Galway launch of latest issue of Natural Bridge magazine at Summer Poetry Special

The latest issue of the American literary magazine, Natural Bridge, will have a Galway launch at the Over The Edge Summer Poetry Special this coming Friday, July 3rd, 8pm at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, Church Yard Street, Galway.

The editor of the issue, Eamonn Wall, will introduce the magazine and some of the Irish contributors will read their work.

For more about Natural Bridge magazine http://www.umsl.edu/~natural/

Summer Poetry Special at Sheridan's Wine Bar

Ailbhe Darcy

Over The Edge presents a summer poetry special with readings by Ailbhe Darcy, John Corless, Tom Lavelle, Anthony Daly & John Liddy at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, July 3rd, 8pm.

Ailbhe Darcy has published poems in Ireland, Britain and the US, and writes critically for a number of publications including The Stinging Fly and Verbal. She recently appeared as part of the prestigious Poetry Ireland Introductions Series, and has read at the London Irish Centre, Poetry Café, RADA, Dublin’s Liberty Hall and Keats’ House. She has just embarked on a PhD in contemporary poetry at the University of Notre Dame. Her poetry features in the recently published anthology Voice Recognition 21 Poets For The 21st Century (Bloodaxe) and will also feature in the generation defining anthology to be published by Bloodaxe early next year Identity Parade: New British and Irish Poets.

John Corless lives and writes in County Mayo in the Irish Riviera. His poetry is a mix of political, satirical, ecclesiastical and rural and has been described as Paul Durcan meets The Sawdoctors. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University (2008) and is currently researching for a PhD. He writes poetry, fiction and drama. His work has been published in magazines and collections worldwide. Some of his poems have been referred to the Attorney General for approval. His creative writing classes in the Castlebar campus of GMIT are very popular. He hopes to be a full-time writer when he grows up. Thankfully, there's no evidence of that happening yet. His first collection of poems Are You Ready? was published recently by Salmon Poetry.

Tom Lavelle lives in Galway and works as the finance director of a manufacturing company. He is currently a participant in the Advance Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre and as part of that group read his work at last year’s Clifden Arts Week. His poems have appeared in Revival, Boyne Berries, The Stony Thursday Book, Crannóg, West 47 online and The Cuirt Annual. Tom was shortlisted for the Cúirt Over The Edge showcase reading in both 2008 and 2009 and in the 2008 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. This coming Autumn he will be embarking on an M Phil in Writing at the University of Glamorgan.

Anthony Daly was born in Galway in 1979. He gained a BA Degree in Classics and History from NUI. Galway. He has been writing poetry for about the past decade and has published several poems in the local press. He has acted with Selkie Theatre in 2008 in their production last summer of Goodwill, as well as in several other productions and shows over the last six years. Anthony has been a many time participant in the Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam, was a Featured Reader at the March 2005 Over The Edge: Open Reading and was shortlisted for the 2007 Cúirt Over The Edge Showcase reading.

John Liddy was born in Youghal, Co. Cork, grew up in Limerick and now lives in Spain. His poetry collections include Boundaries (1974), The Angling Cot (1991), Song of the Empty Cage (1997), Wine and Hope (1999), Cast-A-Net (2003) & The Well: New and Selected Poems (2007). La Barca de la Arena (a translation by Francisco Rivero in Spanish of The Angling Cot) & Poisionous Pleasure (a tanslation by John Liddy from Tosigo Ardento by José Maria Álvarez) were published recently. His work has been widely praised by critics such as Desmond O’Grady and Patrick Galvin. He lives in Madrid.

There is no entrance fee. All welcome. For further information contact 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of the Arts Council and Galway City Council.

Writer's Group at Galway Social Space

Writer's Group at Galway Social Space, 24 Middle Street, every Thursday evening from 8-9.30p.m. Open meeting for writers of poetry, fiction, prose etc. All welcome - drop in any week and bring along a piece of your work. All donations for use of the room go directly towards the running of Galway Social Space.

