Katie Donovan Launch Readings
Irish poet Katie Donovan's sixth book of poetry from Bloodaxe Books, May Swim, is published in May 2024. In this candid and uncompromising collection, poems of loss, widowhood and ageing co-exist with observations of her wild garden and its inhabitants, informed by wider concerns about the environment and climate change.
Her previous books of poetry are Watermelon Man (1993), Entering the Mare (1997), Day of the Dead (2002), Rootling: New & Selected Poems (2010), and Off Duty (2016), which was shortlisted for the Irish Times–Poetry Now Award. In 2017 Katie Donovan was awarded the twenty-first O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry 'for the intensity and conviction of her poetry, in recognition of the great range of both her craft and her subject matter, and in appreciation of her dedication to the witness and the vocation of the writer'. She is a former journalist with The Irish Times and has taught Creative Writing at IADT Dún Laoghaire and NUI Maynooth. She lives in Dalkey, Co. Dublin.
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Katie Donovan was Rachael Hegarty's guest on the new RTÉ Radio 1 weekly poetry series Poetry People on Sunday 12 May 2024. Rachael described May Swim as a book of ‘personal loss, love and recovery.’ Katie read and introduced three poems from May Swim: ‘Snowman’, ‘May Swim 2020 at Whiterock Beach’ and ‘The Dancing Queens’. Listen here (from 17:36).
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Wednesday 15 May 2024, 10pm
Cork International Poetry Festival: Katie Donovan & Kerry Hardie
Cork Arts Theatre, Carroll's Quay, Shandon, Cork, Ireland
Katie Donovan will be reading from her sixth collection of poetry, May Swim, published by Bloodaxe Books in May 2024. She will be reading alongside fellow Bloodaxe poet Kerry Hardie.
Tickets €5 - Book here.
Tuesday 21 May 2024, 7pm BST
Bloodaxe online launch reading by Amanda Dalton, Imtiaz Dharker and Katie Donovan
Join Bloodaxe for this launch reading by Amanda Dalton, Imtiaz Dharker and Katie Donovan celebrating the publication of their new poetry collections.
Watch live or later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04juLR-btSI
Wednesday 22 May, 6.30pm
Dublin launch event for May Swim
Hodges Figgis, 56-58 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, Dublin
Katie will be launching her new collection May Swim at an in-person reading at Hodges Figgis bookshop, introduced by Sinéad Mac Aodha.
Free event, all welcome.
https://www.waterstones.com/events/book-launch-may-swim-by-katie-donovan/dublin-hodges-figgis
Tuesday 28 May, 6pm
Galway launch event for May Swim
Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, The Cornstore, Middle St, Galway, Ireland
Katie will be launching her new collection May Swim at an in-person reading at Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, introduced by poet Rita Ann Higgins.
All welcome.
Thursday 30 May, 2.30pm
Bealtaine Festival: “Poetry by the Pond”
Lexicon Library, Dun Laoghaire
Katie Donovan will read from her new collection May Swim as part of this year's Bealtaine festival.
Attendance is free and all are welcome. More details forthcoming.
Friday 14 June
Poetry Supper
Katie Donovan will read from May Swim at the United Arts Club, Dublin.
Booking via office@unitedartsclubdublin.com
United Arts Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedArtsClub
More details forthcoming.
Sunday 15th September
Reading at Book Upstairs, Dublin
17 D'Olier Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Katie Donovan will give a reading with poet Mary O’Malley.
Attendance is free and all are welcome.
More details forthcoming.
[18 April 2024]
