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Poem of the Week: “Landscape by Bus” by Justin Quinn
Landscape by Bus Look out the window—half A landscape, half its trees. Switch focus. Reflections of The rest float by on these. At sixty miles an hour The world’s being folded back Into a suitcase. Where Oh where will I unpack? –Justin Quinn, from The Wake Forest Series of Irish Poetry, Volume III (2013)
Continue ReadingThe Poetry Project
Harry Clifton’s poem “Picardy” was highlighted in the latest piece for The Poetry Project. Take a few moments to just breath and enjoy a mental health break with this combination of poetry and natural imagery: David Farrell and Harry Clifton, “Picardy” . “Picardy” is from Clifton’s volume Secular Eden, winner of the 2008 Irish Times Poetry Now…
Continue ReadingLouis MacNeice Poetry Evening
On May 17th, in conjunction with Ireland’s National Poetry Day celebrations, contemporary poets gathered to mark the 50th anniversary of Louis MacNeice’s death. Sinéad Morrissey, Ciaran Carson, Lucy Caldwell, and others joined together for readings at Ulster Hall in Belfast. MacNeice also has an international appeal, as demonstrated by the participation of Bermudian poet Paul…
Continue ReadingWake: Up to Poetry Reading and Celebration
If you weren’t able to make it to our Wake: Up to Poetry reading and celebration last month, you’re in luck. Thanks to The Wake Forest Interdisciplinary Performance and Liberal Arts Center (iPLACe) and the Wake Forest Documentary Film Program, we now have this lovely video of highlights from the event. We hope you enjoy…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Going Places” by John McAuliffe
Do you have a memory of a childhood trip? “Going Places” by John McAuliffe from the Wake Forest Series of Irish Poetry, Volume III is a tribute to such journeys. As we get older, it is sometimes comforting to remember the times when we got to sit in the backseat and imagine “giant invisible horses”, instead…
Continue Reading“Legend of the Walled-up Wife” featured in The Antioch Review
The spring 2013 issue of The Antioch Review takes a thoughtful look at our recent volume, Legend of the Walled-up Wife, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin’s translations of Ileana Mălăncioiu’s poetry. Written under the Ceaușescu regime, the book has dark, chilling imagery throughout and critic Benjamin S. Grossberg writes: “Mălăncioiu often blurs the line between life and death, creating the sense…
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “The Realm of Nothing Whatever” by Medbh McGuckian
The Realm of Nothing Whatever The difference between things that are really the same is called Three in the Morning. The pigeon’s bath and the tiger’s regard, the dawn air and the night air, bird-stretchings and bear-hangings and pillowed corpse on corpse. The broken tile sunk in the wide house with the desolate side windows…
Continue ReadingHistoric Photograph Featuring Louis MacNeice Up for Grabs
Literary Giants: From left, Louis MacNeice, T.S. Eliot, Ted Hughes, W.H. Auden and Stephen Spender at Faber and Faber publishing party If you’re looking to be the owner of a rare literary moment in history, look no further! This iconic photograph shows the five men congregating at a party organized by their publisher, Faber and Faber….
Continue ReadingPoem of the Week: “Love Song” by Sinéad Morrissey
Love Song I see light everywhere Over the bus driver the woman With her trolley in the street I see dusk I hear the clock at four I hear the silence in cupboards Birdsong Backwater dawn I taste drier than flour I smell the roots of trees Before I see their arms Shrieking On the…
Continue ReadingWake Up to Poetry Celebration: A WFU Press’ Intern’s Reflection
The intermingling of poetry and Irish music created an atmosphere of captivation, reflection, and joy. This past Saturday night marked Wake Forest University Press’ first Wake Up to Poetry Celebration. In honor of National Poetry Month, WFUP collected student submissions, receiving more than 50 poems. The submissions were then evaluated by award-winning poets, Adrian Rice,…
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