Kevin McCormack publishes debut poetry collection
This past year, through its upset and uncertainty, has unearthed two types of people - those who have let this whole Covid-19 pandemic go to waste, and those who have made the absolute most of it. Kilworth-based writer, actor and mindfulness teacher, Kevin McCormack falls firmly into the latter category.
In the past few weeks, Kevin published his first ever book – ‘Verses Versus Verses’, a collection of fifty-eight original works of poetry - which has been a long time making.
Speaking to The Avondhu, Kevin explained: “I’ve been writing poetry for over a decade now, and had always said that I’d publish a collection some day. I had a folder of poems in various states of completion sitting on my desktop for so long, I had become almost blind to it. Then, about a year ago, I took to writing poetry again, I suppose as a way of coping with and processing the strangeness of this whole pandemic and the unease of the lockdowns and all the change and unrest that they brought.”
Kevin goes on to explain how his sharing of one particular poem with the world was the catalyst that prompted him to write more new poetry, and to re-visit and complete some of what was in that folder on his desktop.
“I wrote a piece called ‘If This Time’, which, when I started writing it, was an observational piece - you know, just me putting into verse what the time during the first lockdown taught me - and as I was writing it, it evolved into ten verses - loaded with hope, encouragement, inspiration and a lesson or two about acceptance, compassion and self-love.
“Anyway, I reached out to some Facebook friends who are keen photographers, asking them to send me their favourite images of nature, landscapes, sunsets etc., that they had captured. I made an audio recording of me reading the poem, combined it with the images that my friends sent me, underscored it with a nice piece of music, and stuck it up on my Facebook page.”
Kevin says nothing could have prepared him for the reaction to the six minute video clip, and how it has resonated with so many people the world over.
“I didn’t know what to expect when I posted the video online, I thought maybe at best that some of my own Facebook friends would give it a like and a share, but I had no idea of what was to follow”, Kevin continues.
“Within a couple of days, the video had gotten a few thousand views on my Facebook page, and then a friend messaged to say I should really put it on YouTube, to give it a further reach. With nothing to lose, I published the video to YouTube – and since last May, between YouTube, Facebook and various other online platforms, ‘If This Time’ has been viewed over a quarter of a million times.”
COLLECTION ‘FULL OF CONTRAST’
Kevin goes on to explain how ‘If This Time’ and other of his ‘lockdown verses’ have connected him to individuals and organisations the world over.
“It’s incredible, the world really is such a small place when it comes down to it,” Kevin says. “Following on from the tremendous reaction to ‘If This Time’, I decided, in a fit of un-characteristic bravery, to share some more of the poems I had composed during lockdown. It got to the stage where I was receiving several emails every week, from people as far afield as USA, Canada, South Africa and even further flung corners, asking for permission to reproduce or share my work.
“It’s really very humbling, to have groups and individuals from around the world wanting to use my work to help, encourage and inspire others, but it’s the requests that come from closer to home that touch me most. Pieces like ‘Today We Mourned You Differently’, ‘There is a Light’ and ‘Be The One’ have been used during memorial services by Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, The Irish Hospice Foundation, The Irish Cancer Society and several mental health organisations.”
So, is ‘Verses Versus Verses’ a book of just inspirational pieces? “Not at all”, says Kevin, “the collection is full of contrast. Some of what’s in the book is meant to inspire and encourage, but there’s a lot of pieces in the collection that are nostalgic, some provocative and others humorous – and like any poetry collection worth its salt, it’s got a few love poems in the mix as well,” Kevin concludes.
‘Verses Versus Verses’ by Kevin McCormack is available for purchase online in paperback and E-book formats from Amazon and Book Depository and a limited number of signed copies are available from Hanley’s Newsagents in Fermoy.