All of a sudden I have some readings happening in the near future, which is great. I don’t do enough of them, but it means I have to learn to read all over again – read to an audience that is.
I’m hoping to get some help this Saturday where I’ll be performing as one of the shortlisted poets in the Heart In Mouth poetry competition run by Fingal County Council. This competition was a bit different in that you didn’t submit written work but an audio recording of an original poem. Being shortlisted means I get to do a two hour workshop on performance with Dave Lordan and Karl Parkinson on Saturday afternoon before the readings that evenings. The whole thing takes place in Fingal County Council offices in Swords at 7pm on Saturday. I’m a bit nervous, but looking forward to it also.
The experience I gain there should help me prepare for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Readings on Thursday 30th May also. I’ll be reading at 6.30pm in the Irish Writers’ Centre on Parnell Square along with Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Stephanie Conn and Madeleine Barnes. If you’re on Facebook there’s an event set up here with all the details. There will also be two further readings in the series in early June and I’ll post about all three again before the time.
This year also I’ve been invited to read short fiction at Listowel Writers’ Week as part of the New Writers’ Salon. I’ll be reading along with some great short story writers: Noel O’Regan, Madeleine D’Arcy, Eimear Ryan and Elizabeth Reapy, founder and editor of Wordlegs. There is a poetry element to the Salon also which will feature fellow Poetry Ireland Intro poets Kerrie O’Brien and Victoria Kennefick along with Stephen James Smith, Cal Doyle and the wonderful Jennifer Matthews who edits Long Story Short Literary Journal.
Suddenly I’m busy and it’s public – I need to get out of this room and learn how to read again.
Great stuff, Brian! Congrats on all the readings