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Recently on no more wriggling…
- Sorry Nigel Farage – Talking Books loved ‘Talking France’…
- Talking crime – on why we love a good murder mystery….
- Let’s focus on the words: Peter, Tony, and a Portrait of Keats
- Why Mrs T should have left the room quietly, closing the door behind her….
- ‘In relation to’ what? On ‘Talking Books’ and chewing words….
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Category Archives: Poetry
September 1818: So begins the miracle of Keats’ ‘Living Year’.
In the late 1970s, in my mid-teens and already enjoying the poetry of John Keats (albeit without really understanding all of it) I read a book by one of the great twentieth century writers on Keats and his work – Robert Gittings. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Keats, Poetry, Writing
Tagged Eve of St Agnes, history, John Keats, Keats, Lamia, Poetry, Robert Gittings, writing
2 Comments
‘When I have fears…’ – John Keats on self-doubt
At this time of year – that rather doleful time between the Christmas festivities and the beginning of a new year – it is natural to look back at our achievements over the past twelve months and assess the success … Continue reading
Posted in Keats, Poetry, Writing
Tagged anxiety, doubts, John Keats, Keats, Mood, Poetry, self-doubt, writing
8 Comments
A very merry NoWriggling Christmas!!
This time last year I wrote a post wishing all those good enough to give No more wriggling out of writing their time a very merry Christmas, celebrating the fact that I had been blogging for a whole five months. … Continue reading
In which I avoid a difficult subject with a poem about snow
I have mentioned before that I attend a Royal Literary Fund ‘Reading Matters’ group every week. It is a wonderful idea; led by fabulous poet Julia Copus we listen to her read a short story and a poem each week, … Continue reading
‘Parenting is such sweet sorrow…’
I am feeling drained at the moment. Sleeping badly; feeling physically creaky; eating all the wrong food again after five weeks on a healthy eating blitz: it is no wonder that my emotional reserves are in the human equivalent of … Continue reading
On the 11th hour – Wilfred Owen & a most moving poetic parable
The 11th of November, and Remembrance Sunday were days my father held above most others. Some of my earliest memories involve standing to attention by the black & white television in the back room as Big Ben chimed, the guns … Continue reading
Advice to writers? John Keats on dealing with distractions
There are very few writers who do not, on occasion, have an attack of ‘the vapours’ – defined by the Oxford Dictionary as ‘ a sudden feeling of faintness, nervousness or a state of depression’. It is a general feeling … Continue reading
Four seasons in one week: on a love of the Lakes and sunburn in September
This morning I was sitting inside at the PC, by french windows opening on to our south-facing garden. After thirty minutes I looked down at my left arm to see a distinct patch of sunburn. As far as I can … Continue reading
On my way to Ambleside: Stock Ghyll Force with John Keats
On the eve of my week long holiday in the Lake District, I thought I would post this excerpt from a journal letter John Keats wrote to his brother Tom, back in London, in the early stages of his walking … Continue reading
Posted in Keats, Poetry, Travel, Writing
Tagged Cumbria, holidays, John Keats, Keats, Lake District, Poetry, writing
2 Comments
