Reading at Dundalk Festival Today

Off to Dundalk this afternoon to do a spot at the Cafe reading there at the Dundalk Book Festival. I'm one of the various authors, poets and performers who will be "entertaining, inspiring and spellbinding [some hope!] audiences" at two local cafes The Panana Café in Market Square and The 23 Seats in Crowe Street. I'm on in the Panama sometime between 2 and 3 and probably will do a spot in the other cafe later.

What to read? Something funny or even amusing (I must have something like that) something topical (No! No! not the recession - but it's funny!)something easy to read and easy to "get" at one listed. Well, I'll try me best. I do have a cafe poem, just published in the Galway Review actually and online here. Wonder what the chocolate cake is like in the Panama Cafe. I've heard the coffee is good.

The Panama MC is local writer and Doghouse poet, Barbara Smith, and she and her Poetry Divas will perform their own brand of performance poetry to open and close the reading. Others who are expected to perform include writers from the Dundalk No Bother group and Ardgillen/Skerries writers as well as John King children’s writer, Christine Larkin fiction, May Toal poetry/fiction, Nessa Toale fiction, John Gilmore humourist and Richard Halperin poetry. Noel McGee will perform an extract from his one man show I Kavanagh.

Other events include Irish Crime Writers Niamh O’Connor, Declan Hughes and Declan Burke being interviewed and reading from their work at 1pm. Successful local author Jaki McCarrick will launch her new latest book at Carroll’s bookshop 5-6pm.

In the evening evening, Irish Women Writers Christine Dwyer-Hickey, Claudia Carroll and Catherine Dunne take the stage (7-9pm) to read from their books.

Full programme on the website.

Poetry Readings - Mullingar and Sligo

Two poetry readings one after another, Mullingar Scribblers on Monday evening and the Poets' Parlour, Yeats Memorial Building on Tuesday evening. I really enjoyed both and was impressed by the numbers at each and the enthusiasm shown by the participants.

Mullingar Scribbers is a writing group facilitated by Grace Brennan. I talked about my writingand the experience of having a collection published, interspersed with readings of some of my poems. We had a lot of discussion about form and themes, language and grammar, and we ended with an exercise.

I gave them as a prompt half a line from one of my poems "I remember my cat". They produced a great variety of pieces, prose and poetry,taking the prompt to unexpected places. The Scribblers meet every week and publish anthologies of their work regularly, volume 5 was published last year.

Then the Poets' Parlour in the Visitors Centre of the Yeats Memorial Building in Sligo. A very friendly setting with a fire on and fellow Doghouse poet Monica Corish present. The first half consisted of the open mic which had the usual impressive variety of theme and treatment. Almost everyone present was a writer and read on the night so it was a very knowledgeable and sympathetic audience.

Eily Kilgannon was a great host and MC and contributed to the evening by reading some of the love poetry of Shakespeare it being the week of the Bard's birthday. We also had poems by W.B.Yeats, Hilaire Belloc and Brian Patten.

I was the second half of the night and read about twelve poems mostly from the Doghouse collection. I really enjoyed reading in Sligo. I think was the first time I had read poetry in the county so it was special.This Poets' Parlour takes place once a month and will take a break during the summer. Check the website for details.

There is also a Yeats Poetry Circle which meets every Wednesday morning in the Visitors centre from 10.30am to 12.30pm which gives an opportunity for poetry lovers to socially gather, to share their favourite poetry,  poetic inspiration and recite from heart. All Welcome!

Now a rest before Dundalk on Saturday.

Dundalk Book Festival

A major new book Festival will be held in Dundalk on the week-end April 26-27, 2013.

The festival will be launched by author and playwright Peter Sheridan (whose mother hails from Dundalk) at DKIT at 1pm on Friday April 26. Peter will read from and perform his own works, including his latest book.

On Saturday April 27th, Dundalk town centre will host a series of book festival events featuring readings and Q and As by famous Irish crime novelists, graphic novelists, poets, short story writers, memoirists and other performers.

The line-up includes Irish women writers Christine Dwyer-Hickey, Claudia Carroll, Catherine Dunne and Jaki McCarrick, celebrated crime writers Declan Burke, Niamh O’Connor and Declan Hughes, best-selling author, founder of Writing.ie and self-publishing guru Vanessa O’Loughlin, acclaimed children’s writing workshop Fighting Words, successful children’s writer Sarah Webb, Irish graphic novelists Tommie Kelly, Alan Nolan, Patrick Brown and Rob Curley, and magnificent, unpredictable and captivating foursome The Poetry Divas, along with local writers and performers.

Various local (and some not so local) authors, poets and performers will be entertaining audiences at two local cafes The Panana Café in Market Square and The 23 Seats in Crowe Street from 2 until 7 or later. The line up is not finalized but I'll be there as will John King, Christine Larkin, May Toal, Ciara O’Connor, Nessa Toale, John Gillmore and Richard Halperin.

And of course that mega-talented foursome The Poetry Divas will be there to enthrall the public and terrify the other performers!

Full details of the programme on the website. More on their Facebook page.

Reading at the Poet's Parlour, Sligo

The Poet’s Parlour, organised by the Yeats Society, Sligo is a monthly social gathering for poetry lovers as well as aspiring, emerging and experienced poets who may wish to share their own poetry with others.


It takes place in the Visitors Centre of the Yeats Memorial Building at Hyde Bridge in the centre of Sligo.

I'm delighted to be the guest poet at the next Poet’s Parlour which will take place on Tuesday 23 April at 8.00pm.

All welcome. The evening will include an open mic. Entry 5.00 euros (2.00 euros for members) including refreshments.

Spring at Last. I Think!

The change in the weather recently is very welcome. Everything in the garden seems a month behind this time last year. Our primroses and cowslips are in full bloom. The equivalent picture from last year is here.

A nice display from the few Snake's Head Fritillaries also. A poem about these flowers by Anne Ridler (1912-2001) here on the Poetry Archive site.

Roger Hudson's Poetry Launch in Drogheda

 

A well-attended, enjoyable launch of Roger Hudson's latest poetry collection Plaything of the Great God Kafka in Drogheda on Friday evening. The book is published by Lapwing in Belfast and is available on their website here.

The launch took place at the Highlanes Gallery, a former church, in Drogheda, and the Mayor of Drogheda, Paul Bell welcomed everyone and complimented Roger on his work in Drogheda. Joe Woods, poet and Director of Poetry Ireland, himself a Drogheda native, launched the collection remarking on the wide range of styles and experience which were evident in the work.


Roger then read some of the poems, some he performed with musical improvisation by Breifne Holohan and others in multiple voices with Brian Quinn and Nuala Leonard.

Good to see other Louth poets there including Susan Connolly, published by Shearsman and Marie MacSweeney also published by Lapwing.

Photos Top: Joe Woods launches the collection. Below: Roger reads from the work.