Kavanagh Day and Documentary

KAVANAGH DAY was inaugurated in 2004 to allow readings of Patrick Kavanagh's writings by waterways in counties around Ireland in mid-July. Ger Considine is a Kavanagh enthusiast and wishes to celebrate his poetry and prose by staging this event in Galway in July this year. Recited Kavanagh poems will be accompanied by a local musician on fiddle or melodeon playing mostly Moor’s / Carolon Irish melodies. For details contact Ger Considine on (086) 873837 or e-mail considineg@eircom.net

Interested groups are invited to the event and a selection of these attendees will read their favorite Kavanagh poem. http://www.gerconsidine.com/

Ger Considine’s documentary on Kavanagh’s girlfriend Deirdre Manifold- Deirdre's Passions is also showing in the Way Out West slot in the Galway Film Fleadh on Thursday, July 9th from 10pm at the Town Hall Theatre.

http://www.galwayfilmfleadh.com/pr_2009.php?p=thursday/way_out_west

Topical poem by P.J. Moore

Fáilte Chuig Rás Aigean Volvo
(Salthill Prom Summer 2009)

Fáilte chuig rás aigean Volvo
All life forms are here, terrestrial, avian, aquatic,
The underexposed the overexposed
Liquid and hairy six packs
Uilleann pipers and massage therapists,
Divers winged and skinned
Full bodied tattoos and Corporation crews
Counting the overtime.

They’ve come from Boston, Alicante, St Petersburg and Rio,
Lobster red legs has a ringside seat to all the action
As his 99 drip drip drips onto his pre-cancerous mole.
Laughing innocents with their kids
Are lapping up Punch and Judy violence
With supporting role for a strangely phallic sausage.
Growing middle aged tidal blue spread
Upholds law and order
Alongside slim trim Templemore inductees

The beach fills up fast
With Ronaldos, Messis and Federers
Displaying to beached whales
Blowing smoke, whilst swimming in bulmers.
Jogwalking dog lovers coax reluctant boxers, bulldogs, pugs
And all manner of inbreds
Along two miles of Galway’s catwalk.
Tonight they’ll dream in exhausted canine slumber
Of daring feats performed in past lives under African skies.

Binoculars zoom in on every kind of craft,
Sailboats, curraghs, lifebuoys, buckfast bottles and rafts.
Green dragon in sixth place now
Just ahead and behind Telefonicas black and blue,
Tarot readers cannot tell Fortune tellers
And canvassing candidates apart,
Independent - People First - Connolly Catherine
Vote No. 1. But why?
She’s better looking than Ó’Brolcháin, I suppose.

Dough addicted Claddagh swans
Here in swollen numbers for the fortnights orgy,
Have fixed upon their stocking sandaled pusher,
Whose grandson, the pigeon terrorist
Is momentarily distracted by a cloud
Of red balloons rising skyward.
Nearby familiar redolent reek rising from the seaweed
Attracts flighty starling flocks to feed,
And willy wagtails are playing tig in bouncy motion
Across lichen mottled rocky Atlantic breakers.

Evening falls, the bars are packed
Red legs shuffles off
The Jury’s Inn
But what’s the verdict?

P.J. Moore has been a participant in creative writing classes and poetry workshops at GMIT and Galway Arts Centre, where Susan Millar DuMars and Kevin Higgins were his tutors.

Walk and Workshop with Miceál Kearney

Walk and Workshop

Interested in a group workshop —
poetry or fiction.
Nestled between the grey rocks
under the green leaves on the farm
I’ve made a living from.
in relaxed surroundings,
interactive environments
from the rock, the turlough to the flats
you’ll see why I wrote —

I will write forever
but never find those words.

10/12 participants towards the end of July.

Interested: contact Miceál
kearneymiceal@yahoo.ie

Salmon Poetry Reading, The Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, Thursday 25th June, 7.30pm:

Salmon Poetry and The Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, host an Evening of Poetry on Thursday 25th June, 7.30pm, at The Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, County Clare. Readers are:

John Corless, whose debut collection of poetry, Are you ready?, has just been published by Salmon.

Kerry writer Gabriel Fitzmaurice whose most recent collection “Twenty One Sonnets” was published by Salmon in 2007.

Dublin writer Nessa O’Mahony who will read from her verse novel, In Sight of Home (Salmon, 2009)

and Doolin visual artist and poet Ilsa Thielan.

