<a href="https://www.andrewjamison.co.uk" target="_self" class="wixui-rich-text__text">Andrew Jamison

Aug 7, 20251 min read

Desert Island Poems: 'The Tyger' by William Blake

The Tyger By William Blake Tyger Tyger, burning bright In the forests of the night, What immortal hand or eye Could frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skies Burnt the fire of thine eyes? On what wings dare he aspire? What the hand, dare seize the fire? And what shoulder, & what art, Could twist the sinews of thy heart? And when thy heart began to beat, What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain? In what furnace was thy brain? What th

Aug 7, 20257 min read

NEW POEM - 11 August

A new poem from Andrew Jamison exclusively for paid subscribers to his blog.

Aug 7, 20251 min read

NEW POEM - 4 August

Current How long is the life of a human within the universe’s span? How long is the moment a river otter breaks then unbreaks the...

Aug 2, 20251 min read

Desert Island Poems: 'Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art' by John Keats

'Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art' “Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art” By John Keats Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art— Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night And watching, with eternal lids apart, Like nature's patient, sleepless Eremite, The moving waters at their priestlike task Of pure ablution round earth's human shores, Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask Of snow upon the mountains and the

Aug 2, 20256 min read

Behind the Scenes: How I Wrote 'Swans We Cannot See'

Swans We Cannot See was my third collection of poetry and in this post I want to give you an idea of what went into it, how I wrote it...

Aug 2, 20257 min read

6 Ways To Think About Imagery in Your Writing

"I am a camera with its shutter open..." "I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking.' This quotation is...

Jul 25, 20254 min read

NEW POEM - 28 July

On Looking Through the Backdoor On Looking Through the Backdoor The wind buffeted solitary red kite, sunlight’s single momentary...

Jul 25, 20251 min read

New Poem - 21 July

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Poetry

Jul 17, 20251 min read

The Seven Cs of Poetry

Discover Andrew's Philosophy on Poetry in Seven Words Beginning with C. Remember you can subscribe to Andrew's weekly newsletter here for his latest articles and videos. Commas; Communing; Communion; Criticism; Community; Canonicity; Continuity What do you look for in a book of poetry? I asked this question to the participants of my recent book on Diane Seuss’s Modern Poetry , and everyone came up with different answers. I always remember Douglas Dunn telling my Masters grou

Jul 17, 20258 min read

EXCLUSIVE: 4 Poems from Alan Buckley's forthcoming 'Still'

I've known and admired the work of Alan Buckley for a long time , and I'm delighted to be able to publish four poems here, exclusively on...

Poetry

Jul 4, 20251 min read

Books To Go Back To: 'Inside the Wave' by Helen Dunmore

This was Helen Dunmore's last collection of poetry, published in 2017, a few months before she died. It went on to win The Costa Book of...

Books To Go Back To

Jul 4, 20253 min read

Desert Island Poems: Piano by D. H. Lawrence

"In twelve beautifully crafted lines, Lawrence presents us with melancholia writ large." Piano By D. H. Lawrence Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me; Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings. In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong To the old Sunday eveni

Jul 4, 20256 min read

NEW POEM

New Poem by Andrew Jamison Why? by Andrew Jamison For quiet in the kitchen before the school pickup. For the bluetit busy in the copper...

Jul 4, 20251 min read

NEW POEM: I Was Reading To My Child From A History Of The World

Pictured: Mount Vesuvius

Jun 29, 20252 min read

Desert Island Poems: ‘The Eagle’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

"There is so much to be learned from this six-line poem." The Eagle By Alfred, Lord Tennyson He clasps the crag with crooked hands; Close to the sun in lonely lands, Ring'd with the azure world, he stands. The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; He watches from his mountain walls, And like a thunderbolt he falls. I’ve written before about my love of animal poems (you can read my piece on Edward Thomas’s ‘Owl’ here ) and this one is also from the top drawer. Michael Longley once

Jun 29, 20255 min read

Desert Island Poems: ‘Donegal’ by Robin Robertson

"I've often thought there are three themes in poetry: life, time, and their passing. Robertson's poem explores all three..." Donegal for Ellie Ardent on the beach at Rossnowlagh on the last day of summer, you ran through the shallows throwing off shoes, and shirt and towel like the seasons, the city's years, all caught in my arms as I ploughed on behind you, guardian still of dry clothes, of this little heart not quite thirteen, breasting the waves and calling back to me to j

Poetry

Jun 29, 20253 min read

5 Top Tips for Publishing a Poetry Pamphlet

"Here, I want to share with you some of my insights from writing a prize-winning pamphlet." So, you’ve started publishing poems in a number of magazines, you may even have been shortlisted in a competition or two, or maybe you’ve won a prize - but, what next? In 2011 I won the Templar Poetry Pamphlet Prize and since then have gone on to publish three collections of poetry, so I can attest to how publishing a pamphlet can be a great way to kickstart your journey as a publish

Jun 22, 20255 min read

Desert Island Poems: 'Ozymandias' by Percy Bysshe Shelley

"I've taught this sonnet many times, but it keeps teaching me." Poem as Lesson When I taught English in schools (and indeed when I teach English now as a private tutor) there are some poems that I look forward to teaching. It might be that they just sound good, but it’s mainly because each time I go back to them I see something new, or for the reason that even though I’ve taught them and discussed them with hundreds of students, they still hold a sense of surprise and wonder.