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Perfection is one of those words like faith and doubt that we get all confused about these days. Even the word perfect is not perfect; it's vague and open to interpretation. Yet it is something we all, aspire to or desire. But how does absolute perfection differ from relative perfection or classic perfection or extreme perfection? Not-quite-perfect Scottish writer Jim Murdoch gives his take on why there's no point trying to write the perfect sentence, let alone the perfect novel.

People have struggled for years to define poetry but one recurring adjective that people use to describe it is 'beautiful'. In the past perhaps that might have been true but in an increasingly ugly world poets find themselves drawn to equally ugly topics. Is there such a thing though as 'ugly poetry'? Scottish poet Jim Murdoch investigates.

'The older I get, the more I value sincerity and directness. I think it's tragic that "sincere", at least in the context of the arts, seems to have become a euphemism for "naïve", typically trotted out in a pejorative way to suggest "well-meaning but amateurish". What is sincerity, if not simply meaning what you say?' Kona Macphee's poetry is a refreshing change to much of the poetry you might have read in the past, honest, direct and accessible and all in a good way.