The Poetry Programme returns for a new series on Sunday 10th January, at 7:30 pm on RTÉ Radio 1, when Eamon Grennan speaks with Olivia O'Leary from his home in the USA about his new collection, and poets Kate Ennals and John O'Donnell talk about the activities of Irish PEN.
Eamon Grennan was born in Dublin and was for many years Professor of English at Vassar College in New York State. Since 1983 he has published eleven collections with The Gallery Press and he speaks with Olivia O'Leary from his home in the USA about his new collection, Plainchant. Eamon divides his time between Poughkeepsie and Connemara and he has written in the past about both locations. This new collection contains poems inspired by Connemara - he reads the opening lines of his poem Lark-lustre below:
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Poets Kate Ennals and John O'Donnell join Olivia to talk about the work of Irish PEN, the Irish branch of an international literary organisation which stands for freedom of speech and thought, for a free press and against censorship. Kate reads Cry, Wind a poem by Chimengul Awut, an award-winning Uyghur poet recently released from detention - listen below:
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John tells us about the Turkish poet Ilhan Çomak, who has been held in prison since 1994, and reads Ilhan's poem I Give Praise for Flight - listen below:
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The Poetry Programme, Sundays from 10th January, at 7:30 pm on RTÉ Radio 1 - listen back here.
