Blog
Poem of the Week: “The Sofa” by Medbh McGuckian
It’s been nearly two decades since we published the last selection of Medbh McGuckian’s work, and in that time she has written eight more volumes. Needless to say, it was time to re-visit this poet’s remarkable ouevre. Over the last several months as we prepared The Unfixed Horizon: New Selected Poems, it’s been a true…
Continue ReadingVideo Highlights from Ciaran Carson’s Wake Forest Reading
Ciaran Carson recently visited Wake Forest University and gave an enchanting reading on campus. He read from his latest collection, From Elsewhere, and played traditional Irish tunes with his wife, fiddler Deirdre Shannon. Watch the video highlights from this wonderful evening!
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week to Celebrate Samhain
It’s the last week of October, which means it’s almost Halloween, the spookiest time of year. Did you know that Halloween originates from the Celtic festival called Samhain? We enjoy getting into the Samhain spirit by reading some of our poets’ eeriest pieces. Here’s a particularly creepy poem of the week from Louis MacNeice. Plant…
Continue ReadingCiaran Carson is coming, so we broke out the letterpress
We’re all incredibly excited for Ciaran Carson’s reading here at Wake Forest next week, so we thought that we would share some of what we’ve been doing to make the time pass more quickly. WFU Press intern Sophie Leveque worked with Craig Fansler of ZSR Library to design a broadside for the reading.
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Clotho” by Caitríona O’Reilly
It’s publication week for Caitríona O’Reilly’s new volume Geis (available now in print, iBook, and Kindle editions). This week’s featured poem is a sneak peek into this wonderful book. For more on O’Reilly’s inspiration, writing process, and more, check out our Q&A with the poet. Happy reading, poetry lovers! Clotho after Camille Claudel And in the end it was…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: Happy Birthday, Ciaran Carson!
Today is Ciaran Carson’s birthday, and in celebration of this accomplished poet and traditional musician from Belfast, we are sharing one of his earlier poems, “The Albatross,” from his book First Language as our featured poem this week. This poem is written after the poem “L’Albatros” by the French poet Charles Baudelaire. In it, the speaker compares the…
Continue Reading“It felt like a breaking of some taboo I’d placed myself under”: Caitríona O’Reilly on writing Geis
Caitríona O’Reilly’s Geis was published in 2015, and in honor of its publication, WFU Press interns Shannon Magee and Alex Muller asked her about her influences, her writing process, and the relationship between science, myth, and poetry.
Continue ReadingCiaran Carson on tour in the U.S. next month
We are pleased to announce that Ciaran Carson will be on tour in the U.S. this November. If you’ve never had the opportunity to see him read his work, you’re in for a treat. His lively readings combine poetry with traditional Irish music, making for a delightful and festive evening. A quick search on YouTube…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “October” by Harry Clifton
“The big news around here is the fall of leaves
In Harrington Street and Synge Street,
Lying about in pockets, adrift at your feet . . .”
New Irish Literature Festival in Phoenix
This weekend Irish literature will be celebrated in a new way here in America. The non-profit organization Phoenix Sister Cities will be hosting its own Ennis Committee Book Festival this Sunday, September 27 in Phoenix, Arizona. This year is the first for this festival, but it is meant to be a counterpart to an established literary event in…
Continue Reading