Guests (98) Aug/Sep 2023

August and September

14th August

Ó Bhéal in association with Cork City Council, Coventry City Council
and Here Comes Everyone

presents a Cork-Coventry Twin Cities Celebration with poets

John Watson and Devjani Bodepudi
(both poets in-person)

You can listen to John’s reading here.

Inspired by modern nature writers such as Jay Griffiths and Roger Deakin, John Watson‘s poetry is motivated by his vivid, colourful dreams, his swims in seas and rivers, his distrust of all things dogmatic and a belief in circular, as opposed to linear time. John started to attend Pure Good and Right, an open mic night based in Leamington Spa. Here he eventually braved the floor, and read out loud for the first terrifying time. He regularly attended PGR and Fire and Dust, and has since headlined at both as featured poet. He has featured at Hush in Earlsdon and at The Sheep-dip sessions in Princethorpe.

John’s work has been published in HCE Magazine and Idler Magazine. He eventually took on the role of host at PGR, of what is possibly the longest running open mic in England. He has developed an anarchic style and beat, as he tries to avoid rhyme, or any kind of prescribed meter. He is almost convinced that this is Poetic Humanities’ only defence against Artificial Poetic Intelligence.

You can listen to Devjani’s reading here.

Devjani Bodepudi is a writer, poet and teacher of Indian origin who currently lives in Warwickshire. She has been published widely, including in Stanchion Zine, Sunday Mornings at the River and Honeyguide. Amongst other things, Devjani has published a novel, Mirrors (Holland House, 2019) and a children’s book, Paper Boats, forthcoming from Parakeet Books.

Her debut poetry pamphlet, For the daughters carried here on the hips of their mothers was published by Fawn Press early this year and has won the Saboteur Award 2023 for Best Poetry Pamphlet. Devjani is currently studying for her MA in Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham and is working on her second collection.

You can watch a video of the event here

Hybrid Ó Bhéal Session

This event will be both in-person, hosted in the Hayloft bar, upstairs in Long Valley, Winthrop St Cork, as well as on Zoom (which is limited to 100 people). Participation in the open-mic session and five word challenge is open to both in-person and virtual attendees. The session will be live-streamed at obheal.ie/live and via Ó Bhéal’s Vimeo, Facebook and YouTube channels. Note to Participants: Our hybrid 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, which is expected to run for between 2-3 hours.

The evening will feature four parts:

7-7.45pm: Poetry-Films (random play from Ó Bhéal’s Poetry-Film comp archives – NOT STREAMED);
8.30pm: Five Word Challenge (max 30 – after the allotted 15 minutes writing time);
9.30pm: Featured Guest Poets (20 minutes 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.)

11th September

Ó Bhéal in association with Foras na Gaeilge presents

Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin and Ben MacCaoilte
(in-person) (in-person)

You can listen to Ceaití’s reading here.

Bhuaigh an cnuasach filíochta, ó pheann Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin Agallamh sa Cheo, Cnoc Bhréanainn (Coiscéim, 2019), Duais Mícheál Hairtnéid 2021 agus Duais an Oireachtais 2018. Seo a ceathrú cnuasach filíochta. Bronnadh sparánacht Ealaíon na Gaeltachta (Údarás na Gaeltachta agus An Chomhairle Ealaíon) uirthi, i 2019 agus arís, le tacaíocht ó Éire Ildánach, i 2020. Is as Ros Eo an file agus drámadóir seo, a mhaireann anois i gCorca Dhuibhne, Co. Chiarraí.

Ceaití Ní Bheildiúin is a poet, filmmaker and visual artist. Born in Rush, Co. Dublin in 1958, since 2003 she has lived on the Dingle peninsula, from which time she began to immerse herself in Irish and to write poetry. She is the author of the Irish language collections An Teorainn Bheo (2007), Púca Gan Dealramh (2010), Meirge an Laoich (2013), and Agallamh Sa Cheo, Cnoc Bhréanainn (2019), all published by Coiscéím. Her many distinctions include awards from The Arts Council of Ireland, Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Duais Foras na Gaeilge, a Duais Oireachtas in 2007 and again in 2018, and, in 2021, the Michael Hartnett Award.

Ceaití’s selected poems Let the Hare Sit / Lig don nGiorria Suí with translations from Paddy Bushe was published by Dedalus in 2022. It is a significant event in Irish poetry publishing – the first extended selection of poems by Ceaití in a dual-language format. A summary of a journey to date, the book is also an opportunity for those with less than fluent Irish to approach the original poems in the company of their English translations.

