It is the kind of ‘moment’ that might be used as an answer to the title of James’ Baldwin’s novel ‘Tell Me How Long The Train’s Been Gone’, wherein moments have duration and measure in so many domains including measures of time and the quality, rather than quantity, of our attention to a phenomenon: the time scales, for instance, of narrative, history and self-awareness wherein ‘reality’ is at a premium.

May 25, 2026

In the loosest of uses of the word ‘moment’, I want to identify a ‘moment’ as that period of time over which I realised that reality is constantly reshaped by the means of its description. It is the kind of ‘moment’ that might be used as an answer to the title of James’ Baldwin’s novel … More It is the kind of ‘moment’ that might be used as an answer to the title of James’ Baldwin’s novel ‘Tell Me How Long The Train’s Been Gone’, wherein moments have duration and measure in so many domains including measures of time and the quality, rather than quantity, of our attention to a phenomenon: the time scales, for instance, of narrative, history and self-awareness wherein ‘reality’ is at a premium.

Dining with Socrates

May 23, 2026

Inviting Socrates to dine at homewith us is, as always, your idea.You always leave out Xenophon, evenPlato is not asked to come dine with us.You know Soc. likes his words to be writtenin their limpid but authoritativestyle, and not storied over by thin talkfrom our poor crowd. Oh well! He’ll sit againAt our table’s head … More Dining with Socrates

The phrase might be ‘a Prince of the Theatre’ used as if royalty alone gave value to things. Yet Ian McKellen is such a Prince because he played Prince Hamlet so many times – the last time in his recent older age. This blog is Part 2 of “The good and the bad in preparing to watch The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, …

May 22, 2026

The phrase might be ‘a Prince of the Theatre’ used as if royalty alone gave value to things. Yet Ian McKellen is such a Prince because he played Prince Hamlet so many times – the last time in his recent older age. This blog is Part 2 of “The good and the bad in preparing … More The phrase might be ‘a Prince of the Theatre’ used as if royalty alone gave value to things. Yet Ian McKellen is such a Prince because he played Prince Hamlet so many times – the last time in his recent older age. This blog is Part 2 of “The good and the bad in preparing to watch The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, …

The good and the bad in preparing to watch ‘The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet’ performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, from the text of the First Quarto publication, conventionally called by editors a ‘bad quarto’? Part 1 – dealing with ‘fears and self-doubts.

May 21, 2026

The good and the bad in preparing to watch The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, from the text of the First Quarto publication, conventionally called by editors a ‘bad quarto’? Part 1 – dealing with ‘fears and self-doubts. I will be talking about my expectations of … More The good and the bad in preparing to watch ‘The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet’ performed by Ensemble 84 at their new theatre in Horden, from the text of the First Quarto publication, conventionally called by editors a ‘bad quarto’? Part 1 – dealing with ‘fears and self-doubts.

At a time when the arts is in crisis, Northern theatre companies need to get their act and actors together. The terrible waste of an evening at Elysium’s ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’.

May 20, 2026

I blogged in preparation and noted that I had blogged on Elysium Theatre before, forgetting I saw their wondrous A Midsummer Night’s Dream (though, mainly because too elated, I didn’t blog on it – I remember thinking that Bottom was a real force in the play) thus: I have seen Elysium Theatre before and blogged … More At a time when the arts is in crisis, Northern theatre companies need to get their act and actors together. The terrible waste of an evening at Elysium’s ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’.

Maybe life, at bottom, is quicksand! Comparing Henrietta Moraes’ life ‘to quicksand, deadly calm on the surface but inherently untrustworthy beneath’, Dom Moraes, her third husband is said by Darren Coffield to have ‘worshipped the shifting sand she walked on’.[1] That worship wasn’t quite that of a lasting religion and when it changed it disappeared from sight like a body sunken into quicksand does. However, Darren Coffield allows Henrietta Moraes to speak to us, if fitfully, again. This blog is a reflection on Darren Coffield (2026) Hen: Mistress of Mayhem Cheltenham, The History Press.

