Queen’s poets take flight in major new anthology
Queen’s poets take flight in major new anthology
Queen’s University’s and Northern Ireland’s tradition of poetic excellence – exemplified by world-famous names like Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon – is to be celebrated in a major new anthology.
‘The Blackbird’s Nest’, which will be launched at the University later today, reflects the richness and diversity of poetry at Queen’s since the early 20th century. Among the poets featured are Helen Waddell, John Hewitt, Philip Larkin, Michael Longley and Medbh McGuckian, as well as many others who have made a vital contribution to the development of poetry at the University and in Northern Ireland.
Queen’s was at the heart of the remarkable flowering of poetry in Northern Ireland in the 1960s, a flowering that saw poets such as Seamus Heaney and Paul Muldoon take Irish poetry to an international audience, and the University continues to be a rich seedbed for poetic talent.
Queen’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson said: “Queen’s has many assets, but our reputation as a centre for poetry is one that we particularly prize. Few other universities in Britain and Ireland can point to such a wealth of talent, and such a single contribution to modern poetry.
“‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ is a fitting showcase of the work of Queen’s poets over the generations and celebrates our contribution to literature in Northern Ireland and further afield.”
Published by Blackstaff Press under the auspices of the University’s Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, ‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ is edited by the critically acclaimed poet and anthologist Frank Ormsby, who said: “The commissioning of ‘The Blackbird's Nest’ is a significant event in the cultural history of Queen's. It represents the University acknowledging and celebrating the international repute of its sons and daughters in the field of poetry."
The book takes its title from the logo of the Seamus Heaney Centre – the blackbird. It is generally accepted that the earliest reference to the Belfast area in Irish poetry is a doodle by a ninth-century scribe, possibly a monk, in the margin of the text he was transcribing. His spirits are lifted by the singing of a blackbird across the nearby lough and he records the moment in a short, joyful flourish. The Blackbird of Belfast Lough, as it is often known, has become an iconic presence in poetry from this part of the world.
Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre Professor Ciaran Carson said: “The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry was established in 2003 to build on and consolidate the international reputation that Queen's has gained since the 1960s. This anthology, with its strong representation of young poets, is tangible proof that poetry in Queen's is alive and well."
The launch of ‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ will also be marked by a gala evening taking place as the closing event of this year’s Belfast Festival at Queen’s.
Possibly the most important poetry reading ever in Northern Ireland, the event on Saturday 4 November will bring together a wide range of Queen’s poets, including Michael Longley, Frank Ormsby, Ciaran Carson, Medbh McGuckian, Jean Bleakney, Sinead Morrissey, Gearóid Mac Lochlainn, Alan Gillis and Leontia Flynn.
The evening also sees the launch the of the second issue of ‘The Yellow Nib’, the annual journal of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, also published by Blackstaff Press.
‘The Blackbird’s Nest’, priced at £14.99 (hardback) £9.99 (paperback), is now available from all good bookshops.
For further information contact:
Anne Langford, Tel 028 9097 5310
Notes for editors:
The official launch of ‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ will take place at 6 pm on Thursday 2 November in the Great Hall, Queen’s University. Media facilities will be available.
Queen’s University’s and Northern Ireland’s tradition of poetic excellence – exemplified by world-famous names like Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney and Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Muldoon – is to be celebrated in a major new anthology.
‘The Blackbird’s Nest’, which will be launched at the University later today, reflects the richness and diversity of poetry at Queen’s since the early 20th century. Among the poets featured are Helen Waddell, John Hewitt, Philip Larkin, Michael Longley and Medbh McGuckian, as well as many others who have made a vital contribution to the development of poetry at the University and in Northern Ireland.
Queen’s was at the heart of the remarkable flowering of poetry in Northern Ireland in the 1960s, a flowering that saw poets such as Seamus Heaney and Paul Muldoon take Irish poetry to an international audience, and the University continues to be a rich seedbed for poetic talent.
Queen’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson said: “Queen’s has many assets, but our reputation as a centre for poetry is one that we particularly prize. Few other universities in Britain and Ireland can point to such a wealth of talent, and such a single contribution to modern poetry.
“‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ is a fitting showcase of the work of Queen’s poets over the generations and celebrates our contribution to literature in Northern Ireland and further afield.”
Published by Blackstaff Press under the auspices of the University’s Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, ‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ is edited by the critically acclaimed poet and anthologist Frank Ormsby, who said: “The commissioning of ‘The Blackbird's Nest’ is a significant event in the cultural history of Queen's. It represents the University acknowledging and celebrating the international repute of its sons and daughters in the field of poetry."
The book takes its title from the logo of the Seamus Heaney Centre – the blackbird. It is generally accepted that the earliest reference to the Belfast area in Irish poetry is a doodle by a ninth-century scribe, possibly a monk, in the margin of the text he was transcribing. His spirits are lifted by the singing of a blackbird across the nearby lough and he records the moment in a short, joyful flourish. The Blackbird of Belfast Lough, as it is often known, has become an iconic presence in poetry from this part of the world.
Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre Professor Ciaran Carson said: “The Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry was established in 2003 to build on and consolidate the international reputation that Queen's has gained since the 1960s. This anthology, with its strong representation of young poets, is tangible proof that poetry in Queen's is alive and well."
The launch of ‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ will also be marked by a gala evening taking place as the closing event of this year’s Belfast Festival at Queen’s.
Possibly the most important poetry reading ever in Northern Ireland, the event on Saturday 4 November will bring together a wide range of Queen’s poets, including Michael Longley, Frank Ormsby, Ciaran Carson, Medbh McGuckian, Jean Bleakney, Sinead Morrissey, Gearóid Mac Lochlainn, Alan Gillis and Leontia Flynn.
The evening also sees the launch the of the second issue of ‘The Yellow Nib’, the annual journal of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, also published by Blackstaff Press.
‘The Blackbird’s Nest’, priced at £14.99 (hardback) £9.99 (paperback), is now available from all good bookshops.
For further information contact:
Anne Langford, Tel 028 9097 5310
Notes for editors:
The official launch of ‘The Blackbird’s Nest’ will take place at 6 pm on Thursday 2 November in the Great Hall, Queen’s University. Media facilities will be available.
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