About John Corless and “Are you ready?”:

“The Ireland of 2009 has almost as many ‘serious’ poets as it does blocks of unsold apartments. What I love about John Corless’s poetry is that instead of pretending to sit po-faced on the summit of Mount Parnassus, it goes absolutely in the opposite direction. Like Swift, Paul Durcan and Rita Ann Higgins before him, Corless takes the low road and shines the telltale torchlight of his killer wit into all the most embarrassing areas of contemporary Irish life. No-one is safe. If the truly serious are those who see the world for the joke it is, John Corless is one of the most serious poets we have. He is also a great performer of his own poems, one of the brightest rising stars of the live poetry scene. If you get the chance to go and see him read, do. Desperate Housewives will be repeated. John Corless may not.”
Kevin Higgins

“John Corless comes to poetry with an infectious enthusiasm. He has imbued his work with a sense of discovery and wonder. His debut collection is gritty and irreverent, infected with copious amounts of tongue-in-cheek humour. Here you will find fake tan and calf nuts, the PDs, dancehall fights and dry cash hid behind dressers by dead bachelors. This is not a naive nostalgic sojourn through rural Connaught but an uncompromising white knuckle ride through sometimes dark and menacing places where sacred cows are put through their paces before being loaded up in a trailer and driven unceremoniously out to grass. You have been warned.”
Ger Reidy

John Corless lives and writes in County Mayo, Ireland. His poetry is a mix of political, satirical and rural and has been described as ‘Paul Durcan meets The Sawdoctors.’ He has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University (2008) and is currently researching for a PhD. He writes poetry, fiction and drama. His work has been published in magazines and collections worldwide. He teaches creative writing in the Castlebar campus of GMIT (Galway Mayo Institute of Technology). This is his first collection.

Are you ready? was launched as part of the Force 12 Writers’ Festival in Belmullet, County Mayo, on Sunday 14th June.

About Nessa O’Mahony & “In Sight of Home”:

“Nessa O'Mahony’s writing is subtle and precise and this fine book crackles with truthfulness. But even more importantly, this is a work of great beauty, a story of how past and present flow into one another all the time. It’s a moving, powerful and richly pleasurable read, audaciously imagined and achieved.”
Joseph O’Connor

Nessa O’Mahony was born and lives in Dublin. Her poetry has appeared in a number of Irish, UK, and North American periodicals, has been translated into several European languages. She won the National Women’s Poetry Competition in 1997 and was subsequently shortlisted for the Patrick Kavanagh Prize and Hennessy Literature Awards. Her second poetry collection, Trapping a Ghost, was published by bluechrome publishing in 2005 and her third, The Side Road to Star, is forthcoming from bluechrome in 2009. She was awarded an Irish Arts Council literature bursary in 2004 and an Artist’s Bursary from South Dublin County Council in 2007. She is currently Artist in Residence at the John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies, University College, Dublin. She is Assistant Editor of UK literary journal Orbis. 


About Gabriel Fitzmaurice:

This is deeply indigenous poetry, vitally in touch with a loved community and its experience. Les Murray

These sonnets make the best collection yet of Fitzmaurice’s adult poems. Declan Kiberd

[T]he best contemporary, traditional, popular poet in English. Ray Olson, Booklist

Fitzmaurice is a wonderful poet. Giles Foden, The Guardian

He has a gift for making the quotidian interesting and investing the ordinary with extraordinary significance. Gearóid Mac Lochlainn, The Celtic Pen

[Fitzmaurice] favours the sonnet and is able to manipulate this challenging form very effectively. Angela Topping, Orbis

[Fitzmaurice] is a master of the sonnet form. Eugene O’Connell, Southword

Gabriel Fitzmaurice was born, in 1952, in the village of Moyvane, County Kerry where he still lives. He has been teaching in the local primary school, where he is now principal teacher, since 1975. He is author of more than forty books, including collections of poetry in English and Irish as well as several collections of verse for children. He has translated extensively from the Irish and has edited a number of anthologies of poetry in English and Irish. He has published two volumes of essays and collections of songs and ballads. A cassette of his poems, The Space Between: New and Selected Poems 1984-1992, is also available. He frequently broadcasts on radio and television on education and the arts.

About Ilsa Thielan:

Ilsa Thielan is a member of the North Clare Writers’ Workshop and has published her poetry in widely in journals and anthologies, most recently in the White House Poets’ Revival Poetry Journal. Her poetry will also appear in “Spotlight”, a forthcoming anthology for schools. Her photographic work is a homage to the beauty of the West of Ireland., its stunning nature and unique rural scenes. She also works with mixed media and tapestries. From May to October she exhibits and sells her artwork with BURRENCRAFTS every Sunday in Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare in the Community Centre from 10am to 6pm (www.burrencrafts.net ).