International Poetry Chapbook Competition

Doire Press, Galway, has just announced its 2013 Second Annual International Poetry Chapbook Competition.

The winner will each receive 75 copies of their own professionally edited and printed chapbook published by Doire Press. Chapbook will be perfect-bound, contain up to 40 pages, feature colour front and back cover, as well as their own isbn and barcode.

Ten shortlisted entries will be included in a print anthology.

Entries: 3 poems per entry (6 pages max). Deadline: 29 May 2013.

Entry fees: €10 for first entry, €8 for each additional entry.

Judge: Kevin O’Shea, author of  The Art of Non-Fishing (2012). Kevin won the 2012 Cuirt New Writing Prize for poetry and was twice shortlisted for the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition. He is a member of the Skylight Poets.

The judging for the contest is completely anonymous. Entries must include cover page with full contact information and titles of the three poems. Entrant’s name must not appear anywhere on the manuscript. Entries will not be returned unless accompanied by a self addressed stamped envelope.

Entries must not have won any other competition but can have been published in literary journals or magazines.

Enter by post or by email. Full details on the competition page here.

Roger Hudson Drogheda Poetry Launch

“More than a Booklaunch” is how Drogheda poet Roger Hudson sees the launch of his latest book of poetry Plaything of the Great God Kafka (Lapwing Publications, Belfast) to be held at the Highlanes Gallery, Laurence Street, Drogheda on Friday 12 April at 7.30pm. It will be launched by Joe Woods, poet and Director of Poetry Ireland, himself a Drogheda native.

The event will also feature display of a selected number of Roger’s complex photomontages that present multi-faceted views of modern life comparable to the poems – “visual poems” he calls them or even “motionless movies”. Some poems will be performed with musical improvisation by Breifne Holohan and others in multiple voices with Brian Quinn and Nuala Leonard.

Roger promises that the poems coupled with the pictures will give a colourful view of the development over a lifetime of his often quirky worldview, assembling narratives of life incidents and social and political observations that range through Vietnam War atrocities, the Cuban missile crisis, puberty, propaganda, prejudice, prostate biopsy, the banking crisis and much more in what amounts to a kaleidoscopic autobiography.

Roger has lived in Drogheda for over ten years now, playing an active role in its artistic life including Drogheda Creative Writers and its awards, open mics, anthologies and grand slams, and exhibiting his photomontages at Droichead as well as working on his previous collections Lifescapes (in Side-Angles with Steve Downes) and Greybell Wood and Beyond, also with Lapwing.

Drogheda Mayor, Councillor Paul Bell will officiate. Refreshments will be served. All welcome. Event supported by Create Louth. Signed copies available on the night at €10.

Boyle Arts Festival Poetry Competition 2013

I'm delighted that the Boyle Arts Festival is recommencing its Poetry Competition for 2013. I've been shortlisted for this a couple of times and one of the Boyne Writers, Brendan Carey Kinane, won it in 2007.

Prizes:  €500 first prize plus 4 x €50 highly commended. Closing Date 15 June.
Shortlisted poems will be notified ahead of the awards which will be held on Sunday 28 July 2013  in King House, Boyle at 7pm.

Rules:
Entry €5 per poem
Entry form must accompany poems.
Entrants may submit as many poems as they wish
The name of the entrant must not appear on the poem itself
Poems, in English must be the unpublished, original work of the author
Poems must be printed on one side of A4 paper maximum length 40 lines
Poems will not be returned.

Poems will be judged by Geraldine Mills who has published two collections of short stories and four collections of poetry. She has been awarded many prizes and bursaries including the Hennessy/Tribune New Irish Writer Award, an Arts Council Bursary and a Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Fellowship. Her next short story collection is forthcoming from Arlen House in 2013.

Geraldine will also be hosting a poetry workshop on Sunday 28th July between 11.30 and 1pm, €20.
This workshop is aimed at writers who wish to explore the elements that are necessary to produce a good poem. Using a series of short writing exercises, participants will engage with weaving words together to create a poem that is a primary experience for writer and reader.

More information and entry forms from the website or email info@boylearts.com

My Tara Project

Artist Michael Fortune wants to know about your Tara. My Tara is a project which considers the various relationships people have with the Hill of Tara in County Meath. Between now and July 2013 the artist is inviting people to become involved in the project by contributing their stories and photographs to compile a broad range of personal experiences of Tara

These accounts will be published on a website, a Facebook page and a selection will be included in a limited edition photographic-based publication which will be launched in September 2013.

Stories and photos can be about something which happened 5 minutes, 5 years or 50 years ago; a family pic taken when a relation was home from abroad; an account of a walk you regularly take there; an early morning sunrise you witnessed from the site etc. Contributions are welcome from anyone; local residents, visitors, international tourists; natives and strangers alike.

To be part of this project please send Michael your photos and stories by email (mytaraproject@gmail.com) or the Facebook page (My Tara Project). If these methods don't suit feel free to contact him by phone and you can arrange to meet Michael on phone at 087 6470247.

The project has been supported by the Arts and Heritage Office's of Meath County Council and is part of their ongoing creative exploration of the Hill of Tara.

Call for Submissions - Family Matters

A multinational and multicultural team of editors, who pledge to make their choices based only on artistic merit, invites all writers to submit their works of poetry and prose to a new anthology on the topic of “Family Matters.”

Why? Family matters individually, socially and politically. Our most important relationships begin, run their harmonious or inharmonious race and end in the family. They may explain our deepest feelings, wildest dreams, or most unsettling nightmares. In the final analysis, family relations often make or break our personalities, partnerships or careers.

More details here.

Guidelines:
Poems: Send 1-3 poems in the body of an email.
Short Stories: maximum word count 800 – 2,000 sent in the body of an email or as an attachment (.doc; .rtf). All Submissions must be written in the English language.
Send submissions and queries to: submit@nivasini.com with the subject line "Family Matters"Please include a short bio of 50 words [include age, interests and your email id/blog/facebook page/twitter handle] in your submission.

Deadline for Submissions:1 July, 2013.

The Editors:
Frank Joussen is a German school teacher who writes poems, short stories and essays in English. At the school where he teaches, Frank works in a One-World group with volunteers from India and Brazil.

Christina Cowling is the author of two poetry books titled “Flexing my Muse” and “Soulground for Women.” She has co-edited and edited anthologies for the Canadian Authors Association and the Canadian Federation of Poetry.

Nivedita Narsapuram, born in Hyderabad, India, works with Thomson Reuters full time and freelances with Young World—The Hindu, an Indian Newspaper and Hyderabad-based Wow Magazine. Her poems have been featured in a couple of anthologies and have been included in the recently released, Inklinks.

