For poetry fans, this season presents some exciting events and new anthologies …
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Book ahead: For the T.S. Eliot Lecture on the Abbey Stage on December 15, introduced by THE GLOSS Contributing Editor, Catherine Heaney. This lecture is the ninth in a series inspired by Eliot’s impact on modern literature. This year’s lecture will feature Ralph Fiennes reading and discussing his relationship with Eliot’s poem Four Quartets (with Ingrid Craigie), marking the 80th anniversary of its first publication as a single volume in 1944. Fiennes first encountered Four Quartets during his childhood, part of which was spent in Ireland. Tickets cost from €15 to €49. www.abbeytheatre.ie
For fans of Jane Clarke’s poetry: Pop in to have a look at the exhibition ROOTS – A Dialogue in Textile and Poetry at Dublin Castle. This showcases the Element15 artist’s interpretation of her poetry, and its themes of living, loving and dying.
Support: Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival. Back for a sixth year, the festival takes place from October 11 to 20. Among the line-up of interesting events is an Open Mic Night on October 17 – a night of poetry and music related to themes of solidarity, human rights and social justice. Click here to see a full programme of events.
See: Sean O’Casey’s The Shadow of a Gunman at Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin, from October 30 to November 2. The play centres on a struggling poet mistaken for an IRA gunman and his peddler roommate in a Dublin tenement. As rumours and misconceptions spiral, the tenants’ lives become entangled with the political turmoil outside their door, leading to unexpected and tragic consequences. This darkly comic, poignant play explores themes of heroism, identity and the human cost of conflict. www.smockalley.com
Wear: The Glimmer necklace from Little Light Jewellery, a silver lighthouse charm, €59, accompanied by a poem written by Little Light’s founder, Céilí Flood. The proceeds from the sale of this necklace will go towards raising funds for Pieta House. Céilí was inspired to create this piece after losing her brother-in-law Keith to suicide in 2020. “We want to help stomp out the stigma surrounding suicide and mental health struggles,” Céilí explains. “This necklace is a way to get people talking and raise awareness, and to fund Pieta’s incredible work. Everyone deserves to feel heard, loved and supported”. Available in Kilkenny Design Stores Nationwide; www.littlelight.ie.
Glimmer’s poem:
“In shadows deep, where whispers cry,
A beacon calls, a soft reply.
Through nights so dark, it lights your way,
A flicker of hope at break of day.
When waves of doubt and sorrow rise,
Look to the glow that never dies.
A glimmer bright, a guide so true,
A lifeline through the storm for you.
Wear this charm, hold it near,
A symbol of light, a shield from fear.
From darkness into light we stride,
With courage, love and hope inside.”
Four anthropologies to be seen with:
Paper Boat, Margaret Atwood, Faber, which spans six decades of her poetic output.
Wendy Cope, Collected Poems, Faber. This anthology combines Cope’s artful combination of insight and wit.
Not Waving But Drowning and Other Poems, Stevie Smith, Faber. Nick Cave is a fan of Stevie Smith, as was Sylvia Plath.
Joy in Service on Rue Tagore, Paul Muldoon, Faber. Catch Paul at TradFest in January; www.tradfest.com
And … instead of an advent calendar, we’re buying children we know A Poem for Every Day of Christmas by Allie Esiri, published by Macmillan Children’s Books on November 7. It’s a lovely collection of 31 poems (perfect for reading aloud) by T.S. Eliot, Tennyson, Wendy Cope, Benjamin Zephaniah, Thomas Hardy, Lemn Sissay, Dylan Thomas, Robert Burns, E.E. Cummings and Christina Rosetti, among others.
See also: Poetry Please! The Best New Anthologies To Read Now