You can listen to Ben’s reading here.

Ben MacCaoilte is a bilingual poet from Ireland writing and performing in both Irish and English. Ben brings beautifully formed poetry to the stage. Impossibly detailed worlds are revealed in tight verses, inspired by people, places and lives that mattered. Ben’s poetry has been published in journals including The Waxed Lemon and Much More Than Words and he has released two performance poetry albums on the Crannóg Media label, Beyond the Apple Tree (2021) and Lifting the Gate (2022).

Since the release of his first album Ben has performed at many festivals and events throughout Ireland and the UK including the Scene and Heard Festival 2023 Smock Alley Theatre Dublin, International Writers Festival Dublin, REIC at the Cork World Book Festival and the Culturel Centre Irlandais, Paris as part of the Festival of Ideas. Ben has shared the stage with many fantastic musicians such as Declan O’Rourke, Liam O’ Maonlaí and Emma Langford. He is currently touring his poetry performance installation Lifting the Gate which premiered at Smock Alley Theatre in 2023.

Is file dátheangach é Ben MacCaoilte a scríobhann agus a cheolann i nGaeilge agus i mBéarla. Tugann Ben filíocht álainn cumtha ar an stáitse. Nochtar saolta do-mhionsonraithe i véarsaí daingean, spreagtha ag daoine, áiteanna agus saolta a raibh tábhacht leo. Tá dhá albam filíochta léirithe eisithe ag Ben ar an lipéad Crannóg Media, Beyond the Apple Tree in 2021 agus Lifting the Gate in 2022. Ó eisíodh a chéad albam tá Ben théis bheith ag go leor féilte agus imeachtaí ar fud na hÉireann agus an Ríocht Aontaithe, Scene agus Féile Heard 2023 Smock Alley Theatre Baile Átha Cliath, REIC ag an Cork World Bookfest, an Bath Festival UK agus an Culturel Centre Irlandais, Páras mar chuid den Fhéile Smaointe. Tá Ben tar éis an stáitse a roinnt le ceoltóirí iontacha ar nós Declan O’Rourke, Liam O’ Maonlaí agus Emma Langford. Tá sé ar camchuairt faoi láthair ar a shuiteáil léirithe filíochta Lifting the Gate a taispeánadh den chéad uair in Amharclann Smock Alley in 2023.

You can watch a video of the event here

Hybrid Ó Bhéal Session

The evening will feature four parts:

Friday 22nd September

Ó Bhéal in association with Cork City Council presents

Cork Culture Night 2023 with

Qui Qarre and Leon Dunne
(via Zoom) (in-person)

You can listen to Qui’s performance here.

Qui Qarre is a Kenyan born spoken word poet, author, speaker and mentor. She writes poetry on different social issues but her works have a key focus on leadership and mental health. She began performing poetry in May 2016 and won Women Slam Africa that same year in December. This opened doors for her to begin travelling for poetry performances such as Women of The World Poetry Slam in Dallas 2017, Women on The Bayou City Slam, Stone Town Zanzibar Tour and others.

She has published two poetry anthologies: Tears of The Pen (Rafu Books, 2018) and Broken Vase (Kenya National Library Service, 2021) and went on a book tour in the USA in October 2021. Here she had the chance to visit 5 cities; Houston, Fort Worth, Boston, Washington DC and Phoenix. She was a featured poet in Arizona State University and Stephen F. Austin State University in the USA. Qui has also had the chance to be featured on leading TV shows, newspapers and shows such as Daily Nation, People Daily, The Star, The Trend, The Daily Sentinel (Nacogdoches), Google Africa, #IDEAinitiative by Planned Parenthood among others.

Qui advocates for leadership that focuses on social justice and mentorship. She is part of Rising Stars Project, a mentorship program for juveniles in Kamiti YCTC, where she uses Lego Serious play to help juveniles begin to build their identity and work with their peers.

You can read more about Qui Qarre at: https://quiqarre.com/

You can listen to Leon’s performance here.

Dublin-based poet and reigning All-Ireland Slam Champion Leon Dunne‘s work focuses primarily on giving a voice to topics outside the mainstream conversation. Coming from a working-class background, and after studying English and Film at UCD, he engages in language and rhythm with high energy to draw the listeners in.

In November 2022 he won The All-Ireland Poetry Slam Championship held at the Winter Warmer festival in Cork. In March 2023 he performed at Trafalgar Square, in front of 15,000 people, as part of London’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival. As Leon puts it, “I write poems and stories for people that may feel left behind by the mainstream culture”.