Poetry

This week it was announced that my third collection of poems, Reckless Paper Birds was one of the four books on the shortlist for this year’s Costa Poetry Award. I was, of course, thrilled. [...]

  Please read these terms carefully before entering the competition. Entering the competition constitutes an acceptance of these terms and conditions. About the business The promoter of this [...]

“What will survive of us is love,” writes the famously cynical Philip Larkin in “An Arundel Tomb.” This one line of poetry has always resonated with me.  What survives of us is the networks and [...]

Do you see yourself as a poet?   Many of us will not achieve international fame as poets, nor be able to make a living entirely from our writing.  But if you’re a poet-and-you-know-it, then [...]

A while ago, I overheard someone say that they didn’t have a “cool identity”.  They listed a few things they felt might make their identity cooler, like being a vegan, being a DJ or being gay (I [...]

   Everybody- everybody– has a story to tell.  You need only look at the popularity of something like Humans of New York (in which anonymous, random people on the street are encouraged to [...]

Poetry and the Now   What does “the now” mean, and how can an understanding of it help with your poetry?   Living in the now means being fully present in the moment, without dwelling on the [...]

A few years ago I was asked to run a short series of poetry workshops for older people in supported accommodation.  I had never done anything like it and felt quite nervous- what theme could I [...]

    Not every poem has a happy ending.  Sometimes a poem- whether you’re writing or reading it- is a way to sit with a difficult emotion.  In terms of looking after yourself, sitting with a [...]

We’ve talked about how poetry can influence our wellbeing through the process of accessing and sometimes confronting memories, emotions and personal experience.  Everyone has a story to tell.  [...]