All Blogposts

  • Do you remember those wild, out of control, pre-referendum days?

    Do you remember those wild, out of control, pre-referendum days?

      Just to say that I’m thrilled that Live Canon decided to film the poems shortlisted in this year’s competition.  Here is the text of my poem, followed by the film.   Do you remember those wild, out of control, pre-Referendum days When learner drivers raced down the hard-shoulder And horses rampaged in the bus Read more

  • Beginning to write poetry with secondary school students #writerinschool

    Beginning to write poetry with secondary school students #writerinschool

    I’m using this blog as a notebook to record my time working with students at St Gregory’s Catholic College, Bath, as Writer in Residence.  I’ll use the tag ‘writer in school’ so you should be able to find my posts here by using that search term.  It’s still early days in my residency, I’m now Read more

  • On not being good at mornings

    On not being good at mornings

    I think it was Melvyn Bragg who said that he used to write between the hours of 5am and 8am before leaving his house to travel to his job in arts broadcasting.  Every day.  And there are many others, whose names I cannot remember, who’ve written about the benefits of writing early in the morning, Read more

  • My first weeks as a Writer in Residence in a school #writerinschool

    My first weeks as a Writer in Residence in a school #writerinschool

    I’m going to be using this blog as a kind of diary and a place to keep notes about my work as a Writer in Residence at St Gregory’s Catholic College in Bath.  I won’t use students’ real names or photographs and I won’t do or say anything which would put any young person at Read more

  • Opportunities for Young Writers

    Opportunities for Young Writers

    As I’m Writer in Residence at St Gregory’s Catholic College this year, I’m keeping this page updated with a  list of competitions and organisations which might be of interest to writers of school age – 5 to 18.  Please add further suggestions in the comments section. Writing competitions now open:   The Betjeman Poetry Prize Read more

  • In which I’m packing for Greenbelt

    In which I’m packing for Greenbelt

    All of my family, husband, daughter, son, son’s girlfriend, and me, are off to Greenbelt this weekend for the first time, and we’re all taking wellies and waterproofs and layers and a torch, as we’ve been advised by more experienced festival-goers than us.   I’m looking forward to reading with Nancy Campbell, Sasha Dugdale and Read more