Dennis O'Driscoll reads at final Over The Edge: Open Reading before Summer break

The May Over The Edge: Open Reading takes place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street on Thursday, May 29th, 6.30-8pm. The Featured Readers are Michael S. Begnal, Deirdre Kearney & Dennis O’Driscoll.








Michael S. Begnal is a dual Irish/American citizen, born in the United States in 1966. He spent many years living in Ireland, and was editor of the Galway-based literary magazine, The Burning Bush. He returned to live in the US in 2004. His first collection of poems, The Lakes of Coma (Six Gallery Press), was published in 2003. His work has appeared in numerous journals and in the anthology Breaking the Skin: New Irish Poetry (Black Mountain Press). His Irish-language writing has been published in Comhar, Lá, and the Go nuige seo anthologies (Coiscéim). His second collection of poems, Ancestor Worship, was published by Salmon Poetry last year.

Deirdre Kearney is originally from Omagh, County Tyrone, but has lived in Galway since 1983. She is a participant in the Advanced Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre. Her poems have been published in West 47, Cúirt New Writing 2007, The Ulster Herald, Crannóg, Words on the Web, Tinteán, Australian-Irish Magazine- Treóir, Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann magazine, the Over the Edge website & Galway Exposed. She has previously read her work at the Over the Edge Open-Mic, Westside Library, The Galway Arts Centre Nuns’ Island Studio, the Poets for Oxfam launch in Galway in 2006 and North Beach Poetry Nights.

Dennis O’Driscoll was born in Thurles in 1954. His eight poetry collections include Weather Permitting (Anvil Press, 1999), which was a Poetry Books Society Recommendation and was shortlisted for the Irish Times Poetry Prize, Exemplary Damages (2002) and New and Selected Poems (2004). His most recent collection, Reality Check (2007) was also shortlisted for the Irish Times/Poetry Now Prize. A selection of his essays and reviews, Troubled Thoughts, Majestic Dreams was published by Gallery Press in 2001. He is editor of the Bloodaxe Book of Poetry Quotations (2006). His next book, Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney will be published by Faber and Faber in November. He is a member of Aosdána. He has worked as a civil servant since the age of sixteen.

As usual 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 087-63431748.

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

Micéal Kearney launches debut poetry collection at Galway City Museum

Micéal Kearney's debut collection Inheritance is launched by Dave Lordan in Galway City Museum on Saturday, May 31st, 1pm

All Kinds of Poetry at Sheridan's Wine Bar

Leading experimental poet Catherine Walsh

Over The Edge presents an innovative reading by poets Catherine Walsh, Brendan Murphy, Billy Mills, Emily Cullen & Quincy Lehr at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, May 16th, 8pm. Elaine Feeney, winner of the recent Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam, will also be performing her winning poem.

Catherine Walsh was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1964. Having lived in Barcelona and in Eastbourne, England, she is now back in Ireland, living in Limerick. She has read her work widely in Ireland, The U.K. and the U.S. She co-edits hardPressed Poetry and the Journal with Billy Mills. Her books include Macula (Red Wheelbarrow Press, Dublin: 1986); Idir Eatortha & Making Tents (Invisible Books, London, 1996); City West (Shearsman, Exeter, 2005) & from Optic Verve (Longhouse, Vermont 2006). Catherine Walsh is one of Ireland’s leading experimental poets.

Brendan Murphy was born in Liverpool to English parents and Irish grandparents. He is a graduate of Sheffield University, where he studied the History of Art, Film and Design. His first performance was a Saturday night slot with a friend at his local pub, with whom he developed an improvised repartee on the week’s news. Brendan has lived in Galway for the last ten years. He won the 2006 Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam, and has performed at the famous Green Mill in Chicago. In 2007 he won the All Ireland Poetry Slam Championship in Belfast.

Billy Mills was born in Dublin in 1954. He lives in Limerick, where he works for a leading scientific publisher. He is the founder and co-editor (with Catherine Walsh) of hardPressed Poetry and the Journal. He has read his work widely at festivals and universities internationally. His books include On First Looking into Lorine Niedecker (hardPressed Poetry 1986); Letters From Barcelona (Dedalus 1990); 5 Easy Pieces (Shearsman, Plymouth, 1997); A Small Book of Songs (Wild Honey, Dublin 1999); & from Paper Places (Longhouse, Vermont 2006). He is one of Irish poetry’s foremost linguistic radicals.

Emily Cullen grew up in County Tipperary. She now lives in Galway where she works in NUI Galway. As NUIG Arts Officer she founded Muscailt, the university’s annual spring arts festival and was also director of the Patrick Kavanagh Centenary Celebrations in 2004. She is an accomplished performer of the Irish harp. Emily was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series in 2004. Her first collection, No Vague Utopia, was published by Ainnir Publishing in 2003. Her poetry has been described by The Stinging Fly as “vivid and evocative”.

Quincy Lehr was born in Oklahoma City in 1975. He was educated in the Oklahoma public schools, as well as at the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University. He is currently based in Ireland where he works in NUI Galway. A life-long reader of poetry, he began seriously writing it in 2003. His poetry is dramatic, and has been described by Michael O’Loughlin as “intellectually rigorous and displaying a serious engagement with poetic form.” Quincy’s first full collection, Across The Grid of Streets, is just published by Seven Towers.

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

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

Poetry Workshops With Kevin Higgins at Galway Arts Centre

In May Galway Arts Centre is offering aspiring poets a choice of three poetry workshops, all facilitated by poet Kevin Higgins.











Kevin's 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 in March by Salmon Poetry and his poetry is discussed in the recently published Cambridge Introduction to Modern Irish Poetry.

Kevin is an experienced workshop facilitator and several of his students have gone on to achieve publication success. One of his workshop participants at Galway Arts Centre recently won the prestigious Hennessy Award for New Irish Poetry, while another had her first full collection of poems published by one of Ireland’s major poetry publishers.

Each workshop will run for six weeks, commencing the week of May 19th.They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm (first class May 20th); Wednesday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class May 21st); and on Thursday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class May 22nd).

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 €75, with an €65 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

Elaine Feeney wins Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam

Poet Elaine Feeney has won the 2008 Cúirt Festival Grand Slam.


Elaine was the clear winner in a high quality final at the King's Head pub on Saturday, April 26th. She will now go to read at the Green Mill in Chicago and the Vilenica Festival in Slovenia.

Elaine's poems have appeared in The Shop, Nthposition.com and many more. She was a Featured Reader at the January 2007 Over The Edge: Open Reading and was shortlisted for the 2008 Cúirt Festival/Over The Edge showcase reading.

Four Over The Edge Alumni Chosen For Poetry Ireland Introductions

Tom Duddy

Michelle O'Sullivan

Mags Treanor

Mary Mullen

Poets Tom Duddy, Michelle O'Sullivan, Mags Treanor and Mary Mullen are among those chosen to take part in this year's Poetry Ireland Introductions readings.

Tom Duddy was a Featured Reader at the March 2006 Over The Edge: Open Reading and was also read at the 2007 Cúirt Festival/Over The Edge Showcase reading.

Michelle O'Sullivan was a Featured Reader at the February 2008 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Mags Treanor was a Featured Reader at the May 2006 Over The Edge: Open Reading and was shortlisted for the 2007 Cúirt Festival/Over The Edge Showcase reading.

Mary Mullen was a Featured Reader at the January 2007 Over The Edge: Open Reading and recently read at the 2008 Cúirt Festival/Over The Edge Showcase reading.

The readings take place at the Unitarian Church, 112 St. Stephen's Green West, Dublin 2.

Mags and Mary will be reading there on Thursday, June 19th, 6.30pm; while Tom and Michelle will be reading at the same venue (same time) on Thursday, June 26th.

Dave Lordan wins 2008 Strong Award

Dave Lordan's debut poetry collection, The Boy in the Ring (Salmon Poetry) has won the 2008 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish Poet.



