Loose Leaves:The first Poetry Programme on RTÉ Radio One under its new presenter, poet Gerald Dawe, kicks off tonight at 7.30pm.
Focusing on the life and work of poet Seán Ó Ríordáin, it will feature the voice of Ó Riordáin reading some of his poems, and broadcaster and editor of the Ó Ríordáin selected poems (Scathán Vearsaí) Cian Ó hEigeartaigh, discussing the poet with Alan Titley, professor of Irish at University College Cork. The programme aims to evaluate Ó Ríordáin's poetic imagination and his invigoration of the Irish poetry tradition after 400 years. Dawe, the author of six collections, has edited various anthologies of poetry and criticism, including the anthology, The Younger Irish Poets. A member of Trinity College's school of English, he's director of the university's Oscar Wilde Centre for Irish Writing and graduate writing programme.
Irish poetry across the pond
Following last week's review on these pages of eight Irish literary periodicals, it's interesting to note the amount of coverage given to Irish poetry in the current issue of the London-based Poetry Review (Vol 97:4, £7.95 ). "Irish poetry has a uniquely resonant iconography to draw on, as well as a duty to preserve and transform the heritage of language and local custom which has nourished that iconography," observes poet WN Herbert in his review of recent collections by Irish poets Nick Laird, Sean Lysaght and Matthew Sweeney, whose Black Moon, says Herbert, "creates its own literary tradition through the intensity of its obsessions". In a review of the work of another Irish poet, David Wheatley's "strong and curious writing" is assessed by poet Giles Goodland as "an outsider's view of the English present, combined with nostalgia-free poems from Wheatley's Irish past."
Kid lit from the coop
Barry Cunningham became a publishing legend after signing JK Rowling to Bloomsbury. Now he's coming to Dublin to offer pearls of wisdom on writing for children at a seminar on February 23rd.
He started his career at Penguin, and while with its children's imprint Puffin he worked with Roald Dahl and Spike Milligan and relaunched Beatrix Potter.
In 2000, after leaving Bloomsbury, he started his own children's imprint The Chicken House which has become its own success story, publishing such authors as Cornelia Funke and Kevin Brooks. But, endearingly, Cunningham talks of his six children as his main life's achievement. Also giving tips of the trade will be Mary Byrne who worked in publicity at Puffin before becoming a PR consultant specialising in children's books and working on books by authors including Dubliner Derek Landy, Darren Shan and Oliver Jeffers. The seminar is organised by Dublin City Libraries in association with hostwriters.com, the website developed by the Verbal Arts Centre on to which aspiring writers can upload their work and review the work of others; an online writing community for people who can't fit writing club sessions into their schedules. The seminar is from 2pm to 4pm in Pearse Street Library, 138-144 Pearse Street. Admission is free, but booking is essential.
Seán Dunne submissions
The Seán Dunne writers awards commemorate the Waterford poet who died suddenly at the age of 39 in 1995 and offer prizes to young writers for a poem, script, short story or a piece of comedy in Irish or English to young writers. The closing date for entries is February 27th. The winner in the senior section - who must be under 30 on January 31st of this year - gets the Seán Dunne Young Writer Award plus €2,000. The junior award winner (under 13 on the same date) will receive €300. There's also a prize of €750 for people living in, or originally from, Co Waterford, who are under 21 on January 31st.The awards will be presented in April at the annual Seán Dunne Writers Festival. For details, contact the Waterford City Council Arts Office, tel: 051-849856/7.
Whodunnit?
If you ever felt you could write a whodunnit, a skills-honing workshop for crime writers takes place in Dublin's Pearse Street Library, 138-144 Pearse Street next Friday, 6.30-8.30pm. Speakers include co-founder of the Orange Prize, Jane Gregory, who is literary agent to a stable of crime authors that includes Val McDermid, Minette Walters and Mo Hayder. She's also a co-founder of the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. Speaking along with her will be Maria Rejt, publishing director of Macmillan, Pan and Picador as well as editor for Colin Dexter, Minette Walters, Kathy Reichs and Scott Turow. Admission is free but booking is essential. Tel: 01-6744873.