Posts By: Kate Simpson
Kate Simpson on her Site-Specific Nature Poem
In this blog Kate Simpson reflects on the process behind her Site-Specific Nature Poem. The poem is part of Blue Space a Poetry School commissioned project taking place in Leeds in Autumn 2026 in partnership with Yorkshire Design Group and Canal & River Trust. You can read the poem here. I’ve lived near rivers for most of my…
Kate Simpson
Review: Beethoven Variations by Ruth Padel
Many collections published over the last few years have fused poetry and biography, invoking historical, mythical, and religious characters. Poetry, in many ways, is the art of conjuring – be it specific images, emotions and speakers, or whole landscapes and decades-long sagas. These subjects, of course, can be either ‘real’ or fictional: often both; sometimes…
Kate Simpson
Review: Magnetic Field by Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage first referenced Marsden, West Yorkshire, in his inaugural collection Zoom! (1989). Over 30 years later, with Magnetic Field: The Marsden Poems, we’re taken there once again. The poems are like cardinal directions, pointing back to the landscape and inviting readers to gather in a geographical amphitheatre. As with many poets, the childhood home…
Kate Simpson