Words to wise as Simon Armitage becomes Poet Laureate – The Yorkshire Post says

However, his elevation to the honorary post of Poet Laureate, the nation’s wordsmith, puts him on a higher plane altogether.

Armitage is a distinctively Yorkshire poet, playwright, novelist and occasional singer; a man of humble origin whose work betrays his deadpan, Northern wit and his fascination with, as he puts it, the expression of the inexpressible.

His appointment means by definition that his work is now considered of national importance, but it does not conform to what was considered the norm a generation ago, when Ted Hughes, another man of the West Riding, was appointed.

Armitage is right to note that in today’s frenetic age, the combination of considered thought and crafted language is more relevant and vital than ever. We wish him success.