Ray Bradbury poem about George Bernard Shaw's spade unearthed
Auction of Shaws much-loved spade will include SF legends unpublished tribute to the playwright and his garden implementA spade once owned by the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, which was hymned...
View ArticleSeptember 2014 by Carol Ann Duffy
Britains poet laureate wrote this poem for the Guardian on the morning after the Scottish independence referendumSeptember 2014Tha gaol agam ort.Continue reading...
View ArticleThink of a poem: what poetry do you know by heart?
A Cambridge University survey, set to launch on National Poetry Day on 2 October, aims to find out what poetry is stored in our nations collective memory and whyWhat poem do you know by heart? Share a...
View ArticleMaldives will censor all books to protect Islamic codes
In a move condemned by free speech advocates, the islands government moves to curb literature and poetrys adverse effects on societyPoetry and literature will have to be approved by the Maldivian...
View ArticleAuthor who put bad language into bedtime writes sweary sequel
Adam Mansbachs new picture book offers a lighthearted adults-only take on that other crisis point in a parents day: dinner timeLike its predecessor, Adam Mansbachs new picture book comes with the...
View ArticleJohn Cooper Clarke webchat - post your questions now
The Mancunian punk poet beloved of Alex Turner and Plan B is joining us for a live Q&A from 4-5pm on Tuesday 30 September so what do you want to ask him?9.20am BSTWith his dark sunglasses, shock of...
View ArticleWeekly highlights: People's Climate March, golf courses and Lego creations
Weve been getting such great contributions from our readers that we want to share them on our blog. Here are some of this weeks highlightsIf theres an assignment that were not running that you think we...
View ArticleAlastair Reid obituary
Essayist who graced the columns of the New Yorker for 40 years, poet, and translator of many Hispanic authorsAlastair Reid, who has died aged 88, was a Scottish writer whose imagination dwelt in the...
View ArticleCarol Ann Duffy on five years as poet laureate: 'It has been a joy'
Carol Ann Duffy talks to Nicholas Wroe about turning the spotlight on poetry, writing verse for the Queen and why she won't be appearing on I'm a CelebrityWhen Carol Ann Duffy was appointed poet...
View ArticlePathway by Carol Ann Duffy
Britain's poet laureate wrote this poem on the death of her father in 2011I saw my father walking in my gardenand where he walked, the garden lengthenedContinue reading...
View ArticleIts time to bring James Franco's reign of half-assed artistry to an end
As Franco launches yet another project, its clear the artist cant say no to himself. Its time for the audience to stop himYou might not know it, but James Franco has a new movie coming out this...
View ArticleSix Poets: Hardy to Larkin review Alan Bennetts favourite poets
Alan Bennett reveals far more of himself than he does of Hardy, Larkin, Betjeman and co in this nonetheless enjoyable anthologyIn Alan Bennetts play The History Boys, there is a point at which the...
View ArticleKei Miller: My productivity is linked to what could be called a disability
The Forward prize nominee on his ADHD, dual identity and latest poetry collection, The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to ZionJeremy Paxman recently outraged the poetry world by using his chairmanship...
View ArticleDannie Abse obituary
Welsh poet and chest consultant who observed both the ordinary and the horrific in modern lifeThe diverse literary output of the Welsh writer Dannie Abse, who has died aged 91, was considerable in both...
View ArticleDannie Abse, Welsh poet and author, dies aged 91
Writer considered at the top of the Welsh tree, after winning the Wales Book of the Year 2008 award for The PresenceWelsh poet and author Dr Dannie Abse, the one-time winner of the Wales Book of the...
View ArticlePoem of the week: Caracal by Pascale Petit
A desert lynx in a zoo prompts an elegiac reflection on death and natures carnivorous cycle The big-cat house at the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes in Paris is the focus of Pascale Petits new...
View ArticleSusannah Herbert on Dannie Abse, the poetry judge
ObituaryWhen I asked Dannie Abse to join this year's jury for the Forward prizes for poetry, he wondered what it would involve. "Reading just about every book of poetry that's come out this year," I...
View ArticleNational Poetry Day 2014: a celebration in pottery, pizzas and popular memory
Cambridge University finds out which poems have embedded themselves in our memories, and the Guardian looks for verse that folks can recite by heartWhat poem do you know by heart? Record yourself...
View ArticleKei Miller wins Forward poetry prize
Judges praise Millers distinctive voice as The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way To Zion takes £10,000 prizeKei Miller: My productivity is linked to what could be called a disabilityThe Jamaican poet Kei...
View ArticleBe part of Dylan's Great Poem project on Poetry Day
Newsflash: chance to be part of an epic 100 line poem to celebrate the centenary of the Welsh poet Dylan ThomasAnyone aged seven to 25 can be part of a really exciting Poetry Day project: Dylans Great...
View Article