I am delighted to announce that I will be launching my new collection, The Wind and the Rain, published by … More
Tag: Writing
James Schuyler: Centenary year celebrations
Open call for guest blog posts celebrating the life and work of James Schuyler This November, we celebrate the centenary … More
On having allies
I once heard a senior British poet warming to a riff during a reading on the topic of the acknowledgements … More
What you read in 2022
Here are the blog posts from 2022 that you read most often Lifesaving Lines: The Death of Fred Clifton, by … More
Advent meditation 3
This time last year, I had begun a third period waiting for a response to a new manuscript of poems. … More
The Wind and the Rain – due in June 2023
I’m delighted to announce that The Wind and the Rain, my sixth collection of poems, will be published with Blue … More
The Kevin Jackson Award
I was privileged to meet and work with the late writer and critic Kevin Jackson in 2011. We tutored a … More
Not much
What’s been happening? Well, not much. Which is another, deflecting, way of saying quite a lot, actually. So much that … More
Lifesaving Lines: Edge, by Sylvia Plath
But first came Plath. After Ursuala Le Guin, the only female author we studied (OK – Jane Austen). Her name … More
Lifesaving Lines: The Death of Fred Clifton, by Lucille Clifton
So this is a bit spooky. All week I had in mind these marvellous final words from Lucille Clifton’s poem … More
Some new poems
I am delighted to announce the publication of some new poems, which you can find at the links below. Having … More
A list of found poems
Here is a list of various found poems that I have made over the years. Happy holiday reading and looking … More
Writing prompts (blog post ending with a line by Shawna Lemay)
after Shawna Lemay Write a poem about the rain. Or the wind.Write about what you learned at university.Or did not … More
Summer reading
To continue this season of not, where I have been reposting old blog posts and links to some others, I … More
Head. Space.
As the book might say, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? As the book also might say, I have been … More
The blank space
Dear Friends Like the closed down (but still creative) shop window of Top Shop I saw on an early morning … More
The bombed cathedral
One of the touchstones that I would add to those I blogged about last week is a marvellous section from … More
Leap before you look
The problem with having had the gleam is that for it to mean anything, work has to ensue. I hate … More