About Salmon Poetry:
Salmon Poetry, taking its name from the Salmon of Knowledge in Celtic mythology, was established in 1981 as an alternative voice in Irish literature. The Salmon, a journal of poetry and prose was a flagship for writers in the west of Ireland, and Salmon's first books, Gonella by Eva Bourke and Goddess on the Mervue Bus by Rita Ann Higgins broke new ground for women poets. Since then over 200 volumes of poetry have been produced, and Salmon has become one of the most important publishers in the Irish literary world. www.salmonpoetry.com

Merlin Park Launch of 'The Cat's Cradle: Hard Times Come Again'

Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust warmly invites you to the launch of The Cat’s Cradle IV: Hard Times Come Again-Memoirs and Stories from patients in Units 5 and 6, edited by Kevin Higgins



On Wednesday 24th June 2009 at 11.00am

In Unit 6, Merlin Park University Hospital, Galway

Children from Scoil Íde, Salthill and Scoil Mhuire, Clarinbridge will read poems written in response to the Cat’s Cradle and will perform for the patients.

Refreshments will be served.


Margaret Flannery
Arts Officer
Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust
Galway University Hospitals
University Hospital
Newcastle Road
Galway

Tel: +353 (0)91 544979
Email: Margaret.Flannery@hse.ie

North Beach Poetry Nights Slam at The Crane Bar with Pete Mullineaux

North Beach Poetry Nights presents

on Monday June 22th at 9 pm

in The Crane Bar, Sea Road, Galway


The North Beach Poetry Nights' June 2009 Slam

with Guest Poet: Pete Mullineaux


Galway poet, Pete Mullineaux has played from Cuirt to Glastonbury, Greenham Common to Trafalgar Square, alongside such luminaries as Salman Rushdie, Melvin Bragg and the Pogues.

His first poem Harvest Festival was published in Macmillan's anthology Poetry and Song, when he was aged 13 ( a few years ago.)

Pete grew up in Bristol but in the late 70's, early 80's deserted to London to join the punk rock band The Resisters.

Music, drama and poetry have been the driving forces of Pete's life ever since. He even managed to fit in a first class honours in drama from Middlesex University along the way!

His collection A Father's Day has been described by various reviewers as 'tender and lyrical',
'gorgeously resonant' and 'grimly funny' and drawn comparisons with Brian Patten and John Cooper-Clarke .

Pete will be reading on the night from 'A Father's Day', the day after Father's Day on Sunday June 21st. (Don't forget!!)

Guest MC: Miceal Kearney

Poets wishing to take part in the 2-Round Slam please bring along
two three-minute poems, preferrably memorized.

The winner of each month's Slam goes forward to the 2009 North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam in December 2009. The prize for the Grand Slam winner is publication of a collection of her/his work.

Upcoming dates:

July 13th: The Poetry Chicks (Derry)

Admission 5/ 3 Euro.

info: john walsh @ 593290

Poetry Smackdown "When good poets go bad!"

Poetry Smackdown"When good poets go bad!"

What: Poetry Open-Mic

Host: Laurie Leech

Time: Wednesday, June 17 at 7:30pm

Where: Roisin Dubh

FRIDAY, JUNE 12th American & Irish Writers at Sheridan's Wine Bar

Over The Edge in association with the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS) presents an evening of poetry and fiction at Sheridan’s Wine Bar.

Writers visiting Galway for the ACIS conference at NUIG will be reading alongside local poets at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, Church Yard Street on Friday, June 12th. The reading will start at 9pm.

Visiting writers Ben Howard, Kathryn Kirkpatrick, Eamonn Wall, John Menaghan, Roslyn LaDew, Ed Madden, Daniel Tobin and David Gardiner will read alongside Alan Jude Moore, Gary King and Lorna Shaughnessy.

All are welcome. There is no cover charge. For further details call 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council & The Arts Council.

http://www.nuigalway.ie/research/centre_irish_studies/acis_09.html

http://www.acisweb.com/index.php

THURSDAY JUNE 11th Evening of Creative Non-fiction with American and Irish Writers at Galway City Library

Over The Edge in association with the American Conference for Irish Studies presents an evening of creative non-fiction with visiting American writers Jim Rogers, Christine Cusick and Jim Murphy and local writers Kevin Higgins and Patricia Burke Brogan at Galway City Library on Thursday, June 11th, 6.30pm.



