Bits and Pieces

The American writer and film-maker Miranda July won the 2007 Frank O'Connor award for her first collection of short stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You. The prize was worth 35,000 Euro.

The chairman of the judges, Pat Cotter, who had earlier defended the shortlist as a demonstration of the judges' independence, hailed Miranda July as a worthy winner.
"The award has been won by a book of original genius," he said, "a book which we believe will endure for a long time."

No One Belongs Here More Than You is a collection full of a similar type of fantasy, but underpinned with a new toughness, an awareness of the real world that underlies the characters' rich inner lives. The website she designed to publicise the book apparently became an internet sensation. I never heard of it until now.

And here's an interesting quote about poetry from the New York Times Book Review.

The strength of American poetry depends on the fact that hardly anybody notices it. To emerging poets, eager for an audience, this marginality may seem frustrating, but it is the source of their freedom. Because nothing is at stake except the integrity of their medium, poets may write about anything in any way, from decorously rhymed couplets to sonically driven nonsense.

What's the point then? There must be more to it than that. Surely poetry should be written to be read and listened to? Do we write poetry only for other poets to read? How incestuous is that.

There is a reading for the anthology Do The Write Thing in Eason book shop in Bridgewater Shopping Centre, Arklow, Co. Wicklow on Friday the 5th of October from 6-9pm. Do call in if you are in the area.

And just to note, this blog has now blasted through the 1000th reader (although lots are on for zero second so I'm guessing they are automated, non-human readers)