I'm delighted to announce that I've won the NurePoets Corner Award 2025 with my poem 'Unmoored'. The judge was the esteemed John F. Deane, which makes it a huge honour for me. #poetry #johnfdeane #poetryireland #poetryirelandreview #daedaluspress

Can I ask my writer/poet/artist friends here to consider signing this statement in support of Sally Rooney and the right to peaceful protest in democratic society? chng.it/DP4sSJ9N4d #sallyrooney #palestineaction #peacefulprotest #democraticsociety

I've just reviewed an excellent new biography of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, written by James Rockhill and published by Swan River Press. The book also includes a number critical essays that explore different aspects of his life and work. You can read it here: johnrichardkenny.com/2025/09/19/b...

Love this poem from John F. Deane's Selected and New Poems. #poetry #JohnFDeane

I'm absolutely delighted to announce that 5 of my poems have just been published in Lothlorien Poetry Journal. Many thanks to Strider Marcus Jones for choosing them. You can read them here: lothlorienpoetryjournal.blogspot.com/2025/09/five... #poetry #lothlorienpoetryjournal #stridermarcusjones

I recently interviewed James Rockhill about his new book, A Mind Turned in Upon Itself, published by Swan River Press. Comprising a biography and a number of essays, it's a celebration of the life and work of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. You can read the interview here: swanriverpress.ie/2025/09/drea...

That Pat Ingoldsby was a right oul rascal, now wasn't he? From his collection Do Lamh i mo Bhristi:

Thanks for the repost @carmellapoetry.bsky.social

Only a couple of spots left on my Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy course at the Irish Writers Centre, which kicks off on September 9th. I'm looking forward to meeting the participants already signed on. Meeting new and emerging writers always energises me: irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ...

Another stunning poem from Catherine Ann Cullen's collection The Other Now, and something we need to cling to now more than ever:

Back in the day ('80s, '90s) I used to be an artist, along with doing a bit of acting. Well, we dug some pieces out of the eaves in the attic the other day and framed them for the wall of my study. The theatre posters are for plays I had a part in. Here's a few of them:

Our olive tree seems to be sprouting olives! Didn't expect that here in Ireland.

Another excellent issue of Flare magazine (#27) and a great line-up of poets. Here are two poems I particularly liked: #FlareMagazine #SunflowerSessions #poetry

Victor Rees and Iain Sinclair have put together a genuinely intriguing and fitting tribute to the life and work of the late Brian Catling in a new collection called A Mystery of Remnant. You can read my review here: johnrichardkenny.com/2025/08/12/b... #B.Catling #VictorRees #IainSinclair

I interviewed Victor Rees recently about his and Iain Sinclair’s assembling of a tribute to the late great B. Catling: A Mystery of Remnant. You can read the interview here: swanriverpress.ie/2025/07/expl... #B.Catling #IainSinclair #VictorRees #SwanRiverPress #AMysteryofRemnant

Celebrating after cataract surgery in Mayfield restaurant, Dublin.

A powerful poem from John F. Deane's Selected and New Poems: #poetry

Love this poem from Catherine Ann Cullen's collection The Other Now: #poetry

For those of you who might have an interest, I'm back at the Irish Writers Centre this September facilitating my Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy course. Please feel free to like and share. Details here: irishwriterscentre.ie/courses/writ... #writing #sciencefiction #fantasy #irishwriterscentre

Delighted to learn I have a poem published on Poem Alone today. Many thanks to Colin Dardis for selecting it. poemalone.blogspot.com/2025/07/john... #poetry

Our olive tree is a magnet for bumble bees. Turn the volume up for total buzzy loveliness.

From Hugo Williams' excellent collection I Knew the Bride, the first of a sequence of poems about his years on a dialysis machine:

Another terrific line-up of poets in the latest issue of Flare (#26). I particularly like this one by Alan Weadick, who gave an excellent reading of it last Thursday evening at the Sunflower Sessions. #poetry

A brilliant poem from a brilliant collection. And a lucky escape too! From Mark Granier's new collection Everything You Always Wanted To Know.

Had to dig around a bit for this #gutterprayer poem for #poemsabout @brokenspinearts.bsky.social @alanparry83.bsky.social hope it speaks to someone. I'll be around later to repost and comment on the others!

@chennessybooks.bsky.social Sorry I couldn't make it to the launch, Claire, but I've just now procured a copy. Looking forward to reading it.

An excellent anthology of essays written from a wide variety of perspectives. The key message for me from reading this is how liberating it is to receive a formal diagnosis, even late in life.

Love this poem from Philip Lynch's collection Moving On:

The ending we all wanted. From Noel King's collection Sons:

Swan River Press has published an impressive three-volume Collected Speculative Works of Fitz-James O'Brien. You can read my review of the books here: johnrichardkenny.com/2025/04/01/b...

Swan River Press has launched a major three-volume collected works of Fitz-James O’Brien, assembled by John P. Irish. I interviewed Irish about O’Brien’s work and about what attracted him to his work in the first place. You can check it out here: swanriverpress.ie/2025/03/an-i...

Just one of the many stunning, deeply affecting poems in Kelly Michels' collection, American Anthem:

Halfway through this and loving it. What a wonderful tribute to the life and work of David Marcus.

This poem, from Ross Hattaway's collection, Plain, really resonated with me, brought back memories of the 'education' I endured under the yoke of the Christian Brothers:

A beautiful poem from Eithne Lannon's second collection, Everything Gathers Light, which I picked up at a recent reading in Books Upstairs:

Three rejections yesterday took the wind out of my sails, but I dusted myself off this morning and wrote the first draft of two poems that I think may have potential. Onward and upward.

An interesting and thought-provoking speech by Lizzie in Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus:

We must never apologise for writing poems, like doing so is eccentricity. For much of human history, poems have been at the heart of culture, sources of power and resistance to power. Our age's attitude to poetry is the oddity, not the poetry itself. Poems have never been needed more. Poetry is life

A gorgeous poem from Orla Martin's Somewhat Vortex:

There's a terrific selection of poems in the latest issue of Flare (#25). I particularly liked this one by John W. Sexton:

From Barry Currivan's excellent collection if not If, what? Great fun, and a joy to read.

“We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist” James Baldwin

Also don’t forget the Bridport Prize also has the Never Too Late Award for Writers Over 60. Please share :)

My submission to @brokenspinearts.bsky.social #poemsabout #naturalreckoning @alanparry83.bsky.social

Delighted to have a poem featured in the latest issue of StepAway Magazine: stepawaymagazine.com/archives/5517 #poetry

Couldn't make it to the launch a couple of weeks ago but just picked up a copy of Orla Martin's Somewhat Vortex in The Winding Stair today. Looking forward to delving in. #poetry

A wee present in the post today from Uncle River, with a lovely endorsement from Paul Di Filippo on the cover. I published the lead story, Counting Tadpoles, many moons ago in Albedo One. It's great to see it again in book form.

From Clare McCotter's collection Revenant:

Just watched Leathered on the RTE Player, a documentary about corporal punishment in schools across Ireland in the '50s, '60s and '70s, and it brought an awful lot back to me that I'd pretty much buried. For those outside Ireland, see image of a leather below.

Picked up David McLoghlin's Crash Centre collection at a reading he gave in Books Upstairs a couple of months ago and just got around to reading it now. A frank, honest, and unsparing processing of his experience of clerical abuse. Here's one of my favourites from the collection: