MARKS AND BUZZ

I arrived back after my trip to Dublin for the Marks launch to a big, fat envelope stuffed with a generous 10 copies of the Buzz anthology from Templar Poetry in the UK. It is a gorgeous production and I am delighted to have three poems included. Fellow Galway writer Maureen Gallagher is also featured. I read half of it last night and the standard is amazing. I can only imagine that the winners of the pamphlet competition were outstanding. One of them was Siobhán Campbell, a well-known and exciting poet. I heard her read at Cúirt a few years ago and one of her poems, about a girl's sexuality being formed by her father's pornography stash, was alarmingly frank and taut.

Copies of Buzz can be bought here for £8 sterling. My pals will be getting a copy for Christmas from my contributor's pile! If anyone wants to review it, contact me through my website or, indeed, go straight to Templar Poetry.

The Marks launch was a blast: a big crowd turned up to drink bottles of Miller and swelter in the studio in Temple Bar Gallery where it took place. Circa did such a good job of the publication: it looks beautiful. Alan Jude Moore, Kevin Barry and myself read

Kevin's piece was about a famous Irish sculpture, the Anna Livia Fountain (nicknamed The Floozy in the Jacuzzi), which was inexplicably moved from its spot on O'Connell St in Dublin several years ago and is now in storage. His monologue was raucous and funny: pure Kevin. I loved his silver and gold runners too - very snazzy!

I met the lovely film-maker Paddy Cahill and his equally lovely brother Conor. Watch out for Paddy's excellent documentary on Liberty Hall which will be shown on RTÉ in the coming months. Also at the launch were writer and blogger P.J. Nolan, writers Kathleen Murray and Sinéad Morrissey, and artists Cora Cummins and Seán Lynch.

It was a great night and all credit goes to Declan Meade of The Stinging Fly and Peter Fitzgerald of Circa. Marks is available to purchase for a bargain €6 here.