Thanks to Todd Swift for organising a terrific reading last Thursday to launch the new Oxfam Poetry CD – we heard Simon Armitage, Wendy Cope, Ruth Padel, Charlie Dark, Patience Agbabi, Jo Shapcott, Peter Finch and Helen Farish all for FREE, with wine thrown in on top! The performances were a showcase of various kinds […]
Poetry
Review – Brian Henry, Maggie Sawkins (Magma 28)
Here’s my review of Brian Henry’s Graft and Maggie Sawkins’ Charcot’s Pet, which appeared in Magma 28.
Review – E.A. Markham, Ian Duhig (Magma 27)
My review of [tag]E.A. Markham[/tag]’s John Lewis & Co. and [tag]Ian Duhig[/tag]’s The Lammas Hireling appeared in Magma 27.
Reading Basho’s Haiku in the Original
If only. My smattering of Japanese is barely adequate for ordering a meal and getting back to the hotel afterwards, let alone reading one of the most subtle and enigmatic poets of all time. Factor in the spiritual, cultural and historical differences between myself and an itinerant 17th century Japanese poet, and I’ve got about […]
Magma 34 out now!
I’m delighted to announce that issue 34 of Magma poetry magazine, which I edited, is now available. You can read a selection of the magazine’s contents on the Magma website. Poets featured in Magma 34 include Mimi Khalvati, Maurice Riordan, Myra Schneider, Catherine Smith, Tim Turnbull, Susan Wicks and Lorraine Mariner. For our regular Presiding […]