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Ron's rages are sincere and — according to his wife — healthily cathartic. But can these splenetic outbursts loosen the grip of capitalism at its most monstrous?
Contrasting collections of northern poets at the height of their considerable powers
21st Century Poetry with Andy Croft
ANGUS REID considers the power of the podcast as a vehicle for consensus building in opposition to mainstream media narratives
GLENN FOSBRAEY recommends a biography worth reading for both existing George Michael fans and those yet to be converted
FRANCIS DEVINE introduces a new collection of essays that draws on Pease McKenna’s example to indicate future paths for the movement
KEVIN DONNELLY and MARIA DUARTE review Shoot the People, The Last One For The Road, Rosebush Pruning, and Moana
JAMES WALSH recommends an exceptional documentary about the experience of Western doctors in Gaza
IT’S hard not to like Simon Armitage Despite all the prizes, professorships and profiles in the broadsheets, his work is genuinely popular, likeable and readable, entertaining without trying to be funny and serious without being “difficult.”
Unusually for the contemporary poetry scene, the critical praise and commercial success he enjoys is actually merited.
The publication of Paper Aeroplane: Selected Poems 1989-2014 (Faber, £14.99) confirms his reputation as the most significant British poet of his generation. The first half of the book is pretty well the same as Faber’s 2001 Selected Poems — the main difference is that the new version includes only six poems from CloudCuckooland instead of 30.
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Including races at Ascot, Haydock, Lingfield and Taunton
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ANDY CROFT welcomes the publication of an anthology of recent poems published by the Morning Star, and hopes it becomes an annual event
Including races at Haydock and Ascot