Poems from My 5K

Cork County Council Library and Arts Service is pleased to announce a new poetry initiative that aims to encourage people to imaginatively respond through poetry to the new perspectives and understanding of place, nature and environment that the limitations on travel outside of the 5Km limit have created in the last year.

This boundary has meant that many of us are experiencing our locality in new and surprising ways, as we rediscover the world on our doorstep. ‘Poems from My 5k’ provides an opportunity to reflect on this new reality through poetry. Entry is free and is open to writers of all abilities and will be the starting point for a special celebration of the beauty of our surrounding environments and the unique capacity, which poetry has, to communicate ideas, thoughts and feelings.

FERMOY NATIVE AMONGST JUDGES

Cork County Council has invited three Cork poets to adjudicate the entries, including Fermoy native Mary Noonan. Mary published her first book of poetry, The Fado House in 2012 (shortlisted for both the Seamus Heaney Prize for a First Collection 2013 and The Strong/ Shine Award 2013) and Dedalus in 2019. Her poetry considers themes of family, travel, love and art.

The other judges are Bernard O’Donoghue and Matthew Geden. Bernard O’Donoghue is a winner of the Whitbread Prize for his collection Gunpowder, and the Cholmondeley Award in 2009. He is a native of Cullen in North Cork and retired Professor of English at Oxford University.

Fellow judge Matthew Geden, was appointed Writer in Residence with Cork County Library and Arts Service in 2020. Born in Coventry, Matthew moved to Ireland 30 years ago. His first collection, ‘Kinsale Poems’ was named after the place he now calls home. He has published 4 poetry collections and has also released a new collection of surrealist poetry called ‘Fruit’ with SurVision Books

Speaking on the initiative, Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, said, “Whether you’re a seasoned writer or completely new to poetry we would like to receive your work. We’re looking for poems that respond to our new relationship with our local environment. This initiative will produce a volume of poetry that will showcase the best work.

“I encourage you to put pen to paper and share your thoughts in verse. This is another positive initiative from Cork County Council in response to Covid-19 restrictions, aiming to promote creativity, wellbeing and engagement with place for people across County Cork,” she said.

ENTRIES

Entries to the Poems from My 5K collection can be submitted at www.yourcouncil.ie. Please read the terms and conditions of entry carefully. Applications can be submitted through this portal only; due to Covid-19 restrictions, no other format can be accepted. The closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, 2nd April at 4pm. Further enquiries can be submitted by e-mail to arts@ corkcoco.ie