Author Archives:
Wise Words
Yesterday, in the historic Eastbridge Hospital Undercroft, the Canterbury Festival launched my official Canterbury Laureate project, Wise Words. Because the project has students from Canterbury Christ Church University and the University of Kent right at its heart, it was a little nervewracking to meet the selected people for the first time – just before the [...]
Public art – holding up the mirror
Andrew Shoben: ‘A Public Approach to Art’ from The Lost Lectures on Vimeo. As my literary journey round Kent gardens continues, the more I’m thinking about the differences between a public and private reaction to beauty. Because most of the gardens I’m visiting are public for at least part of the year, they could easily [...]
True Praise
(via FridayReads on Facebook)
Homeland – still not exactly spoilers…
Very many congratulations to Dan Powell who wins my fiendishly difficult ‘Guess what happens in Homeland’ competition. Here’s Dan’s prediction: Abu Nasir’s real plan is to place Brody next to the V.P. before Walker’s attack/asassination attempt. Brody will save the V.P. and /or stop Walker and thus secure his political future. The long game is [...]
Gifts from the Sea…
“…I want first of all…to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact – to borrow from the language of the saints [...]
Gifts from the sea
“…I want first of all…to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. I want, in fact – to borrow from the language of the saints [...]
A bitter beholding – a 50 word photostory
When the first wrinkle appeared, she forced friends and family to wear pink-tinted sunglasses. It was easier, she said, to change their view than hers. But time kept moving on until she had to cover up all the mirrors in her house. Better not to have a view at all. More here.
Taking Things Too Far – a 50 word photostory
When I said I hated domesticity, he cleared our kitchen completely. We ate takeaway pizzas on the floor, laughing as we picked out the plaster dust, and I let him sweep me off to the bed he’d covered in newspaper. Afterwards I watered the roses. Tried to ignore his smile. These 50 word photostories are [...]
Five Sentences with…. FREAKS!!!
And the Freaks! are, of course, Caroline Smailes and Nik Perring who have collaborated with Darren Craske on the brilliant, what to call it – short story collection, poetry, flashes, snippets of wisdom? – that is FREAKS! Phew, that’s a lot of links in the paragraph above. But it feels only appropriate as Nik and [...]
Amen to this…
“You have to follow your own voice. You have to be yourself when you write. In effect, you have to announce, ‘This is me, this is what I stand for, this is what you get when you read me. I’m doing the best I can — buy me or not — but this is who [...]
