Poetry Ireland Introductions at Dublin Writers’ Festival

I’ll be reading at the Poetry Ireland Introductions, part of the Dublin Writers’ Festival on Weds 21 May, hosted by the Irish Writers’ Centre, Dublin. It will be a great night and I look forward to seeing you there!

Since its establishment in 1989 by poet Theo Dorgan, Poetry Ireland’s Introductions Series has offered exciting opportunities for talented, emerging poets to showcase their work. Many well-known poets have come through this series including Enda Wyley, Kerry Hardie, Alan Jude Moore, Pat Boran and Caoilinn Hughes.

This year, the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series will team up with the Irish Writers’ Centre and Dublin Writers Festival for two cabaret-style evenings in the ambient surroundings of the Irish Writers’ Centre to reveal nine new promising voices.

Monday 19 May:

Poetry by Erin Fornoff, Larry Stapleton, Paul McMahon, Stiofán Ó hIfearnáin & Breda Wall Ryan.

Weds 21 May:

Poetry by Kevin Conroy, Angela T Carr, Colm Scully & Rachel Coventry.

This year’s programme will also include specially selected musical accompaniment from new and emerging musicians, singers and songwriters.

Tickets available at the door. €8 / €5 (concession: full-time students and over sixty-fives)

Presented by Poetry Ireland in association with The Irish Writers’ Centre and Dublin Writers Festival.

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The Pickled Body Poetry Journal Launch – Sat 12 April

Just a quick reminder that I’ll be reading at the launch of The Pickled Body‘s second issue – tomorrow, Saturday, 12th April, at the Ranelagh Arts Centre from 2pm; the theme is Amuse Bouche, with both literary and culinary taste-ticklers on offer!

Hosts for the afternoon are Dimitra Xidous and Patrick Chapman – editors and poetry Picklers extraordinaire. Joining me in the presentation of delectable poetic offerings for your consumption are Michael Naughton Shanks, Lily Ackerman, Bernard O’Rourke, Karl Parkinson and Jessica Traynor.

Poems will be available in postcard form, musical interludes provided by The Sacreblues Band and a fresh batch of poems from the new issue will be yours to devour online.

Come along and get Pickled!

Poetry Event: Wicked Women’s Week

A new music and spoken word event takes place this Wednesday, 26th February at The International Bar in Dublin. The Wicked Women’s Week, presented by Dublin Underground Beat, aims to celebrate women in music and poetry with both new and familiar voices, and is open to all.

There are 30 performance slots, 5 mins each, up for grabs – you can read, sing, play an instrument – sign up from 7pm, with kick-off at 8pm.

Love Covered at The Ash Sessions

On Sunday, I took part in a wonderful afternoon of music and poetry – The Ash Sessions do Covers of Love at Nick’s Coffee Company in Ranelagh, Dublin. Coffee and Love was the drug.

The Ash Sessions is the brainchild of poet and writer, Dimitra Xidous – a series of themed events showcasing the work of upcoming writers, poets and musicians, with it’s name taken from a Leonard Cohen quote:

”Poetry is just the evidence of life.  If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash”

The Ash Sessions: Cover of Love

For those of you who are in the mood for love, ahead of Valentine’s Day, The Ash Sessions event, Cover of Love, takes place this Sunday, 9th February, at Nick’s Coffee Company in Ranelagh, Dublin from 2 – 5pm. Various literary and musical types will be performing covers of their favourite pieces – poems, songs, flash and short fiction – all on the theme of love.

I’ll be there reading this, probably my favourite poem, The Unspoken by Scottish poet, Edwin Morgan, which name-checks my home-town of Glasgow and I first discovered in a poetry collection, in a castle library, deep in the Italian countryside.