Dublin Windows Launch

A very successful and enjoyable Windows Publications launch in the Irish Writers Centre last evening. A perfect setting, a roomful of attentive and enthusiastic listeners and some very good poetry and music.

Three readers and myself. Nollaig Rowan from Dublin who was published in Boyne Berries 6, David Rowell also from Dublin who won the Trim Swift Satire Competition this year and Honor Duff (picture right) of Dublin and Cavan, a LitLab member.

As usual there was a wide variety of styles of poetry to be heard. Good introductions, confident readings, some unusual themes - chocolate haiku! - and a variety of forms - sonnets, haiku, a villanelle and what David called a "Rowell".

I did read the Dylan concert poem. The singer/songwriter who performed during the evening was Michael O'Brien from Cavan and he gave us a spirited version of "Tangled Up in Blue", Noel Monahan, one of the editors, mentioned Dylan in his introduction so I really didn't have a choice. My poem plays with the idea of Dylan being a Messiah and I imagined the audience as all suffering from some illness or disability and imagine them checking in their medical equipment before the concert. Some of the lines go:

check in our grave equipment,
urine bags, crutches, false eyelashes
semi-colons,

That semi-colon got the most compliments from listeners afterwards.

I read six poems including two from the book. Thanks Heather for the pictures. That's a Sean MacSweeney landscape on the wall behind the readers. Sligo connection - I felt at home.

The show moves on to Trim tonight for the final launch. The Castle Arch Hotel 8.00 pm. We are hoping for a good attendance for what should be a very enjoyable night of poetry and music.