I write quite a lot of sonnets, and I think of them almost as prayers: short and memorable, something you can recite.

Christmas is taken very seriously in this household. I believe in Father Christmas and there's no way I'd do anything to undermine that belief.

Poetry and prayer are very similar.

I like to think that I'm a sort of poet for our times.

I write quite a lot of sonnets, and I think of them almost as prayers: short and memorable, something you can recite.

I think poetry can help children deal with the other subjects on the curriculum by enabling them to see a subject in a new way.

I always wanted a child. Being a mother is the central thing in my life.