Drawn to the Light

My poetry chapbook Drawn to the Light is at the print shop and almost a reality.  It contains 13 poems which have appeared previously in Boyne Berries, Crannog, Revival, The Linnet's Wings, Wordlegs, The Sharp Review, The Stony Thursday Book, Shot Glass Journal, Outburst, thefirstcut, The Meath Chronicle and New Poems of Oriel.  This will be the first time that a selection of my poems will appear together as an entity.  I am grateful to The Boyne Writers' Group for giving me this opportunity.  Drawn to the Light is the third chapbook in The Boyne Writers' Group Chapbook Series.  Michael Farry published Ashes and Snow in 2009 and Brendan Carey Kinnane published Racket in the Air in 2009 also.  The 13 poems included cover a period of ten years of writing in my life, from when I was 23 to 33.  I am proud of the work. 

I made the chapbook over the last three months.  It has been a cautious process for me.  Only the other day I omitted two poems in favour of a longer poem.  I am nervous about reading the poems as I find it much easier to write the work than to recite it in public.  Nevertheless I am looking forward to the reading.  I hope a small group of people will be there on the night.

The June Boyne Readings and Open Mic will take place next Thursday night, the 21st of June (the summer solstice) at 8pm in the Knightsbridge Retirement Village Coffee Shop, Longwood Road, Trim, Co. Meath.  Paddy Smith, Chairman of Boyne Writers' Group, will be MC.  An open mic session will follow the launch of Drawn to the Light.  A copy of the chapbook will be available free of cost to those who attend. All are welcome to attend and read.  Admission will be 5 euro.  Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided.

"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumber'd here
While these visions did appear."

Puck, Act v scene i, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

Jeanette Winterson will read at 8pm this Sunday in the Gate Theatre as part of Dublin Writers' Festival. She is the author of the Whitbread award winning "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit", written when she was twenty five. Among other novels she wrote "Sexing the Cherry", "Written on the Body" and "The Passion".

Winterson's latest novel is called "Why be Happy When you Could be Normal?" It should be interesting to hear her speak.

Orbis #159

My poem "In the Shadow of Wings" is included in Orbis. I submitted it a few months ago to Carole Baldock, the editor, who suggested some small changes and offered advice before accepting it for publication. Thanks to her! I love the magazine and it opens a window to the wider world of poetry in the UK for me.

At the moment I'm working on my chapbook for the Boyne Readings. Tommy Murray read very well at the last open mic and I have a copy of his collection which I admire. I also have Michael Farry's collection. The launch of which was quite exceptional. I was literally awestricken by the amount of poets in the house!!!

Asking for Directions

Michael Farry's debut poetry collection "Asking for Directions" will be launched tonight at 8 pm in The Castle Arch Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath. It will be published by Doghouse.

Arrive early to get a seat. Copies will be available to purchase. Congratulations to Michael who is always a generous, erudite and astute mentor to all in The Boyne Writers. I'm looking forward to reading this book. It looks like a lovely warm May day is ahead and this will end it perfectly.

Michael is a founding member and the secretary of Boyne Writers' Group, and the editor of Boyne Berries Magazine. Recently he has been published in The SHOp and Revival. He won 3rd place in the Prole Laureate Poetry competition. Last year he was selected for Poetry Ireland Introductions Series.
He will also publish a history book, Sligo, 1912-1923 with Four Courts Press later this year.

Boyne Readings and Open Mic Tommy Murray

Tommy Murray will be the featured reader at May's Boyne Readings and Open Mic. The event will take place next Thursday, 17th May at 8pm in The Knightsbridge Retirement Village Coffee Shop. An open mic session will follow and all are welcome to attend and read if they choose. Admission is 5 euro and tea and coffee will be provided.

A native of Trim, Co. Meath he is the leader of The Meath Writers' Circle which was founded in 1992. They meet on the first Thursday of every month in Trim Castle Hotel. Tommy has written 12 books including "With the Boyne Through Trim", "Stella's Cottage" and "Where was Wellington Born?" He has collected 40 awards for literature including The Poet of Fingal Trophy and the Nora Fahy prize.

Tommy Murray has been widely published, in Crannog, Boyne Berries, Revival, The Stony Thursday Book and Outburst to name just a few. He is deeply involved in the history, folklore and culture of Meath and its environs. His poetry appeared in the UTV documentary "Valley of the Kings".

Tommy is no stranger to The Boyne Writers' Group and he wrote a foreword for our magazine Boyne Berries on its first outing. On this occasion he will read from his new poetry collection "Swimming with Dolphins" which is being published by lapwing. It will be officially launched in Navan Library at 7pm on Thursday 24th May. Tommy published "Counting Stained Glass Windows" with lapwing also in 2009.

The Festival of the Fires

This festival has to be experienced for yourself. It really captures some of the magic of a bygone age. The people organising it did a great job and the people of Mullingar were gracious and courteous. Some photos below. They include The Poetry Divas, the festival head, The Green Man, and of course, fire!!

Festival of Fires

I'm off to the festival of fires tomorrow. It's a musical and cultural event celebrating Bealtaine which is held on the ancient hill of Uisneach, located between Athlone and Mullingar, near the village of Ballymore in Westmeath. I'm hoping it won't rain and if it does that it won't be torrential.

The Hothouse Flowers, Kila and Bressie are topping the bill music wise. I hope to catch The Poetry Divas there. They're reading at 2pm and 6pm on Natasha's Living Food Stage and The Spoken Word Stage. I'm not sure what to expect of the festival to be honest but I'll be back to blog about it. I have the wellies on standby.