Ó Bhéal in association with Cork City Council, Coventry City Council
and Here Comes Everyone
presents a Cork-Coventry Twin Cities Celebration with the launch of a new anthology
Twin Skies – poems from Cork and Coventry
You can listen to the poets’ collective reading here.
Twin Skies celebrates 14 years of poetry interplay between the cities of Cork and Coventry. The 40 poets whose work appears here have each visited their respective twin city on at least one occasion to share their well-crafted words and experiences. Poets included in the anthology will read across two online events, at Ó Bhéal on the 9th August and at Fire & Dust in Coventry on the 19th of August.
The anthology is published on the occasion of Coventry’s designation as UK City of Culture 2021. Cork was designated as City of Culture in 2005, a cultural touchstone from which Ó Bhéal eventually emerged as an institution dedicated to the promotion and well-being of poetry and poets, an entity well-matched by its experienced Coventry counterparts.
Almost every year since 2008, two or three poets have travelled in each direction, with each visit including two or more readings at independent events, visits to Lord Mayors’ chambers as well as to cultural and cherished locations. 2020 was the first year in which the exchange had to be confined within the realms of the virtual, with online readings and zoom visits. Whilst not an ideal scenario, the spirit of the exchange was able to continue. As 2021 ultimately presented the same limitations, we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to create an anthology, which would in turn act as catalyst for reuniting the poets involved to date – by way of two collective readings at our respective online events. The book will soon be available (free) in eBook format, at the Ó Bhéal website.
Since 2009 Ó Bhéal has co-facilitated this exchange hand in hand with an impressive succession of invested partners in Coventry (which along with Stalingrad was the world’s first twin city – and Cork’s first twin). These selfless cultural ambassadors include: John Morley of Heaventree Press (& Night Blue Fruit); Antony Owen; Adam Steiner of Silhouette Press; and Raef Boylan, editor of Here Comes Everyone and event organiser of Fire & Dust.
Acknowledgment is due to the city councils of Cork and Coventry for their ongoing support, as we continue to drive and develop our invaluable relationship for its benefits to poets and writing communities from both cities. Since 2008, the exchanges have been documented across a series of collective reviews by the participating poets, which can be viewed on the Ó Bhéal website at www.obheal.ie.
This event will be hosted on Zoom and limited to 100 people. We will live-stream the session at obheal.ie/live and via Ó Bhéal’s Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube channels. Note to Participants: Our online events are recorded and remain viewable on video via these same channels.
We are no longer posting the zoom link via our social media channels. Upon written request to info@obheal.ie with a sentence outlining your reason for participation, a link to join the session will be emailed to you on the evening of the event. The session is expected to run for between 2-3 hours.
8.30pm: Five Word Challenge (max 30 – after the allotted 15 minutes writing time);
9.30pm: Featured Guest Poets (60 mins);
10:20pm: Open-Mic Session for original poetry (max 30).
(Entering a Zoom meeting is all explained here >>>. This link provides you with a step-by-step guide and YouTube tutorial if necessary. You should check this out if you’re unfamiliar with the Zoom platform – it also shows you where to download the zoom client/app for your computer/phone. Please Make sure to know where the chat box is and how to mute yourself to reduce background sound.)
Ó Bhéal in association with Foras na Gaeilge presents
a virtual bi-lingual event with
Colette Nic Aodha and Colm Breathnach
Tá cónaí ar an bhfile aitheanta Colette Nic Aodha i gContae na Gaillimhe. Tá a cuid filíochta ar shiollabas na mbunscoileanna, meánscoileanna agus coláistí. Tá filíocht, prós agus beathaisnéis foilsithe aici, idir bhéarla agus Gaeilge. Tá leabhar nuafhoilsithe aici, Réabhlóideach, ó Choiscéim, Baile Átha Cliath. Tá sí i mbun dochtúireachta faoi láthair i gColáiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh.
Colette Nic Aodha has fifteen publications which include a volume of short stories, Ádh Mór, as well as an academic study of the blind poet Anthony Raftery. She has one volume of English poetry, Sundial, which was published by Arlen House Press, She also has two dual language collections of poetry by the same publisher; Between Curses: Bainne Géar and In Castlewood: An Ghaoth Aduaidh.
Her work is on the syllabus in Primary, Secondary and Third Level colleges. Colette’s collected poetry (bilingual) is titled Bainne Géár: Sour Milk, available in hardback and softback, published by Arlen House. Colette is pursuing a PhD in the English department of NUI Galway; she has an MA in modern Irish and an MA in English. Her newly published collection of Irish language poetry and art is entitled Réabhlóideach is published by Coiscéim, Dublin.
Colm Breathnach, file agus úrscéalaí go bhfuil seacht gcinn de chnuasaigh filíochta móide dhá rogha dánta foilsithe aige chomh maith leis an úrscéal Con Trick “An Bhalla Bháin” (Cló Iar-Chonnacht, 2009). Ghnóthaigh sé an phríomhdhuais do chnuasach filíochta i gComórtais Liteartha an Oireachtais ceithre huaire agus sa bhliain 1999 bhronn an Foras Cultúrtha Gael-Mheiriceánach ‘Duais an Bhuitléirigh’ air. Chaith sé tréimhsí ina scríbhneoir cónaithe sa tSín agus sa tSlóivéin agus bhí sé ina scríbhneoir cónaithe i gColáiste Phádraig, Droim Conrach in 2015. Aistríodh dánta leis go hocht gcinn de theangacha. Is é Tírdhreacha (LeabhairCOMHAR, 2015), rogha théamúil dánta agus dánta nua, an cnuasach is déanaí uaidh.
