What other poetry books have you been reading lately?
I tend to have a lot of poetry books on my bedside locker at the same time, lined up to be read. There is so much good poetry out there; it’s hard to get the time to read them all. Current favourites are May Day 1974 by Rachel Hegarty, Fleche by Mary Jean Chan, To Air the Soul, Throw All the Windows Wide by Mary Dorcey, Sex and Death at Merlin Park Hospital by Kevin Higgins and Bad News, Good News, Bad News by Edward O’Dwyer. If I was to pick one out of these that has had the most impact it would be May Day 1974 by Irish writer, Rachel Hegarty. It remembers the victims of car bombings that took place in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974. Her poems give voices to the 34 people who died. Devotions by Mary Oliver, has taken up permanent residence in my bedroom. It’s my go to book when I’m in need of some spiritual inspiration and renewal.
Showing posts with label Anne Walsh Donnelly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anne Walsh Donnelly. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 August 2019
Thursday, 22 August 2019
Anne Walsh Donnelly : part four
What poets changed the way you thought about writing?
I’ve been very fortunate to have encountered some generous poets who have given me constructive and encouraging feedback on my work. John Corless, the first poet to read my work back in 2012, gave me great advice. At the time I was focussing on writing short stories as I believed I wasn’t writing ‘real poems,’ despite John’s encouragement. In 2017, I started writing poetry seriously and took some online courses and workshops. Thanks to Adam Wyeth and Kevin Higgins, I started to believe I was writing ‘real’ poems. I also got great encouragement from participants in Kevin’s online poetry workshops. Their support gave me the confidence I needed to continue writing, to continue to be ‘daring’ in my work and write the un-writable.
I’ve been very fortunate to have encountered some generous poets who have given me constructive and encouraging feedback on my work. John Corless, the first poet to read my work back in 2012, gave me great advice. At the time I was focussing on writing short stories as I believed I wasn’t writing ‘real poems,’ despite John’s encouragement. In 2017, I started writing poetry seriously and took some online courses and workshops. Thanks to Adam Wyeth and Kevin Higgins, I started to believe I was writing ‘real’ poems. I also got great encouragement from participants in Kevin’s online poetry workshops. Their support gave me the confidence I needed to continue writing, to continue to be ‘daring’ in my work and write the un-writable.
Thursday, 15 August 2019
Anne Walsh Donnelly : part three
Has your consideration of poetry changed since you began?
When I first encountered poetry in school, I didn’t like it. I found it difficult to understand and rhyme left me cold. The fact that I was studying it for exam purposes didn’t help. The only poet that I would relate to as a teenager was the great Irish poet, Patrick Kavanagh, which was probably because like me he was from rural Ireland and was writing about things that I could relate to. I would never have believed then that I could write poetry let alone get a poem published. Now, I love reading and writing poetry. Through my own writing and reading a wide variety of poetry I realise that poetry comes in many shapes and forms. When I started writing first, I read as widely as I could to see if I could find another poet who wrote like me. It was my way of trying to validate my own writing. Then I discovered that no two poets write the same way. We all have our own unique voices and our own way of expressing ourselves.
When I first encountered poetry in school, I didn’t like it. I found it difficult to understand and rhyme left me cold. The fact that I was studying it for exam purposes didn’t help. The only poet that I would relate to as a teenager was the great Irish poet, Patrick Kavanagh, which was probably because like me he was from rural Ireland and was writing about things that I could relate to. I would never have believed then that I could write poetry let alone get a poem published. Now, I love reading and writing poetry. Through my own writing and reading a wide variety of poetry I realise that poetry comes in many shapes and forms. When I started writing first, I read as widely as I could to see if I could find another poet who wrote like me. It was my way of trying to validate my own writing. Then I discovered that no two poets write the same way. We all have our own unique voices and our own way of expressing ourselves.
Thursday, 8 August 2019
Anne Walsh Donnelly : part two
How do you know when a poem is finished?
When I’m absolutely sick to death of reading and looking at it. Having said that I don’t think a poem is ever fully finished. Every time I look at my chapbook, The Woman With An Owl Tattoo, (published by Fly on the Wall press last May), I find something else, I’d like to change. It might be a word, or a line break or an insertion of a comma, or full stop. That’s part of the fun of writing poetry. I love the tinkering with the words and lines and trying out different things with a poem to see what works best.
When I’m absolutely sick to death of reading and looking at it. Having said that I don’t think a poem is ever fully finished. Every time I look at my chapbook, The Woman With An Owl Tattoo, (published by Fly on the Wall press last May), I find something else, I’d like to change. It might be a word, or a line break or an insertion of a comma, or full stop. That’s part of the fun of writing poetry. I love the tinkering with the words and lines and trying out different things with a poem to see what works best.
Thursday, 1 August 2019
Anne Walsh Donnelly : part one
What are you working on?
I’ve just finished reviewing and editing the proof copy of my debut short story collection, Demise of the Undertaker’s Wife, which will be published by Blue Nib in September. I am now concentrating my efforts on writing my first full collection of poetry; I have just completed a series of poems that may form the basis of this collection. I’m having great fun writing them as they engage with serious topics in a light-hearted way. I’m also experimenting and writing some personal essays.
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