Poets

Interview with John Hartley Williams

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:09:51 +0100

Born in London, Williams spent time in France, Africa and the former Yugoslavia before moving to Berlin in 1976 where he has lived ever since. Berlin’s transformation from divided city on the edge of the Iron Curtain to – until recent years at least – a hotspot for global art and culture has been profound and radical. Yet after over three decades, for him Berlin is less “the place to be” and more “the place I am”. Unsurprisingly the city runs a thread through his writing, “I lived...

Flying High: Kate Dempsey meets Pat Boran

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:03:05 +0100

Thanks very much for agreeing to this interview and welcome to writing.ie. Could you introduce yourself to the readers please?

Well, I'm a poet and non-fiction writer (memoir, observation pieces) who sometimes also writes fiction (for both adults and children). I've done a small bit of TV presenting the books programme Undercover, and have presented the RTE radio programmes The Enchanted Way and The Poetry Programme over the last few years as well as a short period as a fill...

Beautiful Words: Nuala Ni Chonchuir

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:04:53 +0100

I’ve been writing since I was a child, it grew from my love of reading. I came second in a national poetry competition when I was ten and that gave me a boost and a special interest in writing. Michael Hartnett was the judge of that comp and I remember my mother’s awe and reverence when we met him; it rubbed off.

What do you consider the highlights so far?

Winning the Francis MacManus Award in 2003 was brilliant – the money was great and it was just an all round positive experience. My first ...

The Best of the Spoken Word

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:11:55 +0100

Hello Writing.ie / Kate, thanks for asking me to take part! I am not sure why, or what I can offer the reader but sure here goes…

As for introducing myself, well I guess or hope I am a relatively simple man. I am from Dublin was born in ’82, I have an interest in poetry and it takes up part of my life on a daily basis. I wrote much more here but just deleted it as it sounded like I was writing something for a dating site….

How did you get into poetry?

Largely by accident, I...

Poetry In Ireland

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:26:34 +0100

The earliest surviving poems in Ireland can be traced back as far as the 6^th century AD. Undoubtedly the poetic tradition predates these as a strong oral tradition that continues to the present day. Early Irish poets trained for 12 years by which time they were second in status only to the King. They were required to record the royal genealogy and history in verse as well as composing curses and satires of political enemies. Another tradition that continues!

With the settlement of English plan...

Inspiration and Experimentation with Ivy Bannister

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:05:22 +0100

Your poems are often varied, both in theme and form, for example Love-Child and Pellet which comment on two very different themes. Do you prefer to experiment with techniques or have you found a method of composition that suits you best?

Each poem seems to me the chance to explore a particular world, usually inhabited by at least one distinct character. It is often the character, in fact, who triggers the poem. Lady of the Lawnmower, for example, came about on...