All Blogposts

  • Poems that find a way to say what isn’t said #writerinschool

    Poems that find a way to say what isn’t said #writerinschool

    I wanted to write a few posts before my residency at St Gregory’s Catholic College ends, especially mentioning poems that prompted a lot of animated discussion and produced some exciting creative writing from school students. ‘Other Clouds’ by Rebecca Perry from her collection Beauty/Beauty (Bloodaxe, 2015) and ‘what my mother (a poet) might say’ by Mary… Read more

  • My book is published

    My book is published

    Here is a lovely blog by Jayne Stanton about my launch on Saturday and about Nine Arches Press’ 10th Birthday Party.  A huge thank you to everyone who came to hear me read and helped to celebrate ten years of a wonderful independent press.  A reminder that there is free postage on all books at… Read more

  • Publication Day for my book

    Publication Day for my book

    It’s taken a few years (more like a decade); a lot of poetry submissions, acceptances and rejections; emails, phone calls, meetings; cartridge ink and printer paper; eyestrain, caffeine and the odd glass of wine, swear word, and grey hair (many of these) –  but my debut full poetry collection What Are You After? is now… Read more

  • a poem a week podcast

    a poem a week podcast

    I’m very pleased to be featured on Lizzy Turner’s ‘a poem a week’ podcast reading my poem ‘History Lesson’ from my new book What Are You After?  You can hear me reading here. This poem was inspired by the many events staged to mark the centenary of the start of World War I and was… Read more

  • How to Make a Poem: free online course

    How to Make a Poem: free online course

    A super-quick post to say that I’m enjoying this course, How To Make A Poem, provided by the Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University via FutureLearn. Helen Mort, Michael Symmons Roberts and Martin Kratz are the main educators  – they feature in videos and in written materials.  Here is some blurb from the site about what… Read more

  • One month until my book is published

    One month until my book is published

    My poetry book is being published this year, did I mention that?  (of course I’m joking – I know I’ve mentioned it here, here,  and here – and possibly a few more places as well).  I don’t tend to think of myself as a last minute kind of person but I am still tinkering with… Read more