Jim Rogers is editor of New Hibernia Review. His creative non-fiction has appeared in New Letters, ISLE, and elsewhere. His book of essays about cemeteries is forthcoming from Blue Road Press and is provisionally titled Northern Orchards: Places Near the Dead.

Christine Cusick is an Assistant Professor of English at Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania. She is an active member of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment. She has published ecocritical readings of contemporary Irish poetry and landscape photography as well as place-based creative non-fiction. Her edited collection, which includes her interview with Tim Robinson, is titled Out of the Earth: Ecocritical Readings of Irish Texts and is forthcoming from Cork University Press.

Jim Murphy is Director of the Irish Studies Program at Villanova University. In March 2008 Irish America Magazine named him of its TOP 100 IRISH AMERICANS.

Kevin Higgins is writer-residence at Merlin Park Hospital, working with Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust. Using reminiscence techniques Kevin worked with patients at Units 5 and 6 of the hospital to compile the The Cat’s Cradle: Dancing On Prospect Hill (2008) and the topical The Cat’s Cradle: Hard Times Come Again (2009).

Patricia Burke Brogan is a native of Galway City. She is a poet, visual artist and playwright. She is the author of the award-winning play Eclipsed which exposed the abuses perpetuated at the now infamous Magdalen Laundries. Eclipsed was published by Salmon in 1994, republished by the same publisher in 1997 and again by Wordsonthestreet in 2007. Patricia is currently working on her autobiography, Memoir with Grykes and Turloughs.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council & The Arts Council.

http://www.nuigalway.ie/research/centre_irish_studies/acis_09.html

http://www.acisweb.com/index.php

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10th American and Irish Writers at Sheridan's Wine Bar

Over The Edge in association with the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS) presents poetry and fiction at Sheridan’s Wine Bar.

Writers visiting Galway for the ACIS conference at NUIG will be reading alongside local poets at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, Church Yard Street on Wednesday, June 10th. The reading will start at 9pm.

Visiting writers Mary O’Donoghue, Joseph Lennon, Nathalie Anderson, Donna Potts, Drusilla Wall, Tyler Farrell, John Redmond and Ray McManus will read alongside Maureen Gallagher, John Walsh and Mary Madec.

All are welcome. There is no cover charge. For further details call 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council & The Arts Council.

http://www.nuigalway.ie/research/centre_irish_studies/acis_09.html

http://www.acisweb.com/index.php

May 'Over The Edge: Open Reading' with Enda Wyley, Eamonn Bonner & Cristina Galvin

Enda Wyley

Over The Edge in association with Poetry Ireland presents the final Over The Edge: Open Reading before the summer break in Galway City Library on Thursday, May 21st, 6.30-8.00pm. The Featured Readers are Cristina Galvin, Eamonn Bonner & Enda Wyley.

Cristina Galvin is currently completing the MA in Writing at NUIG and teaches yoga in Galway and surrounding areas. She loves books written from a child’s point of view and playing with this perspective in her own fiction and non-fiction. She was long-listed in the 2008 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. Cristina also writes poetry and her work features in the anthology Ink For Air.

Eamonn Bonner is from the fishing village of Burtonport in West Donegal. He works in retail in Galway City centre. He started writing stories and poems for his own children but as they grew older Eamonn drifted away from writing until he attended the poetry workshops facilitated by Kevin Higgins at Galway Arts Centre. He now writes poetry and fiction for both adults and children. Eamonn recently won a prize for his poetry at the McGill literary Festival.

Enda Wyley has published four collections of poetry with Dedalus Press - Eating Baby Jesus (1994), Socrates in the Garden (1998), Poems for Breakfast (2004) and To Wake to This (May 2009). Her books for children include Boo and Bear (O’Brien Press 2003 ), The Silver Notebook, ( O’Brien Press, 2007 ) and I Won’t Go to China! (O’Brien Press, 2009). She was the recipient of The Vincent Buckley Memorial Prize and visited Melbourne University as Writer in Residence. Her work has been awarded several Arts Council Bursaries for Literature, most recently in 2008. Her poetry has been widely anthologized and broadcast on radio and television. Enda lives in Dublin where she works as a writer and a teacher.

