Books of poetry are like albums. You know that feeling when you dust off Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks and spend the afternoon reclining? Or that feeling when you run through the park on a crisp morning with Morrison Hotel in your ears? Or when you spend years waiting for an artist to drop a […]
Imtiaz Dharker’s ‘Tissue’ Poem Analysis (Video)
‘Tissue’ by Imtiaz Dharker is the most feared poem in the GCSE Power and Conflict Anthology. But it happens to be my favourite poem out of the whole collection! And that’s saying something because the anthology has a stellar line-up. Some of my other personal favourites include Ted Hughes’ Bayonet Charge, Robert Browning’s My Last […]
Ted Hughes’ Bayonet Charge Analysis (Video)
I’ve already made a short video about Ted Hughes’ poem ‘Bayonet Charge’, but decided to do more of an off-the-cuff straight analysis of the poem. We’re reading ‘Bayonet Charge’ together, then we dive into a 47-minute line-by-line analysis. Let me know if you find this kind of analysis useful, interesting, or insightful in any way. […]
The Rilke Podcast
Today we’re talking about Rilke. Not the great man’s work of poetry, but his advice to writers in a series of life-changing letters. Get the book: Letters to a Young Poet Read the article: Life Lessons from Rainer Maria Rilke The podcast includes talk of how to find your calling, solitude, loneliness, depression, art, love, […]
The Rumi Podcast
Rumi is one of my favourite poets of all time. So, having read through the wonderful Rumi: Selected Poems, I couldn’t help but turn the microphone on and let it all gush out. The result? Rants on victimisation culture, religious fundamentalists, the negative attitude of men towards women, low-consciousness humans, and liars. There’s also beauty! We […]
10 Books Of Poetry Every Literature Lover Will Treasure
The key to happiness is to read poetry every day of your life. Poetry soothes the soul. It helps you understand pain, connects you to a pool of universal humanity, and nourishes every thought and feeling. Poetry is the perfect companion to love, lust, and loss. I couldn’t imagine a bedside table without a stack […]