It has been a very busy time. Headlines!
Published 23rd October Angela Graham on participating in the Community Arts Partnership ‘Poetry In Motion’ Project and the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing | CAP Arts Centre
I warmly recommend the 4 interviews with Award winner, Jason Lovell. In one there’s a short film of Seamus Heaney reading his poem, ‘Whatever You Say, Say Nothing’ The Monthly interviews Seamus Heaney Award winner Jason Lovell – Part 2 – Development of craft through reading | CAP Arts Centre I was able to publish Jason Lovell’s poem on the back cover of ‘Fortnight’.
Published mid-October: Issue 499 of ‘Fortnight’, Northern Ireland’ s journal of politics and culture. I guest-edited the Arts section and it was such a pleasure to work with these writers.
On October 11th I was one of the winning writers taking part in the Soundwaves Performance Trophy competition in Portrush Town Hall as part of the town’s Swell Festival. A lovely evening, so warmly and efficiently compered by Mary Farrell. The winner of the Poetry Performance Trophy was Gary Devenney. The Poetry Prize Winner, Colin Dardis. The standard in poetry and prose was high. So much verve and imagination and so entertaining.
On 22nd October the Fragments of Scotch poetry Jukebox project was launched at the iconic Linen Hall Library, Belfast. I am one of 10 poets commissioned to write a poem in response to a poem from the Library’s Gibson Collection. The jukebox is sited in the Library. You can hear each poet read a poem from the Collection and t a poem written as their own response to the Collection, along with the poem texts, with readings by the poet.
On 20th October I delivered the final version of my next poetry collection, ‘Exposure’ to Culture & Democracy Press. It will be published in February 2026.
On 11th October Culture Matters launched the anthology ‘We not Me / Ni Nid Fi’ https://www.culturematters.org.uk/cm-publications/books/we-not-me-ni-nid-fi/ “these poems rise up in hurt, indignation and anger, but also in hope and compassion. We not me, us not I.”