Dave Lordan was born in Derby, England, in 1975. He grew up in Clonakilty in West Cork. He took an M.A. in English Literature at University College Cork in 1998 and an M.Phil. in Creative writing at Trinity College Dublin in 2001. In 2004 he was awarded an Arts Council bursary. In 2005 he won the Patrick Kavanagh Award for poetry. His work has been published widely and he is a regular and popular performer of his own work. He is an experienced creative writing teacher and workshop leader. He can be contacted at dlordan@hotmail.com for workshops or readings.
Dave was a Featured Reader at the February 2006 Over The Edge: Open Reading and was shortlisted for the 2007 Cúirt Festival/Over The Edge showcase reading.

For more about The Boy in the Ring see http://www.salmonpoetry.com/theboyinthering.html

Over The Edge features on RTE Radio One's The Arts Show

Fergal McNally

Mary Madec

Susan Millar DuMars

The Over The Edge Cúirt Festival Showcase reading was featured on RTE Radio One's The Arts Show yesterday evening. To hear readings by and interviews with Mary Madec & Fergal McNally and an interview with Over The Edge MC and founder Susan Millar DuMars click on http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0424/theartsshow.html

Mary Madec Wins Hennessy Award for New Irish Poetry

Galway-based poet, Mary Madec, has won The Sunday Tribune Hennessy Award for New Irish Poetry.





The announcement was made at a gala lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin earlier today. Mary is a participant in the Advanced Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre and will be reading at this year's Cúirt Festival Over The Edge Showcase Reading at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway on Thursday, April 24th at 11am.

2008 Cúirt Festival/Over The Edge showcase reading

Mary Mullen

Fergal McNally

Mary Madec

Megan Buckley

The 2008 Cúirt Festival/Over The Edge Showcase reading will take place on Thursday, April 24th, 11am in the Town Hall Theatre, Galway.

http://www.galwayartscentre.ie/cuirt

Mary Mullen is an Alaskan-born writer who has lived in south County Galway for a decade. Her work has been published in We Alaskans, Sunday Miscellany 2003-2004, The Stinging Fly, the Cork Literary Review, Galway Now, West47online, the Anchorage Daily News, and the chapbook The Whole Building Could Be On Fire. She is working on a collection of personal history essays and short stories. Mary is a graduate of NUIG’s MA in Writing programme. She is currently facilitating a memoir writing class at Galway Arts Centre. She was a Featured Reader at the January 2007 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Fergal Mc Nally is originally from Navan. He enrolled at N.U.I.G in 2003 where he studied English, political science and sociology. In 2007 he graduated with a first from the university’s M.A. in Writing programme. He has twice had poetry published in ROPES magazine. His one act play Spilt Milk won best production in the 2007 Muscailt Festival one act play series. His work was displayed during Cúirt last year as part of DOCUMENT, a collaborative project between writers and artists. He is currently working on his first novel. He was a Featured Reader at the May 2007 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Mary Madec was born in County Mayo. She started writing poetry about four years ago and since then has published in Crannóg, West 47, The Cúirt Annual, the SHOp, The Sunday Tribune, WOW and Iota among others. In Spring 2007 she was chosen for the Poetry Ireland Introductions; in July she was runner-up in the Raftery competition and chosen for the WINDOWS showcase and anthology. Last autumn she started up a community-writing project Away with Words for people with intellectual disabilities. Mary has just been short-listed for this year's Hennessy Literary Awards for New Irish Writing in the Emerging Poetry category. She was a Featured Reader at the November 2005 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Megan Buckley is a Doctoral Teaching Fellow in the English Department at NUI, Galway, where she teaches seminars on nineteenth-century women's poetry. Her poems have been published in the US, the UK, and Ireland, in publications such as The Ledge (US), The Pedestal (US), eclectica.org (US); the Dazzle and Attract Project in Newcastle-on-Tyne, UK, in which one of her poems was projected onto the wall of a building (UK); Crannóg, ROPES, TribeVibes, and others. She collaborated with visual artists in DOCUMENT, 2005 and 2006, and she was shortlisted for the Over The Edge Writer of the Year Award in 2007. She was a Featured Reader at the November 2007 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing support of the Cúirt international festival of literature, Galway City Library, Sheridan's Wine Bar, Galway City Council & The Arts Council.

