Poetry Ireland Introductions 2014 Redux: Angela T. Carr

The Poetry Ireland Introductions Series – a showcase for emerging poets working towards a first collection and with a track record of publication in journals and magazines – is open for submissions until 31 Jan.

Introductions mentors new writing talent in Ireland, providing the opportunity to workshop poetry with an established, published poet and perform work to a live audience at a showcase, hosted by Poetry Ireland; the showcase is recorded and published on the Poetry Ireland web-site.

As an alumni of last year’s series, 2014 was pretty busy for me on the writing front, and I’ve been asking my fellow emerging poets to share their experience of taking part in the Introductions series. I thought I’d round up today with my own feedback: what it was like to take part in Poetry Ireland Introductions, how I benefited and where I am now with my writing.

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Poetry Ireland Introductions 2014 Redux: Breda Wall Ryan

The Poetry Ireland Introductions Series – a showcase for emerging poets working towards a first collection and with a track record of publication in journals and magazines – is open for submissions.

Introductions mentors new writing talent in Ireland, providing the opportunity to workshop poetry with an established, published poet and perform work to a live audience at a showcase, hosted by Poetry Ireland; the showcase is recorded and published on the Poetry Ireland web-site.

As an alumni of last year’s series, 2014 was pretty busy for me on the writing front, and I thought it would be fun to catch up with my fellow emerging writers to see what they’ve been up to.

To encourage those of you who might be thinking of applying this year, I asked them to share what it was like to take part in Poetry Ireland Introductions, how they benefited and where they are now with their writing.

Breda Wall Ryan

“For me, the confidence I gained from being selected for Poetry Ireland Introductions, from participating in Alan Jude Moore’s and Theo Dorgan’s workshops, and from the support of my Introductions colleagues, has given my poetry a new impetus and energy. The poem I submitted to Alan Jude Moore’s workshop has since won the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize 2015 [Breda will be reading her winning poem at the Cork Spring Poetry Festival, on 14 February – A].  I gained particular benefit from Theo’s workshop on reading in public. His guidance was invaluable when I read at anthology and journal launches, and when, as part of a bespoke marriage ceremony, I read my specially commissioned poem to an audience of 85 guests. Thanks, Theo!

Introductions made me realize that the process of making the poem is what being a poet is about; I love that process. However, once the poem is finished, it deserves to be sent into the world to find its readership or audience. Eleven of my poems were published in 2014 and I’ve had poems commended, shortlisted or placed in several competitions, including the Bridport Prize, the Gregory O’Donoghue, Fool for Poetry Chapbook Competition, Fish and the Patrick Kavanagh Award. My purpose in entering contests has been to get exposure for my work. The exposure online, in print and especially in the P.I. Introductions video earned me endorsements from competition judges and established poets, all of which helped to get my work noticed by a publisher. The past few months have been taken up with putting together my first collection, In a Hare’s Eye with Doire Press, which will be published in March 2015.

 Poetry Ireland Introductions made me more adventurous with my poetry. Apart from writing the commissioned occasional poem, I’ve translated two poems by our Introductions colleague Stiofán Ó hIfearnáin from Irish to English. It was a really absorbing process, writing a version that preserved the rhythm, rhyme, tone and structure of the original. I’d like to do more translations, possibly from languages I don’t know; but I’d need a very comprehensive crib.

Through meeting my peers on Introductions, my mind has been opened to spoken word, film poems, the links between poetry and art, environmental poetry, abstract poetry and philosophical poetry, all of which I’m exploring by degrees. But the most important thing is to keep on writing. And rewriting. And rewriting again. Process is all!

Congratulations to all my colleagues in P.I. Introductions 2014 on their recent successes; on their work on behalf of poetry and on their excellent and unique poems.”

Breda Wall Ryan grew up in rural Co. Waterford and lives in Co. Wicklow. She has an M. Phil in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin. Her poetry has been widely published, in Skylight 47, Deep Water Literary Journal, Fish Anthology, The Pickled Body and The Rialto, and has won several prizes, including the UCD Anthology Poetry Competition, Poets Meet Painters, Dromineer Poetry Competition, Over the Edge New Writer of the Year, and most recently, the Gregory O’Donoghue Poetry Competition 2015. Her debut poetry collection, In a Hare’s Eye, is due from Doire Press, in March 2015. You can find Breda on Facebook at Breda Wall Ryan – Writer.

The Poetry Ireland Introductions series is open for submissions until 31 Jan.

Poetry Ireland Introductions 2014 Redux: Larry Stapleton

The Poetry Ireland Introductions Series – a showcase for emerging poets working towards a first collection and with a track record of publication in journals and magazines – is open for submissions.

Introductions mentors new writing talent in Ireland, providing the opportunity to workshop poetry with an established, published poet and perform work to a live audience at a showcase, hosted by Poetry Ireland; the showcase is recorded and published on the Poetry Ireland web-site.

As an alumni of last year’s series, 2014 was pretty busy for me on the writing front, and I thought it would be fun to catch up with my fellow emerging writers to see what they’ve been up to.

To encourage those of you who might be thinking of applying this year, I asked them to share what it was like to take part in Poetry Ireland Introductions, how they benefited and where they are now with their writing.

