Delighted to read this review of 'An Arbitrary Light Bulb' in the Sunday Times by @MrRavoon Graeme Richardson. I was particularly pleased with the phrase about 'accessible complexity', paradox being a theme of the book and of life in contrary Leeds, a via negativa less-travelled.

@Jayemgardner Thank you for telling me this, Julie -- and please pass on my thanks to the rest of Nottingham Stanza for taking the trouble to engage with my poetry. Best wishes to you all.

When I was wring my new book 'An Arbitrary Light Bulb', I'd think of Jackie Coogan in his Uncle Fester role, the actor after whom Jacques Derrida was named. Derrida pic courtesy of Jay Shelat

I am very grateful to Andrew Roycroft for his sensitive close reading of my poem celebrating one of Michael Longley's, RIP:

@victoriamoul @RoryWaterman My new book was 8,887 words.

There are many takes on the William Carlos Williams original of this poem but this one sounds most like it is being spoken by someone from Leeds.

RT @victoriamoul: Random question for the #poets out there -- how many *words* (rather than pages) in the average poetry book? Please retwe…

Today is #nationalyorkshirepuddingday celebrating a delicacy I love. However, this poem catches me between nations, generations and prejudices cooked into regional idioms and my father's response to such. Touchy? Yes, but he tired of Irish jokes quickly when he moved here.

@TATFS I think you did very well and if there is a volume of memorial essays to Michael, I wonder if you might think of giving yourself more space there to write all that you wanted to say. I would certainly commission you to do that.

RT @TATFS: I was very fortunate to be able to interview Longley about this poem last year. Here's what he had to say about it. https://t.co…

@TATFS Thanks @TATFS He would introduce the poem in a similar way but it's very good to have it written down,

@CorfuArts @ae_stallings @VicHislop Congratulations @ae_stallings

My reading of Michael Longley's 'Harmonica' for the new Poems on the Underground in his memory is just below the text on this link. Michael said it was his favourite among his own poems:

@ArmchairBard I felt the same, expecting the departure from the pattern to have special significance yet not being able to find one.

@enchantedboat Thanks Jonathan

RT @LSterneTrust: Book launch tomorrow afternoon #York @York360 #LaurenceSterne

RT @suzifeay: A tribute to the great poet Michael Longley

Looking forward to reading here with Jane Routh on the 15th of March.

I've written something for the Earnshaw retrospective at Dean Clough at the request of his widow, Gail. Tony had been a lathe turner and crane driver before an artist and I fear his cartoon is prescient about how working class artists will struggle as educational channels narrow.

RT @UlsterMuseum: We were deeply saddened to learn of Michael Longley's passing. He was an outstanding poet and a dear friend of the Ulster…