May
has arrived already and, admittedly, I’ve been tardy in updating this blog,
though far from idle since my last post in October. I marvel at bloggers who
lead full lives and still manage to promulgate their thoughts regularly via
social media, especially working parents – it is no joke! November was
extremely busy with the Melbourne launch of my second book,
In Between Angels and Animals, (a big
thank you to everyone who attended and supported me) and poetry readings for
Melbourne Knowledge Week, as well as a presentation of my research on the Irish
harp for the Melbourne Irish Studies Seminar series. Then came the hectic but also
welcome Christmas period with some much-needed R&R. In the new year, I
changed jobs and began my new role teaching Poetry - Creative Writing with
Professor Kevin Brophy at the
University of Melbourne. What an enriching
experience it is proving to be! I am enjoying the dialogue with my
students as we explore and navigate the poetry universe. We are ranging widely:
from sonnets, triolets, prose poems and villanelles to anti poetry and the
poetry of everyday overlooked objects; from
Elizabeth Bishop,
Sharon Olds and
Gwen Harwood to
Charles Simic,
Pablo Neruda and many others. Our theme this week was
narrative poetry and next week we consider
ekphrastic writing and then slam and spoken word.
To say I am 'in my element' is a flagrant understatement! In a few weeks time,
when the current semester ends, I hope to write a bit more about this unique
pedagogical experience (the course encompasses both poetic theory and creative practice) and to reflect on particular moments during the workshops.
Earlier this year, on Saturday, 15 March, I was delighted
to be a featured poet at the special monthly reading at
Federation Square to
celebrate International Womens Day. Thank you to organizer,
Dimitri Troaditis for a memorable occasion. I
met some wonderful sister poets at the event including
Cece Ojany,
Thalia and
Avril Bradley. I also gave a somewhat impromptu, unexpected reading one
Saturday afternoon at the legendary
Dan O’Connell pub on Canning Street, famous
for its Saturday 'Dan Poets'
sessions. What a fun occasion that was with a great mixed grill of poetry lovers!
Having completed my second volume of poetry last year, (which
is included in
Syracuse
University Press Spring 2014 catalogue and now available at the renowned
‘Collected
Works’ bookshop in Melbourne), I’ve been reflecting on my poetic
practice and the journey which has brought me to this point. I recently penned
some of those thoughts into a feature article entitled ‘A Flock of Anxieties: Publishing a Second Collection.’ My piece has just been published in
Poetry Ireland’s inaugural pamphlet,
Trumpet. See more info below. The essay is also available to read now in the 'Feature Articles' section of Poetry Ireland's
website.
'Trumpet'
is Poetry Ireland's new literary pamphlet, containing reviews, essays,
articles and poems. The first issue reviews books by Iggy McGovern, Billy
Ramsell and Dawn Wood, among others, has essays by Mark Granier on Writing the Short Poem
and Emily Cullen on Writing a Second Collection, and includes poems from
Francis Harvey and Dairena Ní Chinnéide, among others.
'Trumpet'
will come out four times a year and retails for €2 in shops or online, but is
available gratis to subscribers to Poetry Ireland Review.
The old
PI News is being phased out, as all our event information is available on our
website, and is also included in this regular Monday e-zine.
Issue 1 of 'Trumpet' is available to download for free here