Over The Edge Alumni Shortlisted for Hennessy Literary Awards

Mary Madec

Michelle O'Sullivan

Aoife Casby

Mary Madec, Michelle O'Sullivan & Aoife Casby are three of the six poets shortlisted in the New Irish Poetry category for this year's Sunday Tribune Hennessy Literary Awards. The winners in each category, the other categories being First Fiction and Emerging Fiction, will be announced, as will the Sunday Tribune Hennessy New Irish Writer of The Year, at a gala lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday, April 22nd. This year's judges are Eílis Ní Dhuibhne & Douglas Kennedy.

Mary Madec was born in County Mayo. She started writing poetry about four years ago and since then has published in Crannóg, West 47, The Cúirt Annual, the SHOp, The Sunday Tribune, WOW and Iota among others. In Spring 2007 she was chosen for the Poetry Ireland Introductions; in July she was runner-up in the Raftery competition and chosen for the WINDOWS showcase and anthology. Last autumn she started up a community-writing project Away with Words for people with intellectual disabilities. She has attended a number of poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre and was a Featured Reader at the November 2005 Over The Edge: Open Reading. Mary will also read at the 2008 Cúirt Festival Over The Edge Showcase reading at the Town Hall Theatre, Galway on Thursday, April 24th at 11am.

Michelle O’Sullivan lives in County Mayo. She has an MA in Literature. Her poetry has appeared in a variety of prestigious publications such as The Shop, Poetry Ireland Review, The Sunday Tribune & Agenda. She has work forthcoming in PN Review & The Southern Indiana Review. She is currently working on a collection of poetry as well as a collection of short fiction. Michelle has been selected to take part in this year's Poetry Ireland Introductions series of readings. She was a Featured Reader at the March 2008 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Aoife Casby lives in Carraroe. Her poetry and fiction have been published in The Sunday Tribune, The Cork Literary Review, The Divas anthology (Arlen House) and The Cuirt Annual. In 2006 she completed an MA in Writing at NUI Galway, and was highly commended in the Start Poetry Chapbook competition. Aoife was chosen to take part in last year’s Poetry Ireland Introductions Readings. She was a Featured Reader at the August 2003 Over The Edge: Open Reading and also read at last year's Cúirt Festival Over The Edge Showcase reading.

Salmon Poetry launches first collections by Lorna Shaughnessy & Susan Millar DuMars

Big Pink Umbrella by Susan Millar DuMars & Torching the Brown River by Lorna Shaughnessy

Salmon Poetry invites you to celebrate the publication of two debut poetry collections

Big Pink Umbrella
by Susan Millar DuMars

and

Torching the Brown River
by Lorna Shaughnessy

Venue: The City Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway

Date/Time: Saturday 19th April, 1pm

Launch introductions by Dolores Lyne & Moya Cannon

With music by pianist Anna Mullarkey

Susan Millar DuMars was born in Philadelphia in 1966. She holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Her poems and short stories have been published widely in the US, UK and Ireland. Her poetry was included in the 2004 Anthology I, published by Ainnir; in 2005, Lapwing published a pamphlet of her poems, the well reviewed Everyone Loves Me. Susan's stories have been short-listed for many awards, and in 2005 she received an Irish Arts Council Bursary for her fiction. American Girls, a volume of her short stories, was published by Lapwing in 2007. Susan lives in Galway, Ireland. Since 2003, Susan and her husband Kevin Higgins have organised the successful Over the Edge reading series, showcasing new writers. Big Pink Umbrella is the first full collection of her poetry.

