Ted Hughes (1930-1998) was born at 1 Aspinall Street Mytholmroyd on the 17th August 1930. He lived there until he was 7 when his family moved to Mexborough. During his childhood he spent many hours exploring the local countryside. These experiences and the influences of the landscape on him were to inform much of his later poetry. He's best known as one of the greatest poets of his generation Read more [...]
I wake at 5am in London and by 3pm I’m on stage in Utrecht in Holland I’m reading for Crime Jazz. I love playing Holland, the audience is warm. Outside in the square stands a statue of diminutive Read more [...]
I am up at 8am and for the first time this month on my bike. I've missed my bike. I race from Hackney through islington to angel down to kings cross and up the euston road to Marleybone. Marleybone is beautiful in the morning, as the shops are waking and the stylish Italian cafe's hiss with espresso machine bluster. Read more [...]
I wake at 7am then on the train at 10am from Sheffield to London. I arrive at one oclock on a saturday afternoon then get straight to the studio in Soho at 2pm to do a down the line BBC radio interview with Christine Hall who is making a documentary about The Arvon Foundation. Read more [...]
I travel from Durham back down country to Sheffield and it's beautiful train station. I know that sounds a bit nerdy but if you see the station and how it has been totally transformed you will see what I mean: an elongated steel sphere snakes from the station, water pours along it. It's beautiful. Read more [...]
I read tonight at Durham Literature Festival. It's an interesting gig. I am less than an hour from Scotland and could run for it right now. It's part of Durham Literature Festival's multicultural Read more [...]
The duck was so dry it favoured shredded cardboard. The plum sauce was a cross between cough medicine and something the duck would deliver after a food complaint of its own. Read more [...]
I am on stage getting ready to read. Each of the people on the panel are on the Intelligence files of the police and police intelligence are in the conference audience. Read more [...]
Not sure why I went home cause I didn't get chance to spend any time there. I Travel from London to Bradford. it takes forever cause it's a Sunday. I check into the Hilton near the train station. Read more [...]
I did a reading at The British School of Brussels this morning. I am all finished and waiting for my cab, the sound of hockey sticks clack in the background. I get to eurostar, buy another ticket to get Read more [...]