’ ‘Out,’ I say. ‘You were out for a long time,’ the book says. ‘Days.’ ‘I was … More

All of The Book blog posts in one place

Thank you to all my readers who have been asking to see a page with all of The Book blog … More

A list of found poems

Here is a list of the found poems I have been posting over the summer, including older posts from last … More

Who would we be?, by Susan Sontag

A writer, I think, is someone who pays attention to the world. That means trying to understand, take in, connect … More

When poetry moved underground, by Czeslaw Milosz

When poets discover that their words refer only to other words and not to reality which must be described as … More

The back of an envelope thing

‘An amazing stillness this morning. A sense of impending exhaustion in the air. There was one robin as I went … More

Not to forget

‘What drives you?’ says the book. ‘Haven’t we been here before?’ ‘What drives you?’ ‘Are you serious?’ ‘Never more,’ says … More

Only the imperfections

‘What keeps you going?’ ‘You do,’ I say. ‘Not the others?’ ‘No, just you.’ ‘Do you ever think about the … More

This divine breath, by Johann Herder

  A breath of our mouth Becomes the portrait of the world, The type of our thoughts And our feelings … More

Poets who remain poets, by Stephen Dunn

Young poets Who don’t think of themselves As apprentices Are notorious For resisting influences. They’ve experienced The first stages Of … More

The wedding speech

‘Where have you been?’ says the book. ‘And good morning to you, too!’ I say. ‘Where have you been?’ the … More