8.00PM AT THE TANYARD SKIBBEREEN TUES 30TH APRIL
A fantastic evening of spoken word fun, storytelling, poetry and readings. Superb line-up for April: internationally acclaimed author and poet, William Wall; magical, mystical story-teller Rae McKinley; poet, author and translator Daniele Serafini from Italy; writer, broadcaster and performer Moze Jacobs; story-teller Pat Speight (prepare to laugh and cry); artist Karen Billing makes her spoken word debut – and last by by no means least, award-winning poets Eileen Sheehan & Brendan McCormack. FREE EVENT.
William Wall
William Wall has published six novels, most recently “Grace’s Day” (2018) and “Suzy Suzy” (2019),three collections of short fiction including “Hearing Voices Seeing Things” (2016) and “The Islands” (2017), and four collections of poetry including “Ghost Estate” (2011) and “The Yellow House” (2017). He was the first European to win the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and he has won numerous other awards including the Virginia Faulkner Prize, The Sean O’Faolain prize and The Patrick Kavanagh award. His 2005 novel “This Is The Country” was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. He holds a PhD in creative writing from UCC. His work has been widely translated and he translates from Italian. Website: www.williamwall.net
“Wall writes prose so charged – at once lyrical and syncopated – that it’s as if Cavafy had decided to write about a violent Irish household”. — The New Yorker
“Wall’s touch with characterisation is light and deft: many illustrate themselves plainly with just a few lines of dialogue.” — The Guardian
“Wall engages not just with current Irish economic and political crises but Ghost Estate is also a book that explores the larger, darker contexts of our contemporary historical climate.” —Southword
‘As the great John McGahern used to say, there’s verse, and there’s prose, and then there’spoetry; William Wall is a poet in both mediums.’ John Banville
‘He is such a writer, lyrical and cruel and bold, and with metaphors to die for’. Kate Atkinson
Eileen Sheehan
Eileen Sheehan lives in Killarney and is originally from Scartaglen, in the Sliabh Luachraarea of County Kerry. She has read at festivals in Ireland and abroad including The Shanghai Literary Festival; the ACIS Conference in Davenport, Iowa and The Cork International Poetry Festival. Anthology publications include “The Watchful Heart: A New Generation of Irish Poets” (editor Joan McBreen/ Salmon Poetry); “Best Loved Poems: Favourite Poems from the South of Ireland” (editor Gabriel Fitzmaurice with photographs by John Reidy/Curragh Press) and “The Deep Heart’s Core: Irish Poets Revisit a Touchstone Poem” (editors Eugene O’Connell; Pat Boran/ Dedalus Press). Her third collection, “The Narrow Way of Souls” (Salmon Poetry) was launched in May 2018. One of the poems from this collection is on the Leaving Certificate English Syllabus 2019 – 2022.
Moze M. Jacobs
Moze M. Jacobs plays with words and other wind instruments. Partly to earn a living. Born in Holland of Dutch/German extraction she has lived in Surrey, Liverpool, Belfast, and for long stretches in Amsterdam where she had her children. She moved to the outskirts of Clonakilty 22 years ago. Along the way she has been a journalist, radio maker, TV columnist, sax player, (sound) poet, translator, editor, collage artist, actress. She will soon publish a graphic novel set in the 24th century, “Terra to Titan”, part of an ongoing collaboration with a Dutch illustrator who lives in Berlin.
Moze has co-facilitated the Bespoken Word sessions in Clonakilty for the past 18 months. Sometimes from afar for wherever she plugs in her laptop is her home. Currently a digital nomad of no fixed abode, she has a temporary foothold in Cobh. Her overriding concern right now is the potential demise of the existing natural ecosystems (aka ecocide) on planet Earth.
Rae McKinley
Rae McKinlay is a lover of story. She is an advocate of the mythos way of wisdoms and has traveled the Celtic Lands in her quest for story wisdom and inspiration. Though she loves the tales of indigenous peoples, Rae writes her own stories which are often rooted in nature and the old ways of knowing. She has just released her CD “She Who Spins Stories” and is near completion of her debut book “When Crow Was White”.
Daniele Serafini
Daniele Serafini is an Italian poet and novelist from Emila-Romagna. He has recently retired as Director of the Museum and Gallery Services in the town of Lugo near Ravenna where he was also Curator of the Francesco Baracca Museum of Aviation. His father was an Italian military aviator between the wars – he’ll be reading some poems on that subject on 30th April.
Daniele has written six collections of poems published by Mobydick, Faenza and L’Arcolaio, Forlì: Paesaggio Celtico; Luce di confine; Eterno chiama il mare, which was shortlisted for the International Eugenio Montale Prize; Dopo l’amore; Quando eravamo re; and his collected poems Tra le radici e l’altrove. He has written one novel, Café Hàwelka.
Daniele has always had an interest in Ireland, having read at the Cúirt Festival in Galway and translated Theo Dorgan, Seán Dunne, Fred Johnston and Gabriel Rosenstock. Former editor of two poetry magazines (“Origini” and “Tratti”), and founding member of the Tratti Literary Collective, his poems have been translated and published in several countries. Since Lugo is twinned with Wexford, and Daniele speaks fluent English, he has been a frequent visitor to the Wexford Opera Festival, accompanying the Mayor of Lugo.
Daniele’s work has been described as symbolist and impressionist. It captures the melancholy of the poet exiled from his roots, and the unending quest for an ‘elsewhere’ outside of time or the self. He is also a marvellous poet of nature.
Pat Speight
Pat specialises in traditional Irish Tales, Folk Tales from the fireplaces of Ireland. Pat has stories to make you laugh to make you cry and to scare and cheer, stories about Animals and Birds, Kings and Warriors, Saints and Sinners, Witches and Magicians, Pickpockets and Ghosts, Fairies and Mermaids and Mythical, Mystical characters that
inspire and captivate the imagination.
Karen Billing
Karen Billing has made Ireland her home since1989She is Co Author of “Neath the Blackthorn an Anecdotal History of Drinagh” a collaboration with Johnny Keohane a local old fella who could spin many a yarn Adventures experienced in making of this book being a tale all of its ownKaren is also the author/illustrator of “I am Lindy Loo” A children’s book about life on the autistic spectrum .
Over the years Karen has written less and painted more and her colourful murals can be seen in OConaills Chocolate Cafe French Church Street Cork and Douglas Village shopping center .About to retire after many years tutoring in adult education Karen as inspired by the spoken Word Event in Skibbereen She now intends to dust off old and hopefully humerous stories and share them with others. The April 2019 event marks her debut in Spoken Word
Brendan McCormack
Brendan McCormack has published two collections of poetry, ‘Selling Heaven’ Burning Apple Press 2013, and ‘Phuckle – Irish auf English’ 2015. He was short-listed for the Bridport Poetry Prize in 2009. His poetry has been published in many online and print journals in Ireland, Europe and the USA. He is on the ‘Save Our Skibbereen’ committee and is a local election candidate in the Skibbereen LE for 2019.
He has taken part in many Art projects and events throughout West Cork since moving here from Dublin in 2015. He ran the Clonakilty Bloomsday event in DeBarra’s from 2015 to 2017 and was part of the pSoken Wrod Open Mic night at the same venue. He will be hosting an upcoming workshop on the environment at the Uilinn West Cork Arts Centre on May 11th, 2019. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Caherbeg, Rosscarbery.