Poet in residence at cricket funded by Arts Council England

I've just come across The pen is edgier than the blade blog.


David Fine is an English poet who is travelling around Australia following the Tests and writing poetry and other observations about the Tests and his travels. He is funded, albeit on a modest scale (backpacker accommodation no corporate boxes), by the English Arts Council. Yes, Australian readers, you read that correctly: I could go on about why an Australian arts funding body hasn't done something similar, but I won't. Instead I'll just recommend that you read, and for future reference bookmark, the site.


He's just posted today's piece, which includes two poems, one of which celebrates Matthew Hoggard's achievement with the ball over the last three days. A brief sample (apologies if I've breached copyright):


You climb each hill, break its back before
it breaks yours, seven times
for one hundred and nine long runs, dogged
against these hounds you never let off the leash.


David also has another blog Blog Before Wicket.


His email address is david@fineandandy.co.uk.

I think of N&D as a modest blog but after reading David's work I understand how much I have to be modest about.