We had a great time at the Blackwater International Poetry Festival. Rozz and Emrys joined me for their annual Poetry Bus, a super idea, where we are whisked around Co. Cork stopping off in lovely touristy places. Poetry is read and food is shared and we get to see parts of the country we don’t usually […]
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First Review of Jewtown
I was thrilled to have my first review of Jewtown today in Southword Magazine by Thomas McCarthy. Thomas has been a great support to me. A few years ago he took a day to show me around Jewish Cork and told me all about the history of the people. He lent me a number of books […]
Evening Echo Article
I was delighted to have an article about Jewtown published in the Evening Echo a few weeks ago. Here is the article pasted from the original, which can be found here. THE Albert Road area of Cork, known as Jewtown, is the subject matter of a new poetry collection by Simon Lewis, writes Colette Sheridan. […]
Sketched
During my reading in Bantry Bookshop, there was a lady who was sketching me throughout. I never spoke to her but she gave one of the sketches to Rozz for Emrys. I’ve never been sketched before except one of those cartoony ones you do when you’re drunk on a sun holiday. Whoever you are, thank […]
West Cork Literary Festival Reading
The West Cork Literary Festival is one of my favourite writing festivals of the year. Rozz and I first went four years ago and went again the following year for a full week of workshops. I didn’t think back then that I would be featuring in any way at the festival a few years later. It was […]
Shelfie Time
I know it’s probably stupid but I get such a kick out of seeing my books on the shelves. This photo is my books in Bantry Bookshop. As I was taking the photograph, two women were looking at the book and talking about the area of Jewtown. I couldn’t resist introducing myself and they told […]
Beautiful Bantry
It’s been 3 years since I was last in Bantry for the West Cork Literary Festival and I’m looking forward to reading on Wednesday in Bantry Bookshop, the first of 3 Cork readings. I’ve combined the event with a short family break and the weather has decided to act like July and it’s beautiful. Rozz […]
How lovely are Hay?
I have limited experience so far from reading at literary festivals so I’m not sure if this is the norm but I got a lovely email from the Hay Festival organisers to thank me for reading at their festival. It wasn’t a template, group or generic email, it was a real email to me with a […]
The closest I’ll get to Michael Longley
One of my dreams when I got my publishing deal for Jewtown was to see my book on the shelf of a proper bookshop. Over the weekend that dream came true. Here is my book in Books Upstairs.
Wexford Reading kicks off a Weekend of Crazy
I had the busiest weekend I think I’ve had for a long time. It kicked off in the Fusion Café in Wexford Town. The fantastic monthly poetry event run by Denis Collins has been going for a few years and every month, there’s an open mic and featured poet that reads their work. This month […]