Admission is free. Patrons are advised to be in their seats five minutes before readings begin.
About the poets taking part
Kathryn Guille is an American writer and choreographer living in Limerick City, Ireland. Kathryn is the 2016 winner of the The Cuirt International New Writing Award in Poetry. She has read her poems at many festivals, including Cuirt, Earshot, and Turnstyle. Her screenplay, Enemy of the Freak State, won the David Dortort Prize for Screenwriting, and her play, Venla and Henry won the Alice Stark Award for Playwriting, and was published, in excerpt, in Promethean. Kathryn holds a BFA from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and and MFA in Creative Writing from The City College of New York.
Edward O'Dwyer is a native of Limerick City, where he lives and writes. He has been published in many journals throughout the world, including The Forward Book of Poetry 2015. He was selected in 2010 for Poetry Ireland's Introductions Series and has been shortlisted for a Hennessy Award, the Desmond O'Grady Prize, and the North West Words Prize, among others. He has also been nominated for Pushcart, Forward, and Best of the Web prizes. Edward O' Dwyer's debut collection, The Rain on Cruise's Street, appeared in 2014 from Salmon Poetry.
Sheila Fitzpatrick O'Donnell is a native of Limerick City, now living in Shanagolden, Co. Limerick. She comes from a long line of poets/storytellers; her mother, known as Polly The Poet, encouraged her to pick up the pen. Her works has been published in many anthologies in Ireland and abroad. Sheila won the All Ireland Limericks Competition in 2009 and 2011 and the Cuisle Competition in 2013. She was shortlisted for the Desmond O'Grady Poetry Competition in 2013. She was part of Sextet, an anthology of six emerging poets in 2010. Her first collection, A Bouquet Of Trilogies, was also published in 2010 and her second collection will be published in 2016. In 2014 Bridget Wallace and Sheila took their Armchair project to the streets for Limerick City of Culture. Sheila is current travelling Ireland with her Reading At Random project and hosts a rambling house in her cottage in Shanagolden. She is also a member of the Moyross Drama group.
Donal O'Flynn is from Charleville, Co. Cork and has been working in the Philippines for the past five years. He has three books of poetry published Lost Grace, The Tailor and Ansty Poems and Random Inspirational Words all from Revival Press. His poems vary widely in style; ranging from strict structure to free verse. He is a regular attendee at the 'On the Nail' Literary Gathering and Whitehouse Pub Poetry Sessions when resident in Ireland.
Marie O'Halloran lives in Co. Cork, Ireland. Two of her poems were commended in 2013 Gregory O'Donoghue International Poetry Competition. She was the featured poet at an event in Fermoy with former Fulbright Professor of Poetry & American Culture Bradley R. Strahan. Her poetry has been published in The Blue Max Review 2013 and 2014 and Rebel Poetry's fathers and what must be said. She was part of the programme of readers at the 2013 Fermoy International Poetry Festival and globally in 2014 in conjunction with Mad Swirl poets in Dallas, Texas. Her stories have been commended and appear in various publications. She was the Poetry Slam judge at Kanturk Arts Festival, 2016. Two of her plays have been commercially staged at Friar's Gate Theatre in Kilmallock, Co. Limerick. She is currently editing her first crime novel and working on a sequel. She has had the Anam Cara experience and is a professional member of the Irish Writers' Centre.
Ron Carey was born in Limerick and lives in Dublin. He is a prize winning poet and a finalist in many national and international poetry competitions. In 2015 his first book of poetry, DISTANCE, was published by Revival Press and nominated (shortlisted) for the Forward Prize Best First Collection, UK and Ireland. He was Highly Commended in the Patrick Kavanagh Awards and received a MA in Creative Writing from the University of South Wales.
Noelene Nash lives outside Limerick City. She has studied journalism but prefers creative writing. Her work has been published in,Anthology For A River, Corners Of Our Minds, the Irish Independent and Stanzas Chap Books. She co-wrote and performed, 'Blackguarded: Our Vagina Dialogues', which debuted to packed houses at the Belltable, Limerick city and Friars Gate Theatre Kilmallock. "Poetry should be full of energy," she says, "If I make you sad I will also make you smile." She is currently working on a project called 'The Walking Poet' which gives her permission to 'loiter with intent' on the city's streets as she notes passing voices.
Tom O'Connor is a native of Mallow, Co. Cork. He is a former Civil Servant. For thirty five years he has been involved in drama and theatre as an actor and director completing his training at the London Centre For Contemporary Theatre Studies. In his forties he got bitten by the writing bug and has just signed a publishing contract for a collection of his poems. He is also actively involved as a public speaker with Toastmasters. Recently he completed screenwriting course with Eleanor McSherry at The Limerick Writers' Centre.