May 19, 2026

Maybe life, at bottom, is quicksand! Comparing Henrietta Moraes’ life ‘to quicksand, deadly calm on the surface but inherently untrustworthy beneath’, Dom Moraes, her third husband is said by Darren Coffield to have ‘worshipped the shifting sand she walked on’.[1] That worship wasn’t quite that of a lasting religion and when it changed it disappeared … More Maybe life, at bottom, is quicksand! Comparing Henrietta Moraes’ life ‘to quicksand, deadly calm on the surface but inherently untrustworthy beneath’, Dom Moraes, her third husband is said by Darren Coffield to have ‘worshipped the shifting sand she walked on’.[1] That worship wasn’t quite that of a lasting religion and when it changed it disappeared from sight like a body sunken into quicksand does. However, Darren Coffield allows Henrietta Moraes to speak to us, if fitfully, again. This blog is a reflection on Darren Coffield (2026) Hen: Mistress of Mayhem Cheltenham, The History Press.

‘crush, and snap its pale / Wrist’: Thought and image disturbed by thought. More on Kane Benjamin Crookes’ poems

May 18, 2026

‘crush, and snap its pale / Wrist’: Thought and image disturbed by thought. More on Kane Benjamin Crookes’ poems A little while ago I wrote naively about Kane Benjamin Crookes first volume Blooming Us (see the blog at this link). Promising then to return to it and his next volume at the time, I will … More ‘crush, and snap its pale / Wrist’: Thought and image disturbed by thought. More on Kane Benjamin Crookes’ poems

‘In cascades, folds’: give in to motives that fall away from you and ground themselves.

May 17, 2026

In cascades, folds: verse that gives in to motives that fall away from you and ground themselves. The fold in Leibniz’s philosophy – considered as an image of thought – has received considerable attention during recent decades, mainly because of the work of Gilles Deleuze. For Leibniz the fold often stands for continuous transformation and … More ‘In cascades, folds’: give in to motives that fall away from you and ground themselves.

That’s easy. I saw it yesterday. This is my reflection on Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers’, seen on Friday 15th May 2026 at Screen 4, 1330, Odeon Deluxe, Durham City.

May 16, 2026

The art of the unfinished: Betrayal, Revenge and Reparation. I reflect in this blog on what it means to ‘forge through’ an unfinished love story. It may be the biggest forgery of all, but does that matter? It certainly doesn’t if you act the role well enough and with attention to that love. This is … More That’s easy. I saw it yesterday. This is my reflection on Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers’, seen on Friday 15th May 2026 at Screen 4, 1330, Odeon Deluxe, Durham City.

Are there truly literature charts like there are pop charts? Is rating a ‘classic’ book (over or under the consensus level) the vain game I think it is? Is the term ‘classic’ already playing that vain game?

May 14, 2026

This questions prompts something less than an answer to it from me and something more than the kind of cool response, opinion seeking prompts are won’t to expect. First of all, the assumption that anyone and everyone will agree on what is a ‘classic book’, or even what ‘classic’ means in this respect just doesn’t … More Are there truly literature charts like there are pop charts? Is rating a ‘classic’ book (over or under the consensus level) the vain game I think it is? Is the term ‘classic’ already playing that vain game?

I know what ‘gives pleasure’ can never be simple. Let’s consider how we react to the effect of words working together to evoke vision, sound, sensation and tangled meanings.

May 13, 2026

I met a poet in my favourite left bookshop yesterday, The People’s Bookshop in Durham City, and bought his book, Blooming Us. I was searching for more books by Bryher and he knew, as might be expected in someone intensely interested in the poetic movement called Imagism, of Bryher’s sometime lover, H.D. (Hilda Doolittle). I … More I know what ‘gives pleasure’ can never be simple. Let’s consider how we react to the effect of words working together to evoke vision, sound, sensation and tangled meanings.