Launch of 'Poems for Patience X' & 'This Never Happened 2' with Matthew Sweeney & Kevin Higgins

Launch of Poems for Patience X

- Selected and Introduced by Matthew Sweeney

&

 This Never Happened 2

– Edited and Introduced by Kevin Higgins

Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust invites you to come along to the launch of the tenth series of the very successful Poems for Patience initiative.

Poet Matthew Sweeney will introduce 21 poems he has selected, including works by poets reading at this year’s festival. The poetry is circulated throughout the waiting areas of University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital.

For the duration of the festival, the poems will be on display on the Art Corridor, University Hospital, Galway. This project is organised by Margaret Flannery.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the ‘Poems for Patience’ project, Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust launched a poetry competition in 2013. The Trust was delighted with the incredibly high standard and the huge response from poets. The winning entry is called ‘The River’ by Jane Clarke. Jane will be presented with a copy of her poem in a poster format and will read it at the launch on Friday.
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Creative Writing by patients and staff at University Hospitals Galway will also be launched on the Art Corridor. Writer in Residence Kevin Higgins is the editor of their publication: This Never Happened 2.

Directions: From the main entrance of the University Hospital, go through the foyer and take the second right.

For further information contact Margaret Flannery, Arts Director, Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust at 091 544979 or guhartstrust@hse.ie

Matthew Sweeney, Laura Brennan & James O'Toole for November Over The Edge: Open Reading

Matthew Sweeney

The November Over The Edge: Open Reading takes place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street, Galway on Thursday, November 18th, 6.30-8pm. The Featured Readers are James O’Toole, Laura Brennan & Matthew Sweeney . The reading is sponsored by Poetry Ireland.

James O’Toole was born in Galway but caught the travel bug early and spent twenty five years on the road studying life and sports medicine in America, England and Dublin. His poetry has been published in Poetry Ireland Review and also in literary magazines in the United States. James is currently a participant in the advanced poetry workshop at Galway Arts Centre and his work features in the group’s recently launched publication Behind The Masks. He was highly commended in this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition.

Born in Dublin, Laura Brennan is a visual artist now living in Galway. Her practice combines painting drawing and writing. She is a member artist of Artspace Studios and has exhibited in Ireland and abroad and recently completed residencies in Reykjavik and Inishturkbeg Island. In the past two years she has participated in Kevin Higgins’s poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre and was shortlisted in the 2010 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year Competition.

Matthew Sweeney was born in Co Donegal in 1952. He moved to London in 1973 and studied at the Polytechnic of North London and the University of Freiburg. He now lives in Cork City. His poetry collections include A Dream of Maps (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1981); Blue Shoes (Secker & Warburg,1989); Cacti (Secker & Warburg 1989); The Bridal Suite (London, Jonathan Cape, 1997); Black Moon (Jonathan Cape, 2007), which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Award and The Irish Times /Poetry Now Award; and The Night Post (London, Salt, 2010), which is a Selected Poems.

There will be an open-mic when the Featured Readers have finished. This is open to anyone who has a poem or story to share. New readers are always especially 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 and The Arts Council and the sponsorship of this reading by Poetry Ireland.