Easter Poems from Asking for Directions

Slovenj Gradec is a town in northern Slovenia. The parish church in the town is dedicated to Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Next to it is a Gothic chapel dedicated to the Holy Spirit with frescos dating to the mid-15th century. I visited the town as part of a European education conference in Austria some years ago before retirement. A fascinating place, there are two poems in Asking for Directions which resulted from the visit.

Abroad

ii
In the churches of Slovenj Gradec
while others admired and snapped
Baroque altar and metalwork,
fifteenth century fresco and
the shrine of Holy Elizabeth,
I knelt in the groove of thousands,
prayed for all from there to Belmullet.

At home in their foot paths,
only the language is foreign.

This is a much different Easter poem. Easter holidays was the time I usually cleaned out my shed.

Sheds

Especially when cleaning out my shed
and dumping my sad, stockpiled, stores
I remember

your neat abandoned hoards – timbers,
nails, tools, assortments of essentials –
decomposing.

It has taken me a lifetime to discard
accumulations cached for indefinite
usefulness.

This Easter week I took a load of timber –
rough uprights and drilled cross pieces –
for recycling.

Each plank I flung detached a little
of you. My shed is spick and span now;
like an empty tomb.

from Asking for Directions, Michael Farry (Doghouse Books, 2012)

Anna Akhmatova in Mullingar

The Cathedral of Christ the King in Mullingar, County Westmeath with its twin towers and dome is an impressive building, a landmark to us who have travelled the main road from Sligo so often. I included the Cathedral's mosaic of St Patrick  here for the recent feast day.


The most famous mosaic in the Cathedral is the other one, in the chapel of Saint Anne, by the same artist, Boris Anrep (1883-1969).

He was a Russian born mosaic artist active in Britain, whose work may also be found in the National Gallery, London, Westminster Cathedral and the Bank of England.

In this Saint Anne mosaic, the name is spelled "Anna". The saint's image is also said to resemble the poet Anna Akhmatova (1889 – 1966) with whom Anrep had an affair during World War I. Many of the poems in Akhmatova's third collection, White Flock (1917) are dedicated to Boris.

He left Russia before the revolution while she remained on and survived great difficulties, official opposition and disfavour.

In “Ana Achmatova and Mullingar Connection”, broadcast on Sunday Miscellany, RTÉ 4th May 2008, the poet Joseph Woods told the story of the mosaics.

Top: The mosaic in Mullingar Cathedral.
Below: Portrait of Anna Akhmatova by Olga Della-Vos-Kardovskaya, 1914 (from Wikipedia)

The most recent collection of work, their fifth, by the very active Mullingar Scribblers writers group, led by Grace Brennan, has a poem by Phil Tierney on the subject of the mosaic, including the following stanzas:

Separated by space and time
The poet wrote of love 
Of the soldier, of life and God.
No love letters, just memories.

Silenced by the hammer of Russia
Poured all into her Requiem.
The soldier surrendered his sword
To work in pictures made in stone.

Invited to adorn our cathedral
A picture in stone and glass.
Anna standing proudly presents 
Her child to the Priests.

Imagination and Place: Cartography - I'm Included

I'm delighted to have a series of five poems included in an anthology just published in the USA by Imagination and Place Inc.entitled Imagination and Place: Cartography 

The mission of Imagination and Place, Inc. is to consider ideas related to human imagination and concepts of place. The mission is realized through public exhibitions, lectures, conferences, seminars, special events, online offerings, and producing publications as Imagination and Place Press.

They publish a series of anthologies, edited by writer Kelly Barth, the first of which, Imagination and Place: An Anthology, appeared in 2009. Since then the series has continued with Ownership (Feb. 2010); Seasonings (Dec. 2010) and Weather (Mar. 2012). The key in all these publications is the linking of place and imagination.

A poet friend passed on their call for submissions of poetry and prose dealing with maps and mapping for a volume, Imagination and Place: Cartography and I was lucky enough to have my poems accepted and included. The anthology has just been published.

My poems deal with the Coolaney area along the southern slopes of the Ox Mountains. Another friend gave me a present of a turn of the sheet of the one inch Ordnance Survey map covering that area so the series of poems is entitled Ordnance Survey Sheet 54.

Five poems of the series have been included each named after a townland. There are poems about my father, about Kate Thompson, a landlord's wife who tried to help the starving of the area during the famine, about Tullaghan holy well, the house where I was born and the village of Coolaney.

This is my first American publication and I'm thrilled to be included.

Boyne Berries 13 Launched

Boyne Berries launches are special. What makes them so is the mixture of local and national writers who attend, read and chat afterwards. Last night's launch of issue 13 was no exception. Writers came from Cork, Galway, Dublin, Westmeath, Kildare and Meath.

Caroline Carey Finn welcomed everyone and Frank Murphy of the Meath Writers Circle officially launched the issue. He complimented the Boyne Writers Group on their work on the magazine and said he was delighted that this issue contained a poetic tribute to the late Tommy Murray, poet and leader of the Writers Circle.

The contributors' readings of prose and poetry, which were all very well received, were a good mixture of the happy and the sad, the serious and the light hearted.

The evening ended with Caroline Carey Finn presenting Frank Murphy  with a framed copy of the cover image by Greg Hastings. (Picture above)

Some of those who came a distance were staying in the Castle Arch Hotel where the launch took place so there was a late discussion in the lounge on poetry, prose, prose poems, flash fiction and similar vital topics.

Frank Murphy's blog has an account of the evening.

Copies can be purchased on the Boyne Writers website or email editor@boynewriters.com

Launch of Boyne Berries 13

To Tommy Murray in Heaven is the title of the first poem in the latest issue of Boyne Berries. This poem is by well-known poet, Tom French, who knew the late Tommy Murray well through his work with young writers in Navan Library.

Tommy’s work was featured in many issues of the magazine and he wrote a foreword to the first issue so it is fitting that he be remembered thus. 

The magazine, which is published by Boyne Writers Group, Trim, will be launched on this Thursday 21 March at 8pm in the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim.

Well-known local writer and member of the Meath Writers Circle, Frank Murphy, will officially launch the magazine. Frank has been a good friend of the Boyne Writers Group over the years as well as being a worthy opponent in the annual Battle of the Books at the Trim Swift Festival.

The sixty or so pages of this issue contain a wealth of prose and poetry on a wide variety of topics. A quick glance at the titles gives a flavour of the contents: The Dark Upstream, Maybe Paris, The Big Freeze, The Trouble with Knitting, The Personal Perils of Appreciating Bob Dylan’s Art, The Inextinguishable Symphony, The Talking Bench, Shy and his Harley-D.   

Local writers are well represented. A feature of this issue is the number of poems which have local Meath references. Kenneth Keating’s poem Navan is a very clever palindromic poem reflecting the town’s name. Anne Crinion, a painter and photographer as well as a writer, has two short illustrated poems on Newgrange and Knowth. Pearse Murray, in his Village Square at Slane, talks about Francis Ledwidge and Elaine Martin writes of a journey from Maynooth to Killyon. John Ennis’ poem on Joe Dolan starts “You filled each dance hall with the South Seas”.   