Colm Breathnach, poet and novelist, has published seven collections of poetry along with two selected editions and the novel Con Trick “An Bhalla Bháin” (Cló Iar-Chonnacht, 2009). He has been awarded the principal poetry prize at Conradh na Gaeilge’s annual Oireachtas literary competitions four times and in 1999 the Irish American Cultural Institute presented him with the Butler Literary Award. He has had literary residencies in China and in Slovenia and in 2015 he was writer in residence in Saint Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. He has had poems translated into eight languages. His latest collection Tírdhreacha (LeabhairCOMHAR, 2015), contains new and selected poems.
This event will be hosted on Zoom and limited to 100 people. We will live-stream the session at obheal.ie/live and via Ó Bhéal’s Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube channels. Note to Participants: Our online events are recorded and remain viewable on video via these same channels.
We are no longer posting the zoom link via our social media channels. Upon written request to info@obheal.ie with a sentence outlining your reason for participation, a link to join the session will be emailed to you on the evening of the event. The session is expected to run for between 2-3 hours.
8.30pm: Five Word Challenge (max 30 – after the allotted 15 minutes writing time);
9.30pm: Featured Guest Poets (20 mins each);
10:20pm: Open-Mic Session for original poetry (max 30).
(Entering a Zoom meeting is all explained here >>>. This link provides you with a step-by-step guide and YouTube tutorial if necessary. You should check this out if you’re unfamiliar with the Zoom platform – it also shows you where to download the zoom client/app for your computer/phone. Please Make sure to know where the chat box is and how to mute yourself to reduce background sound.)
Ó Bhéal in association with Cork City Council presents
Cork Culture Night 2021 with
Elizabeth McGeown and Jenny Lindsay
Elizabeth McGeown is a poet from Belfast in Northern Ireland. She has been published in journals including Banshee, Abridged, Riggwelter and Fly On The Wall Press’s Planet In Peril anthology. She is featured in Wave Four of iambapoet.com and received a Pushcart Prize nomination for her poem ‘SUFTUM’.
As a spoken word artist, she is a three-time All-Ulster Poetry Slam Champion, finalist in every All-Ireland Slam since 2016 and represented Northern Ireland in the Hammer & Tongue UK Slam Championships 2019 and 2021 at the Royal Albert Hall. She won the Cúirt International Festival of Literature: Spoken Word Platform 2019 and the Cursed Murphy Spoken Word Prize 2019. In 2021 she was longlisted as ‘Best Spoken Word Performer’ in the Saboteur Awards. Featured performances include Lingofest, The Edinburgh Fringe, Loud Poets, Electric Picnic and Body & Soul Festival.
She is funded by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and University of Atypical to work on her first book and full-length spoken word show.
Photo by Ryan McGoverne
Jenny Lindsay is one of Scotland’s best known spoken word performers, as well as an award winning programmer of literary events through her spoken word, theatre and music organisation, Flint & Pitch Productions. Described as “one of Scotland’s finest cultural innovators,” (Gutter Magazine), her own poetry, performance and film-poetry has won multiple accolades including a John Byrne Award for Critical Thinking (2020) and shortlisting for the Outspoken Award for Poetry in Film (2019/20). Her latest work This Script, which exists in print, as a stage show, and in film, was described as “one of this year’s most necessary spoken word performances” by Becca Inglis and as “genius” by The Scotsman.
“Lindsay is a courageous writer…who describes the physical and emotional experience of being a woman with a rare openness and honesty, and combines fierce sensuality with a searing intellect. (Her) poems are brave, complex, and beautifully performed…uniquely vivid… one of the greatest talents in contemporary Scottish poetry – emotional, lyrical, perceptive, and always piercingly and unforgettably intelligent.” (Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman, 2021)
This event will be hosted on Zoom and limited to 100 people. We will live-stream the session at obheal.ie/live and via Ó Bhéal’s Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube channels. Note to Participants: Our online events are recorded and remain viewable on video via these same channels.
We are no longer posting the zoom link via our social media channels. Upon written request to info@obheal.ie with a sentence outlining your reason for participation, a link to join the session will be emailed to you on the evening of the event. The session is expected to run for between 2-3 hours.
8.30pm: Five Word Challenge (max 30 – after the allotted 15 minutes writing time);
9.30pm: Featured Guest Poets (20 mins each);
10:20pm: Open-Mic Session for original poetry (max 30).
(Entering a Zoom meeting is all explained here >>>. This link provides you with a step-by-step guide and YouTube tutorial if necessary. You should check this out if you’re unfamiliar with the Zoom platform – it also shows you where to download the zoom client/app for your computer/phone. Please Make sure to know where the chat box is and how to mute yourself to reduce background sound.)
