{"id":13137,"date":"2019-07-28T13:10:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-28T13:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/?page_id=13137"},"modified":"2019-10-05T11:33:03","modified_gmt":"2019-10-05T11:33:03","slug":"guests-74-aug-sep-2019","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/guest-poets\/guests-74-aug-sep-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Guests (74) Aug\/Sep 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<hr \/>\n<p><center><strong>August and September<\/strong><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>5th August<\/em><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><stro \u00e1ng=\"\">\u00d3 Bh\u00e9al<\/stro><\/font><font size=\"1\"> in association with <\/font><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Cork City Council<\/strong><\/font>, <font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Coventry City Council<\/strong><\/font> <font size=\"1\">and<\/font> <font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Silhouette Press<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">presents a <\/font><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Twin Cities Celebration<\/strong><\/font><font size=\"1\"> with Coventry poets<\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Aysar Ghassan<\/strong> and <strong>Raef Boylan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to Aysar reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Aysar Ghassan.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Aysar GhassanSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><font size=\"1\"><strong>Aysar Ghassan<\/strong> has lived in Coventry for 6 years. His poems have been published in journals including <i>Magma, Strix, Under the Radar, Washington Square Review, Here Comes Everyone, Abridged, The Honest Ulsterman, The Scores and Zarf<\/i> as well as in anthologies like <i>Diversifly<\/i> (Fair Acre Press). Aysar was shortlisted in the 2018 Leeds Peace Poetry Competition and has recently been a poet in residence at The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Herbert Gallery &amp; Museum, Coventry.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><center>You can listen to Raef&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Raef Boylan.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/center><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\" color=\"grey\">Photo: Alan Van Wijgerden<\/font><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/RaefBoylanSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><font size=\"1\"><strong>Raef Boylan<\/strong> was born and matured (sort of) in Coventry, and wanted to be a writer from the age of five. He predominantly writes poetry \u2013 for both page and performance \u2013 and short stories with a focus on social realism, but is interested in stage drama and other forms. Over the years, he has won first prize in the CU Short Story Award and the inaugural Frederick Holland Poetry Collection Award, and been shortlisted for The Big Issue Short Fiction Award.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">Boylan has also had work published in various magazines\/anthologies,&nbsp;among them&nbsp;<i>Ink Sweat &amp; Tears,&nbsp;Palimpsest,&nbsp;StepAway<\/i>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<i>Paper &amp; Ink<\/i>.&nbsp;Keen to keep people engaged with Coventry&#8217;s literary scene, Raef organises local poetry night &#8216;Fire &amp; Dust&#8217; and is lead editor of lit magazine&nbsp;<i>Here Comes Everyone<\/i>&nbsp;(winner of &#8216;Best Magazine&#8217; at Saboteur Awards 2019).&nbsp;Last year, he headlined at Positive Images Festival and Pure &amp; Good &amp; Right and his spoken word was commissioned for <i>Sphere<\/i>, a Theatre Absolute ensemble piece. In 2019 he has organised poetry shows for several events, and took on the Chair of Judges role for the slam at Leamington Poetry Festival.&nbsp;Raef really hopes investing his whole life into&nbsp;the written&nbsp;word&nbsp;pays off, otherwise he&#8217;s screwed.&nbsp;<\/font><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/CorkCoventryArmsWIde.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"12thAugust\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><em>12th August<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><strong>Patrick Lodge<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to Patrick&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Patrick Lodge 2019.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"silver\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PatrickLodgeSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\"><strong>Dr Patrick Lodge<\/strong> lives in Yorkshire and is from an Irish\/Welsh heritage. A retired academic, Patrick now devotes much of his time to writing and to reviewing poetry. His work has been published, anthologised and translated in several countries including India, Australia, the USA and Vietnam.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">Patrick has been successful in several international poetry competitions and more recently was commended in the 2018 Gregory O\u2019Donoghue International Competition and shortlisted for the 2018 Leeds Poetry Peace Prize, the inaugural Trim Poetry Prize in 2019, the Poetry On The Lake Poetry Competition 2019. He won the Red House Poets poetry competition, 2019.<\/font><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"19thAugust\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><em>19th August<\/em><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>\u00d3 Bh\u00e9al<\/strong><\/font> <font size=\"1\">in association with the <\/font><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Heritage Council<\/strong><\/font><font size=\"1\"> presents<\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Katie Donovan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to Katie&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Katie Donovan.