Steve Whitaker

Sadly, there's a lot to be said for Marina Hyde's analysis here. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

YT's Poem of the Week: 'Why Brownlee Left' by Paul Muldoon

yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Poem...

Ours too, Alison....stuffed to the point at which you can't shut the door.

Or as Selwyn Froggett used to say: 'Don't open that cupboard, our Morris...things fall out'.

Thought I saw Johnny Briggs in there for a second.

Yorkshire Times Poem of the Week: 'The las train' by Vidyan Ravinthiran @bloodaxebooks.bsky.social @poems-not-opinions.bsky.social

yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Poem...

for World Mental Health Day from 'An Arbitrary Light Bulb', my most recent book of poetry

.

The small god is still inventing himself

Last week scarlet & pale
then just a hint of blue

always changing
always a little overdue

yesterday he was apples
today mostly apples

.

Yorkshire Times Poem of the Week: 'Leeds 1975' by Faith Lawrence @poetrybusiness.bsky.social
yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Poem...

Bread and Roses Bread and Roses – the song of the brave, fortright mill girls of Lancashire and beyond

Bread and Roses – the song of the brave, fortright mill girls of Lancashire and beyond.

Me too, Ben. He was the subject of my doctorate. V. is a tour-de-force and his reading of it a performance masterpiece. We communicated by letter (he didn't do tech.) a little about 15 years ago and he was very warm and encouraging. A great loss to poetry.

RIP Tony Harrison. What came to mind when I heard the news was Gail Earnshaw telling me what a wonderful letter she had from him when her husband died. They weren't close friends and nobody would know about Harrison's kind gesture, except Gail, making it the sort of gesture I respect most.

Pic: BBC

Thanks Ian

Yorkshire Times Art Review: The Imp of Surrealism - Anthony Earnshaw at Halifax @ianduhig.bsky.social
yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/The-...

OBAMA: It's fair to say that 80% of the world's problems involve old men hanging on who are afraid of death and insignificance, and they won't let go. They build pyramids, and they put their names on everything. They get very anxious about it.

Yorkshire Times Poem of the Week: 'Pastoral' by Ali Lewis
yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Poem...

Yorkshire Times Review: Along the River's Lines: 'Hotel Amour' by Deryn Rees-Jones @notjustdancing.bsky.social @serenbooks.bsky.social
yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Alon...

The Telegraph Rayner tax scandal - £40k tax dodge - Statement Angela Rayner dodges £40,000 stamp duty Deputy Prime Minister reduces tax bill for Hove flat by declaring it as her main residence [Photo: Angela Rayner pictured at the weekend in Hove, where she has just bought a flat Credit: Dan Charity/The Sun on Sunday] Robert Mendick Chief Reporter. Amy Gibbons Political Correspondent 29 August 2025 8:57am BST

The Telegraph Money > Property > Second homes How to avoid tax on your second home From stamp duty to council tax, shield your wealth from Labour's tightening net [Photo of houses around a bay - Areas such as Cornwall have added a premium to council tax bills for second homes Credit: iStockphoto] Fran Ivens Senior Money Writer 29 August 2025 1:21pm BST

On the same day in the Telegraph:

You're right, Graeme! Apologies, I'll get it changed.

He was, Imogen....sadly missed.

Yorkshire Times Poem of the Week: 'Machines' by Michael Donaghy
yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Poem...

Cruel, but funny

Many thanks, Ian.

Yorkshire Times Poem of the Week: 'The Grocer' by Craig Raine

yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Poem...

Yorkshire Times Poem of the Week: 'Them animals is disgusting' by Peter Reading

www.yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/Poem...

How on earth did this get left out of The Whitsun Weddings. Among his finest things.

You did....and thank you Josephine. It's very hard to precis Hopkins. Every poem warrants an essay!

....and thanks for your kind words, Josephine. I could have written much more but the real beauty is in the poem.