The Independent launches new weekly poem by Frieda Hughes

The Independent today launches our innovative new poetry column, featuring an original poem each week by acclaimed writer Frieda Hughes.

Hughes, a poet, painter and author of children’s books, will publish a new poem each Friday, starting with an ode to nature, animals and writing itself.

The daughter of the former poet laureate Ted Hughes, and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and poet Sylvia Plath, has written eight poetry collections and is a former judge of the National Poetry Competition.

In April this year, she published her first memoir, George: A Magpie Memoir, a love story about bringing up a magpie.

In an interview with The Independent, she revealed how adopting the baby magpie had helped her navigate the highs and lows of her life.