Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Lugh Among the People


Lughnasadh
Lugh among the people.
i.
Deliberate, in measured steps,
approaching the great circle
leading the people to pray, with the sound of brass trumpets;
Priest or Poet, calling us each to his own, filling our hearts
with the beat of a bodhrán and the sound of the pipes made of thorn
I am the dancer, lost in the rhythm of nature, dancing on the edge
of the world, swinging out over chasms of infinity
lit only by the icecold stars.
Singing a song I heard somewhere
mourning the loss of a woman
of infinite love. I am the Creator of words.
I am the Fiddler. I am the moment when Summer ends,
yet still the sun beats down and the Earth yields.
I am the paradox, of Autumn beginning.

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Ingmar Bergman Obituary

Obituary: Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman's films tackled profound questionsIngmar Bergman, who has died aged 89, was known as "the poet of the cinema....Full Story Here

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Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Emotions...false starts....

One thing that bugs me - when i write passionate, genuine emotion "in the moment" it reads back to my ears at least as trite, over sentimental, false etc. whereas the poems readers respond to the most seem to be the ones that are filtered through some distance, written at a slight remove or expressing emotion "sideways" through metaphor etc they're the ones that people feel a more emotional response to. Not that I'm not grateful lol for any positive response from readers! but one of these days, though, I'll crack it :) I'll write a searing piece in the very moment of passionate emotion and it'll work :D!

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Thursday, July 19, 2007

Gerard Manly Hopkins Festival,

The best Literary Festival in Ireland.


The 20th International Hopkins Festival promises to be the best yet.
Internationally, it will offer its widest range of visitors with 24 countries represented from Japan to Slovenia, Russia to Sardinia.
Best also in its range of activities:
Our Art Exhibitions are a special feature and this year will include works by Brian Bourke, John Behan, Edward Navone (USA), and others.
The Classical Music Concert will take place in Moore Abbey and feature the piano of John McCormack.
The Traditional Irish Evening this year will feature a group led by exciting new talent, Malachy Bourke.
We are the only Summer School to offer a specially tailored Youth Programme geared to students. Some scholarships are still available. Apply immediately.
A special feature of the Hopkins Festival is its emphasis on Workshops in the area of Creative Writing, Writing Songs and Music and Translation. Each activity is led by noted experts in the field. Early application advised.
Lectures by internationally acclaimed speakers including Ian Ker (Oxford), Aleksandra Kedzierska (Poland), Lucas Carpenter (USA) etc.
Poetry Readings include noted writers from around Europe and some leading Irish namessâ?
There will be Field Trips to Newbridge, Dublin and Maynooth University.
One of the highlights will be the presentation of the O’Connor Literary Award to Japanese scholar, Hikaru Kitabayashi. This will take place at a special celebratory Banquet hosted by Newbridge Silverware.
Add to all the above the Festival Club every evening with performances, plenty of singing and the opportunity to get to know other participants over a convivial drink or two.
The Gerard Manley Hopkins International Festival is unique both for the quality of its participants over a wide range of activities – and for its special atmospherein the context of the beautiful small Irish town which the great English poet, Hopkins (1844 – 1849) described as "one of the props and struts of my existence".
Download our 2007 Newsletter at http://www.gerardmanleyhopkins.org/newsletter.pdf
Here, you can also check out latest updates to our Advance Programme.

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