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"silver\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/KatieODonovanSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\"><strong>Katie Donovan<\/strong> hails from rural Co. Wexford but has lived in Dalkey, a suburb of Dublin, for most of her adult life. She has published five collections of poetry, all with Bloodaxe Books UK: <i>Watermelon Man;  Entering the Mare;  Day of the Dead;  Rootling: New and Selected Poems<\/i> and <i>Off Duty<\/i>. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">In 2017 she received the Lawrence O\u2019Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry, and her collection <i>Off Duty<\/i> was shortlisted for the Poetry Now Prize. A former journalist with the Irish Times, she has taught Creative Writing at NUI Maynooth and at IADT, Dun Laoghaire. Her work has been widely anthologised, notably in the best-selling <i>Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times<\/i>, edited by Neil Astley. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritagecouncil.ie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/HeritageWeekWide.jpg\" border=\"0\" align=\"right\"\/><\/a><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"26thAugust\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><em>26th August<\/em><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>\u00d3 Bh\u00e9al<\/strong><\/font><font size=\"1\"> in association with <\/font><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Colmcille<\/strong><\/font><font size=\"1\"> and <\/font><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Foras na Gaeilge<\/strong><\/font><font size=\"1\"> presents<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><i>Irish and Scottish Gaelic poets<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Eibhl\u00eds Carcione<\/strong> and <strong>P\u00e0draig MacAoidh<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to Eibhl\u00eds&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Eibhlis Carcione.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"silver\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/EibhlisCarcioneSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\">T\u00e1 <strong>Eibhl\u00eds Carcione<\/strong> ag cur f\u00faithi i gCathair Chorca\u00ed. D&#8217;fhoilsigh Coisc\u00e9im a c\u00e9ad chnuasach fil\u00edochta <i>Tonn Chl\u00edodhna<\/i> i 2015 is cnuasach eile l\u00e9i, <i>Eala O\u00edche<\/i>, i 2019. Bhuaigh s\u00ed Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge (Lios Tuathail) i 2012. T\u00e1 fil\u00edocht l\u00e9i foilsithe i go leor iris\u00ed liteartha, ina measc, <i>Cyphers, Comhar, An tUltach, Feasta, An Gael<\/i> agus <i>The Moth<\/i>.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><strong>Eibhl\u00eds Carcione<\/strong> lives in Cork city. Her first collection of poetry <i>Tonn Chl\u00edodhna<\/i> was published by Coisc\u00e9im in 2015, followed by <i>Eala O\u00edche<\/i> in 2019. She won Duais Fhoras na Gaeilge (Listowel) in 2012. Her work has been published in many literary journals including <i>Cyphers, Comhar,&nbsp;An tUltach, Feasta,&nbsp;An Gael<\/i> and <i>The Moth.<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center>You can listen to P\u00e0draig&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Padraig MacAoidh 2019.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/center><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/PadraigMacAoidhSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\">Rugadh agus thogadh <strong>P\u00e0draig MacAoidh<\/strong> air Eilean Le\u00f2dhais. &#8216;S e b\u00e0rd, craoladair agus fear-naidheachd a th&#8217;ann, agus tha e na oraidiche ann an Litreachas aig Oilthigh Chill R\u00ecmhinn, an d\u00e8idh dha a bhith ag obair aig Aonad Bh\u00e0rdachd Seamus Heaney ann am Beul Feirste, Colaiste na Trianaide agus UCD. Tha e cuideachd air a bhith na bh\u00e0rd air muinntireas aig Sabhal M\u00f2r Ostaig, agus Fear-Naidheachd agus Riochdaire-Naidheachdan airson a\u2019 BhBC. Tha pamflaid aige le Clutag Press &#8211; <i>From another island<\/i> (2010) &#8211; agus bha a\u2019 chiad leabhar b\u00e0rdachd aige <i>Gu Le\u00f2r \/ Galore<\/i> (Acair 2015) air a\u2019 ghe\u00e0rr-liosta airson Duais Saltire Leabhar B\u00e0rdachd Albannach na Bliadhna. Cho-dheasaich e, c\u00f2mhla ri Iain S. Mac a\u2019 Phearsain, <i>An Leabhar Liath: 500 Years of Gaelic Love and Transgressive Verse<\/i>. Tha e a\u2019 fuireach ann an D\u00f9n \u00c8ideann.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><strong>Peter Mackay<\/strong> is a native Gaelic speaker born and brought up on the Isle of Lewis. He is a poet, broadcaster, journalist and a lecturer in Literature at the University of St Andrews. Peter has worked at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, Queen\u2019s University Belfast; Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin; at Sabhal M\u00f2r Ostaig, where he was writer in residence; and as a Broadcast Journalist and News Producer for the BBC. He has a pamphlet with Clutag Press \u2013 <i>From another island (2010) \u2013 and his first collection <\/i><i>Gu Le\u00f2r \/ Galore<\/i> (Acair 2015) was shortlisted for the Saltire Scottish Poetry Book of the year. He is also the co-editor, with Iain S. MacPherson, of <i>An Leabhar Liath: 500 Years of Gaelic Love and Transgressive Verse<\/i>. He lives in Edinburgh.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><i><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/FnaGColmcilleSm.jpg\" border=\"0\" align=\"right\"\/><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"2ndSeptember\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><em>2nd September<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><strong>David Toms<\/strong><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><\/font><font size=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/DavidTomsSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\"><strong>David Toms<\/strong> lives and works in Oslo, Norway. A graduate of UCC in Cork where he lived many years, he has also lived in Prague, Czech Republic. A poet and historian he is the author of <i>Soma | Sema<\/i> (Knives Forks and Spoons Press, 2011), <i>dikt \/ actions osl \/ ondon<\/i> (with Maren Nyg\u00e5rd &#8211; Smithereens Press, 2017) and <i>Northly<\/i> (Turas Press, 2019) as well as a variety of academic history books and articles. His poetry has appeared widely across the UK and Ireland and has been translated into Czech, Polish and Norwegian.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<\/font><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"9thSeptember\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><em>9th September<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n<p><center><strong>Alison Whitelock<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to Ali&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Alison Whitelock.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/AliWhitelockSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><font size=\"1\"><strong>Ali Whitelock<\/strong> is a Scottish poet and writer living on the south coast of Sydney with her French chain-smoking husband. Her debut poetry collection,<i> and my heart crumples like a coke can<\/i> was published in 2018 by Wakefield Press, Adelaide, with a UK edition forthcoming by Polygon, Edinburgh in 2020. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">Her memoir,<i> Poking seaweed with a stick and running away from the smell<\/i> was launched to critical acclaim in Australia and the UK in 2009 and her poems have appeared in <i>The Moth Magazine, The American Journal of Poetry, The Glasgow Review of Books, The Pittsburgh Quarterly, The Tahoma Literary Review<\/i> and all sorts of other rather fabulous places. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><font size=\"1\">You can read more about Ali right here <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aliwhitelock.com\">aliwhitelock.com<\/a><\/font><\/center><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"16thSeptember\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><font size=\"2\"><em>16th September<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Annemarie N\u00ed Churre\u00e1in<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to part of Annemarie&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Annemarie Ni Churreain.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/AnnemarieNi\u0301Churrea\u0301inSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\"><strong>Annemarie N\u00ed Churre\u00e1in<\/strong>&nbsp;is a poet from the Gaeltacht region of Donegal. Her debut collection <i>Bloodroot<\/i>&nbsp;(Doire Press, 2017) was shortlisted&nbsp;for&nbsp;the Shine Strong Award for best first collection in Ireland and for the 2018 Julie Suk Award in the U.S.A. She is the author of a suite of poems about Dublin titled&nbsp;<i>Town<\/i>&nbsp;(The Salvage Press, 2018). <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">N\u00ed Churre\u00e1in\u2019s work has been reviewed widely in Ireland and internationally. The Yale Review surmised that&nbsp;\u201cN\u00ed Churre\u00e1in often captures a whole world of cultural and historical implications in a single, simple, but metaphorically rich image.\u201d&nbsp;The Los Angeles Review of Books states&nbsp;\u201cthat N\u00ed Churre\u00e1in can condense the prototypical life of a young Irish woman into half a page while sustaining the poem\u2019s impact is testament to her ability as a storyteller, the vividness of her language, and the universality of the portraits she is painting&#8230;\u201d<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">N\u00ed Churre\u00e1in has been awarded literary fellowships from Akademie Schloss Solitude Germany, Jack Kerouac House Florida and Hawthornden Castle Scotland. In 2016&nbsp;she was the recipient of a&nbsp;Next Generation Artist Award by the President Michael D. Higgins on behalf of the Arts Council. In 2017-18 she was the Kerry County Writer In Residence and the recipient of the inaugural 2018 John Broderick Residency Award. N\u00ed Churre\u00e1in is the 2019 Commissioned Writer at Templebar Gallery + Studios Dublin and a 2019-20 Writer-In-Residence at Maynooth University.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><font size=\"1\">For more information visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.studiotwentyfive.com\">www.studiotwentyfive.com<\/a><\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/center><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"20thSeptember\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><font size=\"2\"><em>Friday 20th September<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>\u00d3 Bh\u00e9al<\/strong><\/font> <font size=\"1\">in association with <\/font><font size=\"1\" color=\"green\"><strong>Cork City Council<\/strong><\/font> <font size=\"1\">presents <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"2\" color=\"green\"><strong>Cork Culture Night<\/strong><\/font> <font size=\"2\"><strong>2019<\/strong><\/font> <font size=\"1\"><em>with<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Beau Williams<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to Beau&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Beau Williams.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"silver\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/BeauWilliamsSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\"><strong>Beau Williams<\/strong> is a performance poet, writer, organizer &amp; facilitator from the United States. He is currently based in Dublin, Ireland. Launching his career in venues of the New England region of the States, Beau has performed his work as part of collectives as well as solo across the US and Ireland along with competing for Manchester, NH &amp; Portland ME in the National Poetry Slam. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">His work, published by numerous websites and journals, may be found in his own collections <i>RUMHAM<\/i> (2016, Red Bench Press) and <i>Nail Gun and a Love Letter<\/i> (2018, Swimming With Elephants). In January of 2017, Beau was the Artist in Residence at Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland. He is also the Head Organizer of the Glasshouse Poetry Open Mic in Galway. Currently, Beau is studying at the University College of Cork in the Master of Creative Writing program; is the All-Ireland Poetry Grand Slam Champion of 2018; and remains fairly optimistic.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/culturenightcork.ie\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/CultureNightWide.jpg\" border=\"0\" align=\"right\"\/><\/a>&nbsp;<br \/>\n&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"23rdSeptember\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><font size=\"2\"><em>23rd September<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Michelle O\u2019Sullivan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to part of Michelle&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Michelle O Sullivan.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\" color=\"grey\">Photo: Suella Holland<\/font><br \/>\n<font color=\"silver\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/MichelleOSullivanSm.jpg\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\"><strong>Michelle O\u2019Sullivan<\/strong> was born in Chicago in 1972 and grew up in County Sligo. She has a BA and MA from the University of Hertfordshire and worked in England as a primary teacher. She has also lived in Greece and the US. She lives in County Mayo with her two children and works as a home tutor. Michelle is a recipient of Mayo County Council\u2019s Bursary Award. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"silver\"><\/font><font size=\"1\">A recipient of this year&#8217;s Francis Ledwidge Poetry Award, O&#8217;Sullivan&#8217;s first collection <i>The Blue End of Stars<\/i> (The Gallery Press, 2012) won the Strong\/Shine Award, her second collection <i>The Flower and the Frozen Sea<\/i> (The Gallery Press, 2015) is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and her third collection <i>This One High Field<\/i> (The Gallery Press, 2018) was published in October of last year.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><i>\u201cIn this, her third collection, Michelle O\u2019Sullivan returns to now familiar settings \u2014 the countryside, woodlands, an estuary \u2014 to examine \u2018deep-set questions\u2019 in the light, half-light, dusk and dark. Phrases accumulate like courses in a well-built stone wall as she wrestles with syntax, even language itself. Memorable images \u2014 the sun that \u2018pocketed \/ its watch and stole to the hills\u2019 \u2014 mark her journey to \u2018elsewhere\u2019 in poems that are gnomic (\u2018Endpoint\u2019), emotionally charged (\u2018The Difficult Balance\u2019) and ever conscious of how faithful suffering is. But, in her distinctive style, she also offers consolations and relief: \u2018Not since childhood \/ have I felt so light, \/ brief intervals when the heart \/ knows no grief.\u2019<\/i> &#8211; <b>The Gallery Press<\/b><\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><a name=\"30thSeptember\"><\/a><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"2\"><\/font><\/p>\n<p><center><font size=\"2\"><em>30th September<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kevin Griffin<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You can listen to Kevin&#8217;s reading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/audio\/Guest Reading - Kevin Griffin.mp3\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/KevinGriffinSM.jpg\" width=\"102\" height=\"100\" border=\"1\" align=\"right\"\/><\/font><font size=\"1\"><strong>Kevin Griffin<\/strong> is a former teacher from Killorglin, Kerry and has been writing poetry seriously since his retirement in 2009. He is influenced by his teaching background &#8212; he taught English and Latin, and also by his surroundings in Kerry, notably Rossbeigh beach, which provided the inspiration and setting for many of his poems. He is very interested in experimental poetry and verse from the wider world. His love of art and travel is a rich source of inspiration for him.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"1\">He has read his poetry in Kerry, Cork and at a number of other venues and has featured on Radio Kerry. His poetry has appeared in many publications including <i>Crannog, The SHOp, Revival, Boyne Berries, Riposte, Stony Thursday, Labour of Love<\/i> (Toronto), <i>Salzburg Review, Orbis, North West Words, Pennine Ink, The Blue Nib, Star*Line<\/i> (USA), and in <i>The Elysian<\/i>. His first collection, is due in September from New Binary Press.<\/font><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>August and September 5th August \u00d3 Bh\u00e9al in association with Cork City Council, Coventry City Council and Silhouette Press presents a Twin Cities Celebration with Coventry poets Aysar Ghassan and Raef Boylan You can listen to Aysar reading here. Aysar Ghassan has lived in Coventry for 6 years. His poems have been published in journals [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":19,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13137","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13137"}],"version-history":[{"count":190,"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14306,"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13137\/revisions\/14306"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.obheal.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}