Monday, March 28, 2011

Despite the recession, poetry's never looked so good

Pat Boran interviewed on Writing.ie website

"...Poetry is also looking good in the sense that the citizens of this country have been so mistreated by so many arms and agents of the state in recent times; the integrity and importance of poetry and the arts stands in stark contrast to the grubby dark-dealing of the bankers and speculators and politicians who licensed their rampage through our heritage."

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Grace Wells wins the Rupert and Eithne Strong Award

Dedalus poet Grace Wells received the Rupert and Eithne Strong Award for her debut collection of poems, When God Has Been Called Away to Greater Things (2010) at Poetry Now in Dun Laoghaire today.

Born in London and for many years resident in Ireland, Wells has for some time been a frequent contributor to literary journals on this island and beyond, and her debut poetry collection follows prize-winning fiction for children, namely her novel, Gyrfalcon (2002), which received the Eilis Dillon Best Newcomer Bisto Award and was an International White Ravens' Choice. Other publications for children include Ice-Dreams (2008) and One World, Our World (2009).

When God Has Been Called Away to Greater Things is that rare thing, a debut collection of poems that is at once firmly earthed in the real yet intimately connected to the mythic. Wells was in good poetic company on the shortlist which also included Caitríona Ní Chléirchín's Crithloinnir, Órfhlaith Foyle's Red Riding Hood's Dilemma and Paul Maddern's The Beachcomber's Report. The judge this year was critic and translator Michael Cronin.

To hear Grace Wells read, recorded at the launch of the When God Has Been Called Away to Greater Things, subscribe to AudioRoom, the Dedalus Press podcast on iTunes, or download the episode here.


At Poetry Now 2011 in Dun Laoghaire
L to R: Iggy McGovern, Enda Wyley, Pat Boran, Grace Wells, Tony Curtis, Tom Mathews and Pat Cotter

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Landing Places review

An extended and thoughtful review of Landing Places: Immigrant Poets in Ireland (eds. Burke and Faragó) by Luz Mar González Arias appears online in Issue 6 of Estudios Irlandeses here.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Desmond O'Grady article

THE GREAT OUTSIDER OF IRISH POETRY

An interesting article by David Young on the poet Desmond O'Grady, published in the Irish Independent recently may be found on the Independent website here. O'Grady is the author of The Wandering Celt (2001, reissued 2008) and On My Way (2006), among other titles, as well as the editor / translator of Ten Modern Arab Poets (1992, reissued 2007), all published by The Dedalus Press.