Mayday Hotting Up! and good news from Donegal..

Well the Mayday event in Boyle is hotting up, it will in fact be jammers, so get there in good time for a seat!
We are eight writers, four painters, and a top notch band! Liftoff at 5.30pm, Boyle library...
Other good news; I got my copy of the great journal Ropes, which is as always an excellent read. My poem Octopus Still Expanding, Fleeing Villagers Warn is in it too..
And the great news that from today - for 2 months only!- my poem Hellsteeth will be on display in towns throughout Donegal, as part of the Poetry For Spaces run by North West Words. Brilliant!

Mayday Mayday!

The Hermit Collective (myself and about a dozen other rural dwelling oddballs) are coming together for a Mayday poetry, art and music event.

It's in that hotbed of radicalism Boyle Library, Co Roscommon, from 5.30 til 8pm on Thursday 1 st May.

Basically a pop-up show of art - from David Gearty, Gavin Porter, Jenny Cooper ;  

words - from myself, Helen Grehan, Pete Worth, and several members of The Wrong Side of the Tracks Writers and Millwheel Writers; 

and in between music from cool trad heads Jimmy Noctor, Gregory Daly, and more. 

Free admission

Roscommon Womens Network, and Yeats

Just finished teaching a short creative writing course in the RWN, which was a great experience, thanks to Maria for setting it all up, well done all.
I'm pleased to hear from Declan Foley that my poem Hellsteeth will be part of his forthcoming book about W.B Yeats. Look forward to reading it..

Turlough House exhibition - "Time Machine"

I was recently at the opening of my friend Tom Meskell's latest art exhibition, in the café of Turlough House (the museum of country life, Castlebar), and was really taken by his vivid paintings of ancient hurling balls -which they are exhibiting in the main museum. I wrote a poem based on his art, and now I'm told the poem is on display alongside the paintings! Chuffed!! Check it all out for yourselves: country life

Warport - new poem in The Galway Review

My new poem Warport is online now on the Galway Review..

Shannon Warport

Margeretta D'Arcy, poet, artist and activist, is currently in Limerick prison for 3 months for protesting against war(s). Check her out: http://www.margarettadarcy.com/
and http://www.shannonwatch.org/

She is not seeking her own release, but the release of Shannon airport from the use of the US military.
There is however an email campaign for her   http://www.contact.ie/email-campaigns/email-campaign-free-margaretta-darcy-political-campaigning-not-crime

Desmond O Grady comp. excitement..

Myself and Catherine Ryan are both thrilled to be on the long-list for the Desmond O Grady poetry competition, that's 2 of the Millwheel Writers represented which is good stuff indeed! Catherine's poem "Snapshots" is a truly impressive piece, about photography, family, technology, time. Brilliant. My poem "Plant Reproductive Material Law" is pretty much what it says on the tin, a look at the new EU directive which seeks to criminalize seed-saving, and puts even more control over food into the hands of giant multinationals. Etc. So fingers crossed for both of us!
http://www.desmondogrady.com/poetry-competition-2013/
UPDATE! Congrats to Catherine!! whose beautiful poem has made it onto the shortlist!!! mine has stayed behind, but is cheering wildly!! go go go!