As usual there will be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are always most welcome. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details phone 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council, Poetry Ireland & The Arts Council.

bob dylan & the poetry of the blues

Writing: All You Ever Need To Know But Where Afraid To Ask!

GTI Creative 2009 presents Writing: All You Ever Need To Know But Were Afraid To Ask! with Susan Millar DuMars and Kevin Higgins

Commencing on Monday, June 8th, GTI Creative 2009 presents an intensive week long day time course which will cover both fiction and poetry writing. Susan Millar DuMars and Kevin Higgins will look at basic issues such as how to get started; how to generate ideas; discovering and honing your own unique voice. Exercises will help participants to learn about character development, use of figures of speech dialogue and so on. Editing will also be covered. Students will share their work with the class and receive constructive feedback in an atmosphere of mutual support and interest.

Issues such as the dos and don’ts of networking; how to promote your own writing and how to make a living as a writer will also be covered. The course will also include the attendance by participants at a number of literary events taking place in Galway City that week.

The cost to participants in €120 with a concession rate. Places must be reserved in advance. To book a place contact GTI, Father Griffin Road, Galway Telephone 091-581342, e-mail adultedinfo@cgvec.ie or see www.gti.ie

Daytime Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars at Galway Arts Centre

This May Galway Arts Centre presents two daytime classes for all those beginner and continuing creative writing students out there, both facilitated by Susan Millar DuMars. Susan Millar DuMars writes both poetry and fiction. A collection of her stories, American Girls, was published by Lapwing Press in 2007; her first collection of poetry, Big Pink Umbrella, was published last year by Salmon Poetry. Her second collection of poems, Dreams For Breakfast, will be published by Salmon Poetry next year.

The classes are suitable for both beginning and continuing creative writing students, working in either poetry or fiction. Students will spend their week responding to writing exercises designed to inspire, rather than inhibit. In class, they will receive gentle feedback on their work from their classmates and from the teacher. The classes takes place on Monday afternoons, 2-3.30pm, commencing on Monday May 11th and Tuesday afternoons, 3-4.30pm, commencing on Tuesday May 12th.

The cost to participants is 90 Euro with an 80 Euro concession price. Booking is essential as places are limited. For booking please contact Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886 or email victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

Choice of Three Poetry Workshops with Kevin Higgins at Galway Arts Centre

This May Galway Arts Centre is offering aspiring poets a choice of three poetry workshops, all facilitated by poet Kevin Higgins, whose best-selling first collection, The Boy With No Face, published by Salmon Poetry, was short-listed for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish poet. Kevin’s second collection of poems, Time Gentlemen, Please, was published last year by Salmon Poetry and his work will also feature in the forthcoming anthology Identity Parade: New British and Irish Poets (Bloodaxe, 2010).

His third collection Frightening, New Furniture will be published next year. Kevin is an experienced workshop facilitator and several of his students have gone on to achieve publication success or win major prizes for their poetry.

Each workshop will run for eight weeks, commencing the week of May 11th.They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm; Wednesday afternoons, 2-3.30pm and on Thursday afternoons, 2-3.30pm.

The Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon workshops are open to both complete beginners as well as those who’ve been writing for some time. The Thursday afternoon workshop is an Advanced Poetry Workshop, suitable for those who’ve participated in poetry workshops before or had poems published in magazines. The cost to participants is €90, with an €80 concession rate.

Places must be paid for in advance. To reserve a place contact Victoria at reception at Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886 or email victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

Launch of new-look Amnesty Freedom Café with poetry, talks, music and, of course, great coffee

The Freedom Café makeover celebration!

What: Launch of the new-look Amnesty Freedom Café with poetry, talks, music and, of course, great coffee

Who: Poets ; Rita Ann Higgins, Mary O Malley, Kevin Higgins and Pete Mullineaux

Musicians ; Bobo, Ivan & Anna, and Nicole Blue.

