Here’s an interview I did with Double Shot Poetry before my reading:
Double Shot | Poetry Readings & Events in Dublin, Ireland
I’ve also pasted it below in case the web site goes down!
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Carlow-based poet, Simon Lewis, winner of the 2015 Hennessey New Irish Writing Emerging Poet award, is reading alongside Kevin Higgins and Mary Madec, at the October Double Shotreading, this Wednesday 14 October from 6.30pm at Books Upstairs, in conjunction with Over The Edge. We asked him to tell us more about his writing and reading habits.
Welcome, Simon! Tell us a bit about a current project you’re working on.
I’m currently working on my first collection of poems called Jewtown. The collection is based on the story of a group of Jewish immigrants who landed in Cork in the late 19th century and settled into a small community on the fringes of the city, which became affectionately known as Jewtown to the local Cork community. I’ve had a really good year with the poems having won the Hennessy Emerging Poet award and I was a runner-up in the Patrick Kavanagh Award this year. I also had the opportunity to read at the Poetry Ireland Introductions series so to have news of a publication would be a wonderful way to end the year.
What’s your writing routine like? What brings you to the page?
I have a full-time job as a principal of a primary school in Carlow Town and this takes up the bulk of my weekdays and many of my evenings. I also run a number of web sites and I have a one-year old baby at home so having a routine I can rely upon is difficult. Luckily, I tend to have a couple of hours most evenings so this is my time to write or edit. I also get the odd Saturday or Sunday morning and I find a good long walk followed by a load of coffee helps me write new material.
How important are live readings to you and your work?
I’m only in my infancy so I’m genuinely honoured to get any opportunities to read in public. I’ve had a few chances to read and I’m currently road testing the poems from the collection and hoping people like them.
What’s next for you? Any interesting events / gigs / projects coming up?
I’ll be reading with my writing group in November as part of the Yeats 150 year in Carlow Town at Visual.
Tell us what you are reading at the moment, or recommend a fave collection.
As part of my preparations for the November event, I’m reading Séamus Heaney’s collection of Yeats’ poems. I’ve just finished reading some collections from Jane Clarke (The River) and Breda Wall Ryan (In a Hare’s Eye) and enjoyed them. I have a big pile of other books on my bedside locker, which I’m hoping to get to soon.
Don’t forget, Double Shot — Weds 16 Sept from 6.30pm, at Books Upstairs, Entry €6 (incl. wine!)