The stories included deal with lost dreams of foreign place, Paris and America, sailing up the Amazon, tragic deaths, WWF wrestling and the delights of train travel. Quite a variety there.    

The cover illustration of a window in a derelict house is provided by Greg Hastings whose distinctive cover images have been a feature of the magazine since the beginning.

Many of the contributors will attend and read their work at the launch. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Boyne Berries 13 costs €8 but will be on sale at a reduced price at the launch. It will also be available in Antonia’s Bookshop, and in SPAR, Trim.

Labour and the Irish Revolution: Sligo Talk

I'm giving a talk entitled The Irish Revolution and the Labour movement in Sligo 1912-1923 in the Hyde Room in the Glasshouse Hotel, Hyde Bridge, Sligo at 8pm on this Wednesday 20 March.


The lecture is being held under the auspices of United Left – People First and Cllr Declan Bree of People First will preside at the event. All welcome.

I'm nervous about this one, not easy to fit a coherent account of this difficult topic into 45-60 mins. I'm not a "labour historian" and my talk will be a general account of how the labour movement, Trades Council and trade unions, in Sligo operated during 1912 - 1923. It is a fascinating period and Sligo is particularly interesting because of the relative strength of labour there. The large minority of non-Catholics there also made a difference.

At the launch of my recent book in Sligo I said that the volume should be seen as the beginning of more intensive study of Sligo in that period. There is so much more to be researched and written on. This especially applies to the labour movement in Sligo and I hope that my talk will encourage some of the younger Sligo historians to undertake such research.

Mention of the talk here and here.

Over the Edge - Skylight 47

 

The Over the Edge showcase event for Skylight 47 magazine/newspaper (it's sort of both) was a great success. Lots of the contributors attended and read their poems. I read my Conversation again. It's a suitable poem for reading aloud, simple and direct with a gentle punch in the end. 

I enjoyed the variety and the chat. I also met two contributors to the latest Boyne Berries and gave them their copies. The venue, the Kitchen in Galway Museum, was full. Nice to be able to have a coffee before the reading.

The format was Skylight readers, featured reader Galway poet Kevin Higgins, a short break, more Skylight readers, then Dublin poet Tony Curtis. Kevin Higgins was introduced as the "Sultan of Satire" and he lived up to the billing. He read new poems on the current austerity, on the table on which everything must be on, some modest money-saving proposals and a poem containing his directions for his own funeral which included a "get the coffin sponsored" request.

Tony Curtis was great. His introductions were long, interesting and amusing. He ranged from the USA, Dundrum Shopping Centre and the nearby Central Mental Hospital to Heptonstall and Sylvia Plath's grave. He read one of his poems for children, P is for Poetry, from his recent An Elephant called Rex collection. His The Skagit Valley Beekeeper went down very well. 

Skylight 47 is still open for submissions for its second issue.

Photo: Kevin Higgins reading at the event. More pics, including one of me, on their Facebook page.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From the Poetry Foundation website:  

Some poems to help you mark St. Patrick’s Day. Transport yourself to the homeland with a classic by Yeats, such as “Down By the Sally Gardens” or a Celtic revival poem by Eva Gore-Booth. Follow up with contemporary Irish verse, “Game Night,” by Conor O’Callaghan. If you’re celebrating with spirits, you might down another one by Yeats, “Drinking Song,” or try a shot of Hayden Carruth’s “Scrambled Eggs & Whiskey.” But don’t forget to come back in the morning for your penance: “Sober Song,” by Barton Sutter might help dry you out.

I'm delighted to see Eva Gore-Booth in there. The Little Waves of Breffni was in many of the school books of the fifties.

The picture from Wikipedia is a mosaic of St. Patrick in The Cathedral of Christ the King, Mullingar, Westmeath. It is the work of the Russian born mosaic artist, Boris Anrep, and represents the saint lighting the Paschal fire on the mount of Slane. 

Skylight 47 at Over The Edge, Galway

The March Over The Edge Writers’ Gathering is a showcase reading for Skylight 47, probably Ireland’s most interesting poetry publication, with special guests Tony Curtis and Kevin Higgins.

All contributors to the first issue of Skylight 47 are invited to come along and read their poem from the magazine. The event will take place at The Kitchen @ The Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway on tomorrow Friday, 15 March, 8pm. All are welcome. There is no cover charge. Skylight 47 is generously sponsored by Food 4 Thought & Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop.

I hope to attend and read my poem. I'm looking forward to hearing the two special guests. We have published Kevin Higgins a couple of times in Boyne Berries and he launched our special 10th issue in Galway.

I met Tony Curtis in Dromineer a few years ago, heard him read and attended a great workshop he facilitated.  A real gentleman.

Art and Poetry in Longford

This sounds great. An Art Exhibition by Elena Duff and James Brady with poetry readings by Honor Duff, Heather Brett and Valerie Masters in Longford tomorrow Wednesday 13 March at 7pm.

The art is very impressive, we saw the work of both artists in the most recent Windows anthology and we included a great image by Elena in our Boyne Berries 10. And three great poets as well including LitLab member Honor Duff.

Siarscéal Festival - Saturday

A most enjoyable day at the Siarscéal Festival in Roscommon town on yesterday Saturday. A busy programmes which started at 10 in the morning.

The official opening was leisurely and relaxed with great speeches from Dinny McGinley, Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. He wandered from his script to talk of heritage, poetry, rural Ireland, the Gathering, the Irish language in a friendly, inclusive way which was more a chat with friends than a speech.

He was followed by Loyola Hearn, the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, who proved to be one of the stars of the event. Though a relatively recent appointment he showed a wide knowledge of and interest in Ireland and things Irish. He is from Newfoundland and so has a strong Irish background. He finished his talk by reading a poem he had written about Patrick Kavanagh. Impressive!

The Mayor of Roscommon had a difficult task following these two to officially launch the festival and he did a fine job wisely keeping to his script.

Pupils from the Abbey NS, Roscommon entertained the large attendance by reading their poems on the topic of the Gathering, playing music and dancing.

The adjudicators, Eleanor McGrath for the senior categories and Ann Joyce for the juniors, talked about the process of selecting the prizewinners from the many entries. The winners were announced and the judges commented on the winning prose and poetry. The trophies and certificates were presented and those of the winners who were present read their pieces.

I was a bit anxious about reading my poem. It was, as the rules required, on the general theme of the Gathering, homecoming, but is quite dark. The adjudicator said it was "a difficult poem" which she read and put aside a number of times before finally awarding it the prize. When I read it at the Boyne Writers meeting most thought I should have left out the word "vomit"!

