Elaine and Noelle making their mark for Poetry Town

Poet and novelist Elaine Feeney has been nominated as Poet Laureate for Athenry as part of a new initiative from Poetry   Ireland, in conjunction with the Galway County Council Arts Office.   Her fellow poet, Noelle Lynskey, who is also director of Portumna’s Shorelines Festival has been appointed to fulfil the role of Poet Laureate in her home place of Strokestown, County Roscommon.

The two women will have to write a poem about their assigned place for a new week-long project, Poetry Town.

They are among 20 poet laureates appointed this week by the national not-for-profit organisation, Poetry Ireland, in association with local authorities across the island.

Each person who was chosen as a poet laureate is “deeply connected” with the town they will be writing about, explains the Director of Poetry Ireland, Niamh O’Donnell, who adds that local libraries were involved in the process as well as local arts offices.

“The aim of Poetry Town is to celebrate the vitality and strength of our towns and communities and to shine a light on the wealth of creativity and talent that can be found in them.”

This diversity is reflected in the laureates, who include “well-known visionary poets and new powerful voices”, she adds.

Under the Poetry Ireland initiative, more than 100 events will take place in 20 towns across Ireland between September 10-18 for Poetry Town week.

Each laureate will present their poem at a reading in their hometown, an event which will also involve other local poets, artists and musicians. The full series will be available online.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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