All Blogposts

  • A poem for young people on my SoundCloud page

    A poem for young people on my SoundCloud page

    I usually think it’s unnecessary to stipulate what age reader a poem (or any piece of writing) is for.  I usually write for adults but I don’t consciously consider what age they might be.  In any case,  I started reading books “for adults” when I wasn’t even ten years old – as I’m sure is the Read more

  • A quick update during National Poetry Month

    A quick update during National Poetry Month

    I’m not really taking part in #NaPoWriMo this year although I do feel steeped in poetry.  I have attempted to write (or at least start) a poem a day in the past and found it fun and exhilarating.  I promised to review some poetry books for a magazine so I’ve been reading those and making slow Read more

  • Poets for the Common Good at Greenbelt

    Poets for the Common Good at Greenbelt

    I am extremely happy, excited and grateful to have been asked to read poetry at this year’s Greenbelt Festival, alongside Nancy Campbell, Sasha Dugdale and Rebecca Goss, and introduced by Anthony Wilson! More details coming soon.  Find out more about the festival at the Greenbelt website.   Read more

  • Read 19 poems about Ireland

    Read 19 poems about Ireland

    I’ve spent a lot of time blogging this week, not really blogging but reading poems submitted to And Other Poems for an open call I put out for “poems about Ireland”.  Eighty-three people sent in emails, most with two poems in their content, so I spent time reading the poems, drawing up a shortlist, uploading Read more

  • Featured at Poetry Wales and Proletarian Poetry

    Featured at Poetry Wales and Proletarian Poetry

    Peter Raynard at Proletarian Poetry has written about my poem Working Class Poem, first published in Under the Radar magazine.  I wrote the poem when I was thinking about my own background and about the ways that working class people are represented in the mainstream media and in popular culture in the UK.  Mostly, I feel Read more

  • Instagram Poetry

    Instagram Poetry

    This work I’ve allowed myself to be distracted by a competition running on Instagram and it’s been  huge fun.  The Poetry School and Soda Pictures have teamed up to run a competition to mark the release of A Quiet Passion – a new biopic of Emily Dickinson (in cinemas 7 April).  You can read all Read more