Anyway I read it as best I could and the audience listened very attentively. I was delighted.

In the afternoon I attended the workshop and open mic event conducted by Ann Joyce with some input from Eleanor McGrath.

Poet Ann Joyce is a native of Mayo but lives in Sligo. Her poetry collection Watching for Signs was published by Dedalus Press 2005. Eleanor McGrath is a Canadian writer and film maker. Her book  A Story to be Told: The Irish Immigrant Experience in Canada was published by Liffey Press. She has made two films, Kanata: An Irish Story and Alive from the Divis Flats.

A very interesting couple of hours with a nice mixture of published poets and beginners. Some great advice from Eleanor, don't be shy about your work, don't start a reading by apologising, enter competitions, send out your work, work hard.

Ann gave us three words as a writing start.and afterwards we read our first drafts. The three small words took us on all kinds of different journeys to all kinds of different places. Those who began their reading by apologising were shouted down!

Like most of these festivals this was a most enjoyable event, friendly, well-organised and relaxed. I met some old friends and made some new

Top Picture: The dignatories and organisers. Bottom row left to right. Eleanor McGrath, Minister Dinny McGinley, the Mayor of Roscommon Cllr Tom Crosby, Canadian Ambassador Loyola Hearn and his wife Maureen.

Bottom Picture: Adjudicator Eleanor McGrath and myself with my precious trophy.

Doghouse Haiku Anthology on Shortlist

Well done to Doghouse Books and to Anatoly Kudryavitsky on being shortlisted for this haiku book award. Bamboo Dreams is the first Irish anthology of haiku.

This is the shortlist for the Touchstone Distinguished Book Awards 2012

 Addiss, Stephen, The Art of Haiku, Shambhala
 Boldman, Robert, Everything I Touch, Red Moon Press
 Virgilio, Nick (ed. de Gruttola), Nick Virgilio: A Life in Haiku, Turtle Light Press
 Gurga, Lee and Metz, Scott, Haiku 21, Modern Haiku Press
 Hall, Carolyn, The Doors All Unlocked, Red Moon Press
 Hotham, Gary, Nothing More Happens in the 20th Century, Pecan Grove Press
 Jones, Ken, Bog Cotton, Alba Publishing
 Kudryavitsky, Anatoly, Bamboo Dreams, Doghouse Books
 Lanoue, David, Frog Poet, Red Moon Press
 Machmiller, Patricia J., Bending Reeds [Yuki Teikei Members’ Anthology], Patsons Press
 Martone, John, A Life in Fall, Samuddo/Ocean
 Martone, John, Microscope Field, Samuddo/Ocean
 Martone, John, Skeleton Key, Samuddo/Ocean
 Metz, Scott, Lakes & Now Wolves, Modern Haiku Press
 Tohta, Kaneko, Selected Haiku: Parts 1 & 2, Red Moon Press

Sligo: The Irish Revolution 1912-1923: Reviews

Some mentions of Sligo: The Irish Revolution 1912-1923 in well respected journals.

The March issue of Books Ireland has a review by Barry McLoughlin, just over half a page: Michael Farry's study is admirably sourced, a balanced and sober assessment of revolutionary politics and violence in his native county. That's nice! And true!

History Ireland's March/April issue features the book in its Bookworm section which gives short notices of recently published books. Mine is first in the list, one paragraph with a picture of the cover. It mentions this being the first in a series on the Irish counties and says: if this is anything to go by, this will be an elegant, comprehensive and well-produced series. History Ireland on Facebook.

This issue also attacks aspects of Michael McDowell's A Lost Son RTE programme, in which I made a brief appearance, demonstrating that the events of those years can still cause division and controversy. The criticism has been picked up by a Sligo news website.

Poetry is much safer! Off to Roscommon tomorrow, Saturday, to the Siarscéal Festival to read my poem and collect the prize. News report on this from the Roscommon Herald.

Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize Winners

The winners of the Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize have been announced. I am not among them. The names are on the website and their poems appear in the current issue of The Moth, alongside an interview with Paul Muldoon and poems by Rachael Boast and Matthew Welton, among other things.

The competition was judged by Leontia Flynn, winner of the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and a Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.

The three winning poets will be attending a special event at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday 30 March to celebrate.

Details of the next competition will be launched in June 2013.       

The closing date for the Moth Short Story Prize is 31 March 2013. The 1st prize is €1,000 and the 2nd prize is a week-long writing retreat at Circle of Misse in France. Entry is €8 per story, and there's no word limit. You can download an entry form or enter online.

Winner - Hanna Greally Literary Award!

"Congratulations Michael, you are the Overall National Poetry prize winner in the Hanna Greally Literary Award. Your winning poem is: The Trip West."

It's nice to get an email like that. I was delighted. The poem was written about six months ago, was originally twice as long but I cut it down to 59 lines to meet the length specifications for the competition.

The poem is, as the title says, about a trip west with reflections on leaving the west, returning for events such as baptisms and funerals and includes a swipe at Celtic Tiger excess.

I like it and I'm thrilled that adjudicator, Canadian Author/Film Director Eleanor McGrath, chose it as the winner.

This competition is part of the annual  Siarscéal Festival in Roscommon town. This takes place next weekend and the full programme is on the website.

The prize will be presented at the Siarsceal Formal Launch at Roscommon County Library at 10am on Saturday next, 9 March.

There is a Canadian theme to the festival with the keynote address being given by the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency, Loyola Hearn. There is also a Canadian/Irish Collaborative Concert and a screening of  a film, Kanata An Irish Story with Canadian film producer/author Eleanor McGrath, the competition adjudicator.

Spring in the Garden

 

The crocuses are putting on a show, including the ones naturalised in the lawn, even though there still are gaps. 

Under the tree where I cleared away the wild patch of briar and nettles daffodils, snowdrops, hellebores and even wallflowers are in bloom.

Doolin Short Story Competition

Hotel Doolin in association with the Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce the launch of DOOLIN SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2013!

Prize fund: €1,000 for first place and second/third of €600/€400. Entries can be on any theme and should be no longer than 3,000 words. The fee is €7 and closing date for entries is Monday 8 April. Download an entry form from the Irish Writers Centre website.

Winners will be announced at the inaugural Doolin Writer's Weekend on 24 - 26 May 2013.

John MacKenna is this year's judge: acclaimed author of seventeen books including short-stories, novels, memoir, history and biography. He is a winner of the Irish Times Fiction Award; the C Day Lewis Award; the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award and his most recent novel, The Space Between Us, was short-listed for the Kerry Book of the Year Award.

Doolin Writers weekend will consist of workshops, lectures and readings by some of Ireland's leading writers, as well as some great local traditional music.

Hotel Doolin General Manager Donal Minihane says 'It is a great opportunity for aspiring writers as well as literary fans and published authors to get together and celebrate everything that is good about Irish literature. Many artists and writers spent time in Doolin, including J.M. Synge, George Bernard Shaw, Dylan Thomas, Augustus John and Oliver St. John Gogarty. This summer we look forward to welcoming back some of Ireland's best writers for what we hope will become an annual literary event in North Clare.'

Crannog Magazine Launch and Submissions

Friday 1 March sees the launch of the 32nd issue of Crannóg in The Crane Bar, Sea Rd, Galway at 6.30 pm.. Over 100 pages packed with stories and poems and still only €6. These launches are very friendly, enjoyable events. Crannóg was the first magazine to publish a poem of mine so I have a soft spot for them.

There will be readings by some of the contributors at the launch and, for those who don't want to go home, there will be music by The Molly Hicks at 9.30pm. All upstairs at The Crane.

Each issue of Crannóg is now available for the Kindle Reader. You can download issue 32 here. You can also have a free Look Inside! Of course then you'll want to download the full issue, won't you!

Submissions for Crannóg 33, the summer 2013 issue, open on 1 March and close 31 March. They have reduced the submission time for each issue to one month which means submissions are not tied up for  long and a decision will be reached quickly. An idea for Boyne Berries!


They end with a plea: Please, please, please read full submission rules HERE! I can understand. It's amazing how many writers submit work without following the basic rules, number of items submitted, length and format, include short bio and postal address.

Online Writing Courses from Western Writers’ Centre

Galway’s Western Writers’ Centre – Ionad Scríbhneoirí Chaitlín Maude – is offering online writing courses on Poetry and on Prose. The 8-segment courses cover all aspects of writing and improving prose work in fiction and covers also styles, forms and methods of writing poetry. In both cases, reading suggestions are provided. The course takes the shape of exercises, corrections and discussion where and when necessary.


“The courses are designed to suit participants who would not be available for evening courses of this type,” says poet and novelist, Fred Johnston.

“They are also designed to introduce poetry in a variety of forms, from the conventional to the innovative.”

Previous courses have engaged participants from the US and Australia, as well as the UK and Ireland. Fees are €150 and €80 (concession.) Further information can be obtained from: westernwriters@eircom.net

Listowel Writing Competitions

As always the Listowel Writers Week competitions feature a broad range of competitions across all genres. There are three new titles for 2013: The Nilsson Local Heritage Writing Competition, The Con Houlihan Young Sports Journalist Award and Creative Writing for Special Category.

The closing date for receipt of ALL entries is Friday, 1 March 2013. For full details of all the competitions please click Competitions but here’s a reminder to whet your appetite:

The Kerry Group Irish Novel of the YearAward
The Bryan MacMahon Short Story Award
Duais Foras Na Gaeilge
Eamon Keane Full Length Play Award
The Nilsson Local Heritage Writing Competition
The Single Poem Competition
The Poetry Collection Competition
Writing in Prisons Competitions
The Irish Post New Writing Competition
Listowel Writers’ Week Originals Competitions
The Con Houlihan Young Sports Journalist Award
Creative Writing Competitions for Youth

There are also a wide variety of workshops. Details here.

You can also download a copy of the brochure here.

Irish Writers Centre Lunchtime Readings

The Irish Writers Centre kick off their Lunchtime Readings with a reading by the celebrated author of crime-noir fiction Ken Bruen on this Friday, 22 February at 1.00pm. Ken is the author of the award-winning Jack Taylor series which has been recently adapted for a series of TV movies.

His novel Blitz was also adapted for the screen in 2011 starring Jason Statham, Aidan Gillen and Paddy Considine. In 2010, London Boulevard was turned into a film starring Colin Farrell and Keira Knightley.  Ken's White Trilogy has recently been published and he has two more books on the way in 2013.


On the following Friday, 1 March, at 1.00pm Rosemarie Rowley will be the first poet of the Lunchtime Readings. In her work as a poet and essayist, she is a pioneering voice in the fields of ecology and women's issues - The Sea of Affliction (1987), being one of the first works in eco-feminism.

To date Rosemary has published five collections and is the four time winner of the Epic award in the Scottish International Poetry Competition. Her most recent books are Hot Cinquefoil Star (2002) and In Memory of Her (2004) and (2008) both published by Rowan Tree Press, Dublin.

From Inspiration to Publication - Writers Clinic

Meath County Council Arts Office is delighted to host this informative and instructive Writer’s Clinic, From Inspiration to Publication, in partnership with the Irish Writers Centre as part of its Professional Development Programme FEACH.

This practical and helpful clinic is an opportunity for both aspiring and professional writers to meet with industry experts and to gain a greater understanding of how the industry works. Writers of all backgrounds are invited to attend.

The clinic will be facilitated by Patricia Deevy of Penguin Ireland, Faith O’Grady, literary agent, and acclaimed writer Dermot Bolger (right).

This event will run from 6pm – 9pm on Tuesday 26 March in Ashbourne Cultural Centre, Killegland Street, Ashbourne, Co. Meath.

During this clinic writers will:

• Gain a greater understanding of the creative writing industry in Ireland
• Become informed of how the industry works
• Get advice on the next steps for their own projects
• Develop a greater understanding of their own practice
• Develop invaluable contacts and network opportunities

Places are free but booking is essential at Meath County Council Arts Office on 046 9097414 or artsoffice@meathcoco.ie

Cork Spring Poetry Festival - Saturday 2

Saturday afternoon's programme at the Cork Spring Poetry Festival began with Canadian poet, Karen Solie's Craft Talk.  A very enthusiastic talk full of wisdom and challenge.

Here are some random notes from the talk which I hope give some flavour but certainly don't even begin to do justice to it.

She began by quoting a poet, Robert Haas I think, who said that he still doesn't know what he is doing when writing a poem. But the important thing is to get better at not knowing what you are doing.

There should be a constant tension in good poems between order and chaos, discipline and recklessness, form and nothingness. A great poem must have precise language and syntax. Vague expression is the enemy of good poetry. Ambiguity is different, it allows more than one possible meaning.

The precise language used in a poem may not be of the normal variety. The poet must allow a little weirdness into the poem. She gave as example Canadian poet Steven McCaffery’s Position of Sheep I poem which contains the word sheep in various positions on the page. There is a  Position of Sheep II in which the sheep, or some of them, have moved.

The writer gives and the reader takes. For the reader the poem must be a first hand experience. The poet writes from his/her own experience and place and the reader is interested in this, especially if there are vivid, fascinating details.

How can we write honestly? Often a poem is an expression of our unknowing. We normally don't know. Allow doubt and ignorance into the poem. It's easy to opt for safety and be coy, sarcastic, cynical.

The poet must be honest but can make things up. It may be important which things are made up and which are true. She gave as example a poem by Robert Haas, The World as Will and Representation, where the correct name of the drug as vital but the details of his father's dress were not.

She recommended Robert Haas' book Twentieth Century Pleasures: Prose on Poetry and the Gray Wolf "The Art of" series of short books on poetry especially mentioning  The Art of Recklessness by Dean Young and The Art of the Poetic Line by James Longenbach

Plenty to think about there!


A video of Karen Solie reading is available here on Vimeo, (screenshot above). It includes both Migration and Tractor which she read in Cork. Tractor is especially good.

In times of doubt, we cast our eyes
upon the Buhler Versatile 2360
and are comforted.

Cork Spring Poetry Festival - Saturday 1

I attended the Carolyn Forché workshop/masterclass on Saturday morning at Cork Spring Poetry Festival. The eleven participants had sent in a poem each and these were circulated some days beforehand so I had a chance to read and think about all the poems. Great poems but a very mixed bunch as regards theme, style and even shape.

The participants had either a  first collection recently published or were on the verge of having one published. Some I knew, others I didn't. We did the introductions, told a little about ourselves, including one strange thing each.

Carolyn outlined her approach. She had carefully considered each poem in advance and had made notes on the pages. She began each response with a general reaction to the poem, a larger look, and then suggested some elements which might need attention. As she dealt with each poem she discussed some general issues - enjambment, how much do you tell the reader, when do you know the poem is finished etc.

And she had the endearing habit of ending her suggestions of changes with "But I may be wrong". She advised waiting a few days before deciding whether to implement suggested changes or not. The participants were invited to contribute their ideas on the poems as well and this added a lot to the session.

My poem, Dead Man's Shoes, she thought was good, effective but needed some changes. She suggested changing the order of some stanzas and omitting the final one. She spoke about how difficult it is to know when to finish. Often the last line or the last stanza needs to be omitted. As indeed the first stanza often is superfluous.

Some issues which were common to a couple of poems included the question of how much information the reader needs. Two poems had longish explanatory quotes after the title and in general she was against this.

On the other hand some of the poems needed more information to allow the reader into the poem.She advised some scaffolding, some narrative, in order to give the reader some idea of what is happening.

Concrete details are always important, avoid the general, the kind of language which appears in advertisements and publicity. She expressed a liking for longer connected sentences over short stopped sentences. One poem actually consisted of one long sinuous sentence and was very effective.

She spoke of keeping a poet's notebook in which she entered striking images and words she came across. A poet should have a list of loved words which was constantly being added to.

Poems and poets she mentioned in commenting on individual poems included The Instruction Manual by John Ashbury, Questions to Tourists Stopped by the Pineapple Field by W.S. Merwin, Charles Simic's poems on ordinary items such as The Fork, and the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish.

And much much more. All delivered in a friendly, serious, interested tone. Thanks to Carolyn and the other participants it was a pleasure to attend.


Carolyn Forché is included in the audio podcast series, Essential American Poets. An audio of her reading in 2007 at the University of Arizona is online here. A video of another Arizona reading is on Vimeo here, screenshot above, and a reading at the Rothko Chapel in 2010 is here. Lots on YouTube as well.

Now back to the Dead Man's Shoes!

Cork Poetry Festival - Friday

After travelling all the way to Cork I reckoned I should attend all the Friday events at the Cork Spring Poetry Festival. So I did. The great variety of theme and delivery style meant that it was very enjoyable but still by the time the last reading was over after eleven I was ready for sleep.

Dennis O'Driscoll had agreed to read at the festival before his untimely death in December last and the day began with the Dennis O'Driscoll Remembered event. This was a public conversation facilitated by poet and journalist, Gerald Smyth, with Peter Jay (Anvil Press) Joseph Woods (Poetry Ireland) and Patrick Cotter (Festival Director).

This began with the playing of an interview with Dennis which included interesting remarks about reading poetry in public. He spoke about being "ambushed by your own poem" when the emotion involved in the writing of the poem hits the poet as he/she reads it in public.

The discussion was lively, appreciative, informative and enjoyable. Dennis' interest in and promotion of European poets was stressed. His themes were discussed, mortality, the working life, ageing, middle class life. Again and again his humility, his accessibility and his interest in other Irish poets were stressed.

Later in the evening a selection of Irish and international poets read from Dennis' work. It ended with his hilarious The Next Poem which pokes fun at the careless introductions sometimes indulged in by poets at public readings.Required reading for all poets before a public reading.


Anatoly Kudryavitsky, the editor of Shamrock Haiku Journal and of Bamboo Dreams, the Doghouse anthology of Irish haiku, read a selection of his haiku and senryu. He began his reading with a translation of a poem by one of the jailed Pussy Riot members. Cork poet, Gerry Murphy, whose most recent volume is My Flirtation with International Socialism read his generally short, sometimes very funny poems.

John F. Deane and James Harpur read next, both reading material which dealt with religion and spirituality though in different ways and with different emphases. Putting these two together was a great piece of programming. Two excellent readers, James (above) took some time to talk about the personal photographs which were projected at the start of his talk.

Prizewinning Irish writer, Martina Evans, poet and novelist, read extracts from Petrol, her book-length prose poem, which was published by Anvil in September 2012. This was most impressive. She held the audience spellbound with her lively delivery of carefully crafted, very sharply observed material.

The evening finished with readings by accomplished American and Canadian poets both new to me. Carolyn Forché is an award-winning poet whose most recent collections include The Angel of History, Blue Hour and In the Lateness of the World.

Karen Solie is an associate director for the Banff Centre’s Writing Studio program. Her latest collection, Pigeon, won the Pat Lowther Award, the Trillium Poetry Prize, and the Griffin Poetry Prize. Their readings were polished, interesting, nice samples of their work which made me and many others go and buy their poetry books at the book stall in the foyer.

Good audiences, good attendances, a nice friendly atmosphere, a suitably intimate venue and meeting many old and new poetry friends made the evening a very enjoyable experience.

Cork Spring Poetry Festival

Cork Spring Poetry Festival started on Wednesday and continues until Saturday night. It has a great mixture of events with a good selection of Irish and foreign poets reading. Full programme here.

Among the unusual events are the Cork Debutantes Reading: These are readings by four Cork poets who have all had début collections published in the last year: Paul Casey, author of home more or less; Kathy D'Arcy, author of The Wild Pupil; Afric McGlinchey, author of The Lucky Star of Hidden Things; and Mary Noonan, author of The Fado House. This was held on Wednesday.

Another similar event is the The Emerging Poets Reading on Saturday afternoon. This showcases five writers of talent who have yet to publish a full-length collection of poems, include Kate Dempsey, Cal Doyle, Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Kerrie O'Brien, and Fiona Smith.

I'm attending the Saturday morning workshop/masterclass with award-winning American poet Carolyn Forché (above) whose most recent collections include The Angel of History, Blue Hour and In the Lateness of the World. I'm looking forward to this.

