Over The Edge presents an innovative reading by poets Catherine Walsh, Brendan Murphy, Billy Mills, Emily Cullen & Quincy Lehr at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, May 16th, 8pm. Elaine Feeney, winner of the recent Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam, will also be performing her winning poem.
Catherine Walsh was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1964. Having lived in Barcelona and in Eastbourne, England, she is now back in Ireland, living in Limerick. She has read her work widely in Ireland, The U.K. and the U.S. She co-edits hardPressed Poetry and the Journal with Billy Mills. Her books include Macula (Red Wheelbarrow Press, Dublin: 1986); Idir Eatortha & Making Tents (Invisible Books, London, 1996); City West (Shearsman, Exeter, 2005) & from Optic Verve (Longhouse, Vermont 2006). Catherine Walsh is one of Ireland’s leading experimental poets.
Brendan Murphy was born in Liverpool to English parents and Irish grandparents. He is a graduate of Sheffield University, where he studied the History of Art, Film and Design. His first performance was a Saturday night slot with a friend at his local pub, with whom he developed an improvised repartee on the week’s news. Brendan has lived in Galway for the last ten years. He won the 2006 Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam, and has performed at the famous Green Mill in Chicago. In 2007 he won the All Ireland Poetry Slam Championship in Belfast.
Billy Mills was born in Dublin in 1954. He lives in Limerick, where he works for a leading scientific publisher. He is the founder and co-editor (with Catherine Walsh) of hardPressed Poetry and the Journal. He has read his work widely at festivals and universities internationally. His books include On First Looking into Lorine Niedecker (hardPressed Poetry 1986); Letters From Barcelona (Dedalus 1990); 5 Easy Pieces (Shearsman, Plymouth, 1997); A Small Book of Songs (Wild Honey, Dublin 1999); & from Paper Places (Longhouse, Vermont 2006). He is one of Irish poetry’s foremost linguistic radicals.
Emily Cullen grew up in County Tipperary. She now lives in Galway where she works in NUI Galway. As NUIG Arts Officer she founded Muscailt, the university’s annual spring arts festival and was also director of the Patrick Kavanagh Centenary Celebrations in 2004. She is an accomplished performer of the Irish harp. Emily was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series in 2004. Her first collection, No Vague Utopia, was published by Ainnir Publishing in 2003. Her poetry has been described by The Stinging Fly as “vivid and evocative”.
Quincy Lehr was born in Oklahoma City in 1975. He was educated in the Oklahoma public schools, as well as at the University of Texas at Austin and Columbia University. He is currently based in Ireland where he works in NUI Galway. A life-long reader of poetry, he began seriously writing it in 2003. His poetry is dramatic, and has been described by Michael O’Loughlin as “intellectually rigorous and displaying a serious engagement with poetic form.” Quincy’s first full collection, Across The Grid of Streets, is just published by Seven Towers.
There is no entrance fee. All are welcome. For further information contact 087-6431748.
Over The Edge acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council and Galway City Council.
Dave Lordan's debut collection of poems, The Boy in the Ring, published by Salmon Poetry, is one of five books shortlisted for the prestigious Irish Times-Poetry Now prize for best collection of poetry published by an Irish poet during the past year.
"When my friend Annie (Let's Go Ireland 2008) arrived in Galway for the last stretch of her research-writing route, we met up to attend a poetry reading at Sheridan's Wine Bar. The reading was presented by a local literary group, Over The Edge, and included poets from Limerick and Galway. My first-ever poetry reading! The second of the three poets especially struck a chord with me – he was an older man, new to writing from his biography, and recited all his poetry from memory." Julia Lam
John Corless