Larry Stapleton

“Although I have always written some poetry, I regard myself very much as a late developer in this respect, and my first poem published was in 2012. I worked for many years in environmental protection and my writing mainly involved presenting the results of environmental research and monitoring. Much of my research related to protecting the environment of Ireland’s bays, estuaries and coastal waters, in which I have an abiding interest, now often reflected in my poetry. I served as editor of the Environmental Protection Agency‘s first two reports on the State of the Environment and, later, as a Director of the Agency.

My getting to the point of being among those selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series 2014 is due in no small measure to my availing of what the Irish Writers’ Centre has to offer. In moving from writing mainly technical and scientific texts to writing mainly poetry, I have had the benefit of several poetry workshops and courses. My first published poem, in Poetry Ireland Review, was submitted at the suggestion of Catherine Phil McCarthy, after I brought it along to her workshop at the IWC.

I find the coast of County Wexford, where I live, to be particularly inspiring, and it is the setting for several poems, although some are set on the coasts of Counties Sligo and Kerry, and some even away from the coast! The actual themes of the poems can vary. Most of my recent writing has gone back again to the first few months following the death of my wife, Jennifer, in 2011. She encouraged my poetry, and I greatly valued her opinion and her ability to spot what I would often miss.

Participating in the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series 2014 was indeed a rewarding experience. Being among those receiving this recognition from Poetry Ireland, participating in the events, including the workshops led by Alan Jude Moore and Theo Dorgan, and engaging with this lively group of emerging poets, all provided memories that I will cherish.

Subsequently, I have had poems published, in The Stony Thursday Book and Cypers 78, participated in several readings: at the launch of the former, during the Cuisle International Poetry Festival, in Limerick, at Soundings for Simon, in Dublin, organised by Daragh Bradish; and at the Fusion Cafe, in Wexford, where, on the first Friday of each month, Denis Collins is the regular MC, and visitors are always welcome. I have continued to work with my poetry group, established some years ago, after a Peter Sirr workshop at the IWC.

Larry Stapleton was born in Sligo and lives in Wexford. Prior to his being selected for Poetry Ireland Introductions Series, his poetry was published in a number of anthologies and journals – Poetry Ireland Review, Science Meets Poetry 3, About Place Journal (US), The Stinging Fly, THE SHOp and The Scaldy Detail.

The Poetry Ireland Introductions series is open for submissions until 31 Jan.

Poetry Ireland Introductions 2014 Redux: Rachel Coventry

The Poetry Ireland Introductions Series – a showcase for emerging poets working towards a first collection and with a track record of publication in journals and magazines – is open for submissions.

Introductions mentors new writing talent in Ireland, providing the opportunity to workshop poetry with an established, published poet and perform work to a live audience at a showcase, hosted by Poetry Ireland; the showcase is recorded and published on the Poetry Ireland web-site.

As an alumni of last year’s series, 2014 was pretty busy for me on the writing front, and I thought it would be fun to catch up with my fellow emerging writers to see what they’ve been up to.

To encourage those of you who might be thinking of applying this year, I asked them to share what it was like to take part in Poetry Ireland Introductions, how they benefited and where they are now with their writing.

Rachel Coventry

“I couldn’t believe it when I got the message to say I had been selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series. I am a relatively new poet and, while I had been published in a few magazines, I still felt like a beginner. I won’t lie, the prospect of travelling up to Dublin for the workshops, and then the reading, was a little daunting, but the other poets were kind and warm and the whole experience was a rewarding one. Everyone at Poetry Ireland was great, especially Ayoma Bowe, who kept the whole thing running like clockwork. The workshops were helpful, both Alan Jude Moore and Theo Dorgan were very generous. In particular Theo’s advice on performing poetry has really stayed with me. The reading was scary but we had an opportunity to rehearse and this really helped.

There are two positive legacies of my Poetry Ireland Introductions experience. I now take my poetry more seriously. I wasn’t really thinking about a collection before this but I am now in the process of putting one together. I was short-listed for the Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition in December. My confidence grew and I started to see that I have to stand by my work, especially in public readings. If I’m unsure about my work how can I expect anyone else to take it seriously? In short, the Introduction’s series marked the point where I began to believe in my poetry in a new way. (We were also paid which, I guess, makes us professionals!).

The other big benefit was getting to know the other selected poets and becoming the ‘class of 2014.’ I’ve also heard previous Introductions graduates talk about this. It’s great to hook up with a group of emerging poets, share experiences, and then follow their careers. It’s encouraging to see my fellow alumni publish collections, organize festivals and show up on short-lists and in journals. I bump into them at events and festivals, I even travelled to Dublin for Angela’s launch in November and it’s always great to see them.

Poetry can be a solitary business, the Introductions Series provides you with a few allies.”

Rachel Coventry lives in Galway. Her poetry has appeared in various journals including The SHop, Crannog, Cyphers, Boyne Berries, Poetry Bus and Poetic Diversity. She was selected for the 2014 Poetry Ireland Introductions Series and was short-listed for the Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition in 2014. She is currently writing a Ph.D thesis on Heidegger’s poetics. On Twitter at @RachelCoventry

The Poetry Ireland Introductions series is open for submissions until 31 Jan.