We each submitted a poem for discussion at the event. So do you submit your "best" poem - sensitive to what the other poets might think, or do you submit one you think needs improving advice? I chose the latter.

Love Poems and More . . .

Ash Wednesday followed by Valentine's Day seems a strange sequence worth writing about maybe.

Here's a link to a Poets.org page with poems about love, Sylvia Plath's loves, a lesson plan for teachers about poetry and love and a few other relevant or irrelevant topics.

This week saw the fiftieth anniversary of Sylvia Plath's death. Her novel The Bell Jar has been republished and there has been a lot of adverse comment on the cover design of the latest edition. An article from the Guardian here. And one from the Telegraph here.

And if you need an antidote to Valentine's Day here are links to Anti-Love Poems from the Poetry Foundation. Described as "For breakups, heartache, and unrequited love. More 'screw Cupid' than 'Be mine.'"

Sylvia Plath's grave in Heptonstall, West Yorkshire, picture taken in 2007.

Ashbourne Library - Discovering Ireland

Ashbourne Library, Co. Meath Author Event on Tuesday 12 February 7pm – 8pm.

Author Irene Lawlor will discuss her new book ‘Discovering Ireland’ and discuss the self publishing route she took with local printers and Amazon.

Ideal for those interested in getting tips on a book published. Call 01 8358185 or leave your name at the Library desk if you wish to attend.

The book is being launch in the  Teachers's Club, Parnell Square, Dublin on Valentines evening 14 February at 7pm "the perfect time to launch a romantic comedy".

Chocolates, prosecco and Shakespearian actors reading sonnets.

Boyne Writers AGM- Chairman's Address

This is an shortened version of our chairman, Paddy Smith's address to the Boyne Writers Group AGM on Thursday 7 February. A fuller version is on our website.

It’s been another year during which members continued to surprise and delight each other with a great variety of material. In some cases, members’ material was deemed good enough to be included in publications from near and far.

Some members distinguished themselves: Evan Costigan took the top award in a national poetry competition, the Francis Ledwidge, with his poem Boy at the Bus Stop. I think I’m correct in saying that Evan is only the second of our members to ever win a national poetry award.

I apologise once again for my absence from so many meetings over the last year. The core work of the group continued in my absence, I’m glad to say – though I remain to be convinced as to whether the standard of grammar and spelling in the group has risen at all during my absence.

I’m a self-appointed watchdog for such matters. And I do take on the task with gusto. I’m just that way inclined. I’ll be glad when this month is over because for the rest of the year I won’t have to listen to so many people on the radio and TV talking about Feb-yury. I have a very low tolerance for grammatic bloomers by people who should know better – people who say less buses or less words when they mean fewer buses or fewer words; or people who talk about a life of criminality when they mean a life of crime; or use the word simplistic when they mean simple. As you can see, I get irritated very easily, but I do enjoy my exasperation!

In this context, yesterday’s Irish Independent had a very timely supplement on The Written Word, and I got a few more sources of irritation there. Unnecessary words and phrases – ‘she greeted him with a smile on her face’ (as opposed to a smile on her shoulder?); ‘the company had a complete monopoly’ (as opposed to an incomplete monopoly?). And then there was the dangling participle; my favourite was this one: ‘with a huge front balcony, she hoped to sell the flat quickly’ (the poor woman must have been a sight with a huge front balcony!).

I do enjoy being a member of the Boyne Writers’ Group. Where would you go to invite criticism of something you have done and are nervously proud of? Where would you go to get the chance to comment on other people’s efforts and develop your critical abilities? Where would you go to meet a group of people who bare their souls in the pursuit of their hobby? I’ll tell you where: to a meeting of the Boyne Writers’ Group.

By coming to our meetings, we invite criticism of our work. We welcome criticism of our work. And not in the sense that Noel Coward meant it: “I love criticism just so long as it’s unqualified praise.” Criticism, as in the Oxford English Dictionary definition, is – “the analysis and judgement of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work”. 

I’ll finish with some personal highlights of the year for me. A totally subjective choice.

Orla Fay’s night as the Guest Reader in the Boyne Readings and Open Mic: a record crowd of something like 26 people.

The buzz there was in the room at Michael Farry’s book launch. A great turnout, especially of people who wouldn’t normally be at one of our functions.

The night last autumn that the American Professor Gregory Castle launched Boyne Berries: a really lovely occasion.

And, finally, the sense of pride we all felt in the Battle of the Books last July when Michael Farry scored his perfect 10. We still didn’t win – but it was a very honourable loss.

Thank you.

Cork Spring Poetry Festival

The week-end after this sees the first big poetry festival of the year, the Cork Spring Poetry Festival, 13- 16 February.

The website has full details of the programme which includes readings and workshops, book launches and readings by "Cork debutants".

The winner of the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize, Judith Barrington, will receive the prize and read from a selection of her poems and the Emerging Poets Reading showcases five writers of talent who have yet to publish a full-length collection of poems, Kate Dempsey, Cal Doyle, Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Kerrie O'Brien, and Fiona Smith.

One of the nice things about these festivals is the opportunity to encounter poets one has not heard about before. Confirmed for Cork are Carolyn Forché, Tomaž Šalamun, Gwyneth Lewis, Eduardo C. Corral, Karen Solie, and Julian Talamantez Brolaski.

I have booked a place on the  Carolyn Forché workshop and am really looking forward to it. The Poetry Foundation says of her, "Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1950, poet, teacher and activist Carolyn Forché has witnessed, thought about, and put into poetry some of the most devastating events of twentieth-century world history."

In tribute to Dennis O’Driscoll who died recently, a new event has been added to the programme. On Friday, 15 February at 2.30pm a free public discussion, 'Dennis O'Driscoll Remembered', will be facilitated by Gerald Smyth, poet, journalist, with the participation of Peter Jay (Anvil Press) Joseph Woods (Poetry Ireland) and Patrick Cotter (Festival Director). Later that evening, after Martina Evans's reading (ticketed) at 8.30pm, a selection of Irish and international poets will read poems by O'Driscoll.

Spring Flowers

The first two days of February had a real feeling of spring about them. Time to go out into the garden and see what has survived the winter rain and storms and what, if anything, is brave enough to peep above the ground.

My hellebores, above, have done well, though they do look a bit bedraggled. They make a nice splash of white in the February garden. Some snowdrops of course as well.

Plenty of spring poetry available, too much probably. My favourite is Hopkins' Spring. That second line is so unexpected, we thought we were going to get daffodils but we get weeds instead, and "long and lovely and lush"!A reminder to get out and prevent the weeds from getting a headstart.

If you want daffodils you have plenty to choose from. I prefer Herrick to Wordsworth but only just. And there is always room for another daffodil poem. But it better be good. As is this one from 2005, "Daffodils" from No Heaven, by Alicia Suskin Ostriker. 

More about hellebores here and here.