Michael Jon Khandelwal: “When I lived in Los Angeles, every day, a man would walk by my house shouting—I investigated and found he was selling fresh corn. Something about that touched me, reminded me of my days living in Virginia, days when I would explore the cornfields. I was astonished by this man, and how his words—in a language I didn’t know—sparked my memory so vividly. Of course, I wrote a poem about this man and his corn, as poems, for me, come from the astonishing experience of living.”
Kerry Greer: “I’m a Northern Irish poet and writer. I was born in Belfast and lived there until I was eight, when my family moved to Western Australia. I returned to live in Belfast for several years in my early twenties. I continue to feel a very strong connection to Northern Ireland, particularly in my work as a writer. The lyric quality of the Irish vernacular, and the desire to make stories from even mundane events (a common theme in my own family!) