All Blogposts

  • End of month, rainy Sunday blog

    End of month, rainy Sunday blog

    Last year, I entered poems into more competitions than usual. I wonder why I did this? Perhaps I was trying to win some money in a patchy year or trying to store up funds for whatever lay ahead? I’m not sure, but, in any case, it’s a good job I wasn’t relying on competition prizes…… Read more

  • Live Canon Poetry Prize Book Launch and Readings

    Live Canon Poetry Prize Book Launch and Readings

    I’m pleased to say that my poem ‘A Baby Speaks on his Birthday in an Autumn Garden, 2020’ has reached the shortlist in this year’s Live Canon Poetry Prize and will be performed at the anthology book launch and prize ceremony, along with all shortlisted poems, online on Tuesday, 19 October, 20:00 – 21:30 BST.…… Read more

  • My review of a new selection of poems by Abdellatif Laâbi

    My review of a new selection of poems by Abdellatif Laâbi

    My review of My Mother’s Language/La langue de ma mère by Abdellatif Laâbi, translated and introduced by André Naffis-Sahely (Poetry Translation Centre, 2021), is online at MPT magazine. This is a generous selection of poems (in a neat, pocket-sized French/English edition – perfect to carry with me on a recent train journey) from a poet widely…… Read more

  • Richard Price’s poem, first published at And Other Poems, commended in the Forward Prizes

    Richard Price’s poem, first published at And Other Poems, commended in the Forward Prizes

    I’m delighted that one of the poems first published at And Other Poems, the online site I edit, has been highly commended in this year’s Forward Prize for Best Single Poem and published in their annual anthology. The poem is ‘Personality Test with Worked Examples’ by Richard Price and can be viewed at And Other…… Read more

  • New poem in 14 magazine

    New poem in 14 magazine

    A new poem ‘Self-Portrait as a Green Silk Dress’ has been accepted by 14 magazine (Vanguard Editions) and will be published in their next issue, now available to order. My thanks to editor Richard Skinner. Here is an image of the dress that inspired the poem: Read more

  • Updates to my ‘about me’ page

    Updates to my ‘about me’ page

    I’ve recently made a few changes to this website/blog, including changing the site’s WordPress theme and updating my ‘About/Contact’ page. Like other WordPress users, I’ve found some of the recent technical changes to WordPress difficult to navigate and I’ve considered switching to a different platform (maybe Substack? Are any of you using that?). But, for…… Read more