Millar DuMars' sense of language, ingrained in the poet's attitude toward her poems, is why they can move such extraordinary distances in tone, language and theme, building to conclusions of breath-taking clarity and directness. Patricia Prime, New Hope International Review

Susan Millar DuMars will not rush sadness, but instead makes language do its poignant job of revealing and evoking strong feelings... Her style of retelling is unique; she doesn't mince her words, she spares them and makes them work. Rita Ann Higgins

Purchase the book online at http://www.salmonpoetry.com/bigpinkumbrella.html


Lorna Shaughnessy was born in Belfast and lives in County Galway. She lectures in the Department of Spanish, NUI Galway. In 2006 she was selected to read at the inaugural Cúirt Festival Over The Edge showcase reading. She has published two translations of contemporary Mexican poetry, Mother Tongue. Selected Poems by Pura López Colomé and If We Have Lost our Oldest Tales by María Baranda, both with Arlen House (2006). Torching the Brown River is her first full collection of poetry.

Lorna Shaughnessy's first collection of poetry explores the nature of loss, the possibility of change and the ephemeral world of relationships. Her heart is her true barometer as she weaves a delicate web of verse. This assured collection, with its arduous sense of enquiry, crosses borderlines of time and space, speech and silence, mapping the poet’s creative journey with an eye firmly on the rear-view mirror. En route, we encounter the poet’s great gift for apt metaphors with their surprising signposts that lead to fresh engagements with the world of myth and reality. Noel Monahan

Purchase the book online at http://www.salmonpoetry.com/torching.html
For further information, please contact Jessie or Siobhán at 065-7081941 or email info@salmonpoetry.com

Salmon Poetry, Knockeven, Cliffs of Moher, County Clare
http://www.salmonpoetry.com/

Love Poetry, Hate Racism

This year's 'LOVE POETRY, HATE RACISM' night

in association with the Arts Office NUI, Galway

takes place in

BOI Theatre, NUI, Galway

@ 7pm

on Saturday 19th of April

tickets: €3 on the door

for more info. email: lovepoetrygalway@gmail.com

Evening of Polish Poetry at Sheridan's Wine Bar

Friday April 11 is the date for an evening of Polish poetry organized by Over the Edge at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, opposite St. Nicholas’s Church, with the help of Galway-based Polish journalist Magalena Szulc. The evening is being supported by the Polish Embassy in Ireland. The reading will start at 8pm.

There will be readings from the work of the great Polish poets Halina Poswiatowska, Wislawa Szymborska, Zbigniew Herbert and Czeslaw Milosz. Verses will be read by volunteers in both Polish, and English. On top of that, some of Galway’s Polish residents will present their own poems to the audience. Kevin Higgins will MC the evening.

For more details, suggestions or to volunteer taking part, contact Kevin Higgins on 087-6431748 or Magdalena Szulc on 087-6944162.

Over The Edge acknowledges the support of the Arts Council, Galway City Council and The Embassy of the Republic of Poland http://www.dublin.polemb.net/index.php?document=255

POSTSCRIPT: THE EVENING WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. Thanks to all those who participated. It was, we think, the best attended Over The Edge event ever to take place at Sheridan's Wine Bar and we estimate that the audience was in or around 50% Polish. Among those who attended was the Polish Ambassador. You can see photos of the event on http://www.galway.net.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=67&Itemid=40

American Novelist Michael Strelow at March Over The Edge: Open Reading

The March Over The Edge: Open Reading takes place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street, Galway on Thursday, March 27th, 6.30-8pm. The Featured Readers are Michael Strelow, Hedy Gibbons Lynott & John Corless

Michael Strelow is a professor of literature and chair of the American Studies program at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon USA. His novel, The Greening of Ben Brown, was a finalist for the Ken Kesey Oregon Book Award in 2005. He has published poetry, short stories and prose in many literary magazines and anthologies. He has just finished a new novel, The Moby-Dick Blues.

Hedy Gibbons Lynott has contributed numerous pieces of non-fiction to Lyric FM’s Quiet Quarter & RTE’s Sunday Miscellany. Her poetry has won the Writelink and Lyric Breakfast awards, and been published by Arlen House in Divas! A Sense of Place. Her work has also appeared in the anthologies Sunday Miscellany 2003-2004, ed. Marie Heaney and in County Lines, (2006) ed. Dermot Bolger. In 2007 she completed an MA in writing at NUIG. She is a member of the Talking Stick Writers Group and Java’s Writers.

