A poem from the collection “It Begins Like This” (2014) I remember that tree, struck by lightning before I climbed it. The absolute shock of the bark, bitten by electricity And the beat of wing as it caught the night air along the river bank, Nocturnal bird seeking partner as the seasons … Read more
We are all living libraries. We carry within us memories, ideas, beliefs and stories. Imagine a world beyond the bookshelves where we function like tribes and tribal leaders – carrying the traditions and ideas of the human race in our conversations and interactions. And stories are built upon and curated by each of us, adding … Read more
A couple of months ago I took part in a Street Wisdom session in Manchester. We spent the afternoon with David Pearl, the creator of the concept. It was a fabulous afternoon where I met new people who I have continued to have coffee conversations with, and also learnt to look at the city around … Read more
It just looked like a normal music shop selling an eclectic mix of musical instruments. It was across the road from the hotel on Pico Boulevard where we were staying for two nights on our road trip through California, Nevada and Arizona back in August of this year. We hardly noticed it. Except for the … Read more
There were only two series of “Fawlty Towers”. Two series of “The Office”. And so on. For many comedy writers it’s about knowing how to quit at the top of the game and go onto something else. Contrast this with the USA approach to comedy series for TV which often run for 10 series or … Read more
This post was written before the results of the Presidential Election in the USA: I am sitting at the dining room table. It’s late afternoon. Thanks to the shifting seasons it is already becoming dark. Within a short while we will know the outcome of the Presidential election and whether the planet is safe for now. In … Read more
These words came to me on a train journey this evening and I felt I had to share them. It is so easy to respond to hate with hate, to react to anger with anger. Far harder to rise above and be compassionate and focus on those who are suffering or will suffer in the … Read more
There’s a gremlin in the works. I set out this month to write a blog post every day. If you are a subscriber, don’t panic. I am not going to post them every day – that would be too much. I’m scheduling them and spacing them out. I decided to do this as a challenge … Read more
In much of what we read there is one dominant narrative, whether it is the writer, the film director, the song writer or the journalist. Even the researcher will often create one dominant voice without realising that they are doing it. When I was studying for my PhD thesis back in the late 1990s, I … Read more
Question 1: What’s the real challenge for me here? Thanks to Michael Bungay Stanier for that question from his latest book, “The Coaching Habit”, which is a brilliant read. It’s a quiet time and I have a few minutes to think about this big awesome question. I’m spending too much time stuck in busy at … Read more