Launch by Noeleen Hartigan Programmes Director Amnesty International Ireland

Where: Amnesty International Freedom Café 2-3 Middle St. Galway

When: 12.30 - 9pm on Thursday 14 May (See below for more details)

Since it opened seven years ago the Amnesty International Freedom Café has become a vital and lively part of Galway’s community. Over that time nearly one thousand people have volunteered in the café and on the various human rights campaigns we have worked on. The café recently received a long overdue makeover and will now be open from 8am every morning. We think this calls for a celebration - we are delighted to invite the Galway public to our opening celebration on Thursday, 14 May. “Our café has long been a hub for activists and campaigners in Galway and we hope the new layout and extended opening hours will help to make this an even better location for community organising,” said Sarah Clancy , Campaigns Officer with Amnesty International Ireland. “We would like to extend an open invitation to likeminded arts and social justice organisations to make use of our café as a location for meetings, film screenings and events.”

‘Space for discussion’ is the theme of the first part of the day. Rita Ann Higgins, Mary O’ Malley and Kevin Higgins, three of Galway’s best known poets will hold a free lunchtime poetry reading from 12.30pm until 2.00pm. These three poets are well known locally for dealing with issues of social justice in their work and this will be no exception. The lunchtime poetry readings will be followed by some lively performance poetry and music by Pete Mullineaux and a reading by journalist and author Michael McCaughan from his forthcoming book about the the case of death row inmate ,writer and political activist Mumia Abu Jamal.

The events will continue with music from some of Galway’s favourite performers including Nicole Blue, BO- BO and Ivan & Anna all of whom are regulars at the long running Unchained Melodies sessions that take place every Thursday in the Freedom Café. After the music Noeleen Hartigan , Programmes Director for Amnesty International, will officially open the revamped Amnesty International Freedom Café at 5 pm with a discussion of our work in Ireland.

For further information please contact: Sarah Clancy, Campaigns Officer, Amnesty International sclancy@amnesty.ie or 086 792 4095 Justin Moran, Communications Co-ordinator, Amnesty International 01 863 8300, 085 814 8986 www.amnesty.ie

Sarah Clancy, Campaigns and Regional Development Amnesty International Irish Section2-3 Middle St Galway.sclancy@amnesty.ie0867924095

Log on to www.amnesty.ie/actioncentre and take action today.

BBC RADIO 4 Poetry Slam 2009

BBC Radio 4 Poetry Slam 2009

BBC Radio 4 will be broadcasting a second series of Poetry Slam programmes in 2009. New Belfast Community Arts Initiative has been asked to host the All Ireland Regional Heat taking place on Thursday 18th June.

A Poetry Slam is a knockout performance poetry competition in which poets perform their own work in front of an audience and a panel of judges, and are given scores by the judges based on content, style, delivery and level of audience response. Poetry Slamming began in the United States in the 1980s and is now thriving all around the world. There are hundreds of slams run all over Britain every year, and Radio 4 will be showcasing, through its own slam, some of the best performers in the United Kingdom.

Radio 4 ran its first Poetry Slam in 2007, and this will be the second. There will be three broadcast programmes, comprising two semi-finals and a final anticipated to transmit in late September and early October 2009.

To ensure a wide geographical spread, we will be running our three broadcast programmes after a series of nine regional heats, which will reflect the slam scene around the country.
These will not be for broadcast, but out of them two winners from each heat will go forward to the broadcast semi-finals, making a total of nine participants in each semi-final. Three winners from each semi-final will go forward to the final. These qualifying rounds will be run in accordance with the same slam rules which will govern the broadcast semi-finals and final, so that all performers around the country will be taking part under the same conditions. Rules for performance and judging in the Radio 4 slam follow as closely as possible the generally accepted slam conventions, with a few specific points included in order to create a competition suitable for broadcast.

The full rules and criteria will be available at http://www.newbelfastarts.org/news/slam09/ from Saturday 9th May 2009

If you have won a slam in the past three years and feel that you meet all other criteria as laid out in the rules (available through the above link) then please complete an application form (also available at the above link) and return it to us by Monday 1st June.

In the event that eligible applications exceed number of places, NBCAI reserves the right to draw participants by lottery according to province to ensure that all regions are equally and fairly represented.

We look forward to receiving your application

Chelley McLearCo-ordinator Poetry In Motion Schools and CommunityNew Belfast Community Arts InitiativeUnit 4 Clanmil Arts & Business CentreBridge Street Belfast BT1 1LUT 028 9092 3493 F 028 9092 4545www.newbelfastarts.org