Listen to MY First Poetry Reading (!)

I had a lot of firsts in Ireland when it came to writing. One of those firsts was thanks to Ó Bhéal. On February 10 (a day after I got back from an awesome trip to Iceland) 10 of us MA students in Creative Writing at University College Cork were given the chance to read our poetry at The Long Valley in Cork city centre.

It wasn’t the first time I had read poetry allowed, but usually I had done so during an open mic, my voice obscured by the sound of steaming milk or a couple in the back laughing at a private joke.

This night, we were featured guests–alongside the main event, poet Sara Burkley.

The reading part, speaking in front of a crowd, went pretty well. I got a few good laughs in. But, it wasn’t until I was in the middle of my second poem that I looked down and realized my sweater was on inside out. Thankfully, that was the only embarrassing moment of the night.

If you’re ever in Cork on a Monday night, check and see if Ó Bhéal is on (it’s monthly now). It’s always a great time and a fantastic place to meet people in Cork.

You can listen to the reading here: http://www.obheal.ie/blog/audio/Guest%20Reading%20-%20UCC%20Creative%20Writing%20-%202020.mp3

Other poets included on the recording are:

Betty O’Mahony, Cathy Ryan, Dan Johnson, Debra Fotheringham, Margaret O’Driscoll, Pat Agnew, Peggy McCarthy and Robyn Creamer

My bit starts at about 5:15ish, but you should most definitely listen to it all. These poets are BRILLIANT.

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Hello all! Gonna start updating this a bit more frequently. Is it because I’m trying to procrastinate finishing my thesis? Maybe. But, why ignore a good thing, eh?

If you’d like to check out all my recent publications (yes, MULTIPLE), you can find them listed on my personal website: briollre.com.

Feel free to recommend any of your favorite literary journals below. Word of mouth is some of the best way to find new places to be inspired.