I met a gentle heroine of mine - Cathy Tyson a wonderful actor who recently visited Ethiopia and whom I have secretly been a fan of for many years. She said she was a fan of mine too. But I am sure she was just being nice.   more »

So what does it take for jewish writer Kurt Weill to choose such contentious subject matter and explore it within this populist format. Imagine a musical today on a story in Rawanda or Bosnia. It wouldn’t happen in the west end.   more »

It’s a good day. At the end I cycle home and as I pass an alleyway a guy with dreadlocks and white hat runs out into the road across it and away. I saw him throw something. It was a purse. Thieves take out the credit cards and throw the evidence away. I stop on the road and take my bike up the alleyway. Maybe there was some woman in shock! I look up the narroway a white stocky man with a walkytalky is running towards me   more »

Today The Journalist and I went to see Marcus Brigstock’s SUNDAY ROAST at The Udderbelly on The Southbank. It was hilarious.   more »

The Poetry Society has just created its first ever viral video! The video is being used to promote the Foyle Young Poets of the Year competition for which I am a selector. The deadline is for entries on 31st July 2009. The Poetry Society is celebrating its centenary this year and hopes that in 2009 as many young people as possible will get involved with the UK’s leading poetry competition! Watch the video here:   http://tinyurl.com/nh4bxj

 

At four am my eyelids roll back and morning pours in. By four forty five am I received a text “your car is outside and the driver is called Alfred.” I could hear it purring outside the front door. At 5am we sped through London to Bush House and The World Service. I used the journey for supplementary research on the news stories for The World Today.   more »

“excuse me” I asked. Brian continued his discussion. Unmoving he held up a leaflet for me to take. I held out my hand in the the manner to say no thanks and said “no thanks”. But brian didn’t move “Would you take a leaflet” he replied still holding the leaflet. “No thanks” I replied “I noticed your attitude earlier ” he said. I paused to let his words settle. Did he just say that.   more »

I have had the honour to read alongside Patti Smith twice before. Once at the Southbank and once as part of Cries from The Heart where Smith had the audience both in the palm of her hand and on their feet in ovation.   more »

I danced when you sang laughed when you lept Waited for you to come home, screamed when you left You. Take your secrets to your death, It is not for me to forgive nor forget.   more »

but the dentist noticed a wisdom tooth that had to come out. This was the most stressful job of all. It took fifteen to twenty minutes and two different plyers. His winching and wincing heavy breathing and huffing and puffing surrounded me as my head yanked from side to side.   more »

Yesterday my teeth were in so much pain after the treatment when the numbness wore off that I felt like punching myself in the mouth as a distraction. Though this was an appealing thought it was ultimately a bad idea so stood like a boxer in the mirror I convinced myself not to do it.   more »

I am led into a room were 27 year old Anita stands. We smile at each other and make jokes for the next hour while Anita, who obviously loves her job which is good, scratches s away at my teeth to get them basically clean and ready for the main work. The equipment is state of the art. But pain has an age old tradition of hurting.   more »