John Corless writes short stories, poetry and drama. He is a founder member of the Mayo Writers’ Block, a group of creative writers who meet regularly in Claremorris and recently won the 2008 National Writers Group Festival Writers Group of the Year award. He is currently facilitating a course in Creative Writing for beginners at GMIT – Castlebar. His poetry and short fiction has appeared in a number of publications in Ireland, the UK and USA. In 2007 John’s work featured in Window’s Author’s & Artists.

As usual 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 contact 087-6431748.

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

Paul Perry at North Beach Poetry Nights

North Beach Poetry Nights

presents

Paul Perry

Upstairs at Richardsons. Nr 1 on the Square.
Thursday March 20th at 9. 15 pm

Paul Perry was born in Dublin in 1972. He has won the Hennessy New Irish Writer of the Year Award and The Listowel Prize for Poetry and has been a James Michener Fellow of Creative Writing at The University of Miami, and a Cambor Fellow of Poetry at The University of Houston. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Poetry Ireland Review, Cyphers, TLS, Granta and The Best American Poetry 2000. He has been a Writer in Residence for Co. Longford, the University of Ulster, and Rathlin Island. His first book The Drowning of the Saints was published by Salmon Poetry in 2003 to critical acclaim.

and

The North Beach Poetry Nights' 2 Round Slam.

The winner of this month's Slam goes forward to
the 2008 North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam in December.
The prize for the Grand Slam winner is publication of a collection of her/his work.

Next month's guest poet: Conor Aylward (Manchester)

We look forward to seeing you upstairs at Richardsons!
Admission 5 Euro.

North Beach Poetry Nights gratefully acknowledges the support
of the Arts Council and Galway City Council Arts Office.

info: John Walsh @ 593290

Spring Literary Extravaganza at Sheridan's Wine Bar

Over The Edge presents readings by Damian Smyth, Susan Lindsay, Frank Golden, Alan McMonagle & Tom Morgan at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, March 14th, 8pm.

Damian Smyth was born in Downpatrick, County Down in 1962. His first collection of poems Downpatrick Races (Lagan Press) appeared in 2000. His stage play, Soldiers of the Queen, played the Belfast Festival at Queen’s in 2002, followed by his acclaimed second collection of poems The Down Recorder (Lagan Press) in 2004. His work appears in The Ulster Anthology (2006) and The Blackbird’s Nest (2007).

Susan Lindsay was born in Dublin but now lives in Galway. She has attended poetry classes at Galway Arts Centre, and read her poems at the Over the Edge: Open Readings, the Baffle Festival, the Cuirt Poetry Slam and North Beach Poetry Nights. In December 2005 Susan won the RTE Carol of Our Times competition, and her work was put to music by the RTE Concert Orchestra. She was recently shortlisted for the Valentines Day Sonnet Competition sponsored by Tig Neactains’.

Frank Golden was born in Dublin and has been living in the Burren, County Clare, for almost twenty years. He has published four collections of poetry. In recent years he has worked on TV andand his novel The Two Women Of Aganatz, film projects and has had a number of solo exhibitions of his paintings. Frank’s most recent collection of poems, In Daily Accord, is just out from Salmon.

Alan McMonagle is originally from Longford but now lives in Galway City. He writes both fiction and poetry. His work has appeared in Southword, The Cúirt Annual, west47online and Crannóg. He took second place in the 2006 Sean O'Faolain short story competition and was also short-listed for the Fish Short Story award. He recently completed an MA in Writing at NUI Galway. His fiction was selected for inclusion in last year’s Windows anthology for emerging writers.

Tom Morgan was born in Belfast in 1943. He has published four books of poetry to date: The Rat-Diviner by Beaver Row Press, Nan of the Falls Road Curfew by Beaver Row Press, In Queen Mary’s Gardens by Salmon Publishing and Ballintrillick in the Light of Ben Whiskin by Lagan Press. Nan was nominated for The Irish Times/Aer Lingus literary awards. He lives in Belfast and Ballintrillick, Co Sligo.

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

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

'Boarding Cards, Homeland Security & the Gay Capital of England' by Miceal Kearney

Boarding Cards, Homeland Security and the Gay Capital of England

By Micéal Kearney (pictured far right)

Having won the 2007 Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam last April, with my poem Day Tripping in Amsterdam, I was all set, five months later, for Slovenia. I shared a seat on a bus, from the airport, with the American poet, Carolyn Forché. She told me she attended the second Cúirt Festival, when I was only seven and poetry not in my vocabulary.

Poets, writers, playwrights, translators and a partridge in a pear tree...every time we sat for breakfast, dinner or met for a cigarette outside, it was an observational poets’ wet dream: people from France, Italy & Switzerland talking German. Other nationalities waving the flag of broken English as they discussed dead Russian poets, living Swedish novelists, translation and comparative programmes run by Polish universities. Then, there was me: Michael Schmidt’s interloping grey squirrel with feck all coupla focal. It was an eye-opening experience to attend this festival for me. I met other Irish poets there such as Denis O’Driscoll, Cathal Ó Searcaigh, Celia de Fréine and Gabriel Rosenstock.

In December I flew to the other side of the globe: Chicago. Having filled out my Homeland Security form declaring I was not a terrorist, I landed in O’Hare. Snow everywhere; I’d never seen as much. A joy to me– but a pain in the arse I was told by everyone. One of my readings was in the Green Mill, birthplace of Slam Poetry, but once a famous speakeasy from back when Al Capone wrote the poetry. I also read at the Irish American Heritage Centre where I had a poem taken to appear in the Irish American News.

The previous year I had won the Cuisle Poetry Slam in Limerick and in October 2007, travelled with the Whitehouse Poets’ from Limerick to read at the Pulse Festival in sunny Brighton –an enriching experience and I made some good contact there.

Poetry has brought me around the world, but home is where it started: a Sunday in Autumn I wrote my first poem and haven’t stopped since. A sparkly diamond was once a dirty lump of coal. I kept chipping away for about four years until I had amassed a masterpiece manuscript and every one of them 24 carat. Every editor told me, each in his or her polite enough way, that it was toilet-paper.

A friend suggested I should take a creative writing class; where I learnt of the Over The Edge readings in the library and at Sheridan’s wine-bar – run by Kevin Higgins and Susan Millar DuMars. I attended my first poetry slam in November ’05, North Beach Poetry Nights organised by John Walsh. A month later I went to my first Galway Arts Centre poetry slam. It’s scary. At first you don’t know anybody; but that changes.

For all those poets just starting off: my only advice is, in no particular order– Read. Write. Workshop. Slam. And submit. Sure, rejections a bitch; but without the sour the sweet just isn’t sweet.

Micéal Kearney lives in Balindereen, County Galway. Since he took a creative writing class at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in September 2005 his work has appeared in The Shop, Orbis and elsewhere. He won the 2006 Cuisle Poetry Slam in Limerick, the 2008 BAFFLE competition; the 2008 Cúirt International Festival of Literature Poetry Grand Slam & The 2008 North Beach Poetry Nights Grand Slam. He was also shortlisted for the 2007 Cinnamon Press Poetry Prize. His first collection of poems will be published soon.

Springtime Creative Writing Classes at GTI

Creative Writing for Beginners with Kevin Higgins takes place one evening per week (Monday) from 7.00-9.30pm. (8 weeks) It commences on Monday, 7th April, 2008. Advance booking is essential. Places cost €110. Kevin Higgins will provide writing exercises for, and give gentle critical feedback to, those interested in trying their hand at writing poems, stories or memoir.

Intermediate Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars takes place one evening per week (Tuesday) from 7.00-9.30pm. (8 weeks) It commences on Tuesday, 8th April, 2008. Advance booking is essential. Places cost €110. This class is suitable for those who’ve participated in creative writing classes before or begun to have work published in magazines. Flexible exercises and work-shopping of assignments, together with the study of the works of published writers, will help each class member to find their own writing voice.

To book a place in either class contact GTI, Father Griffin Road, Galway. Telephone 091-581342 or go to http://www.gti.ie/

Launch of 2008 Cúirt Festival Programme: Tuesday March 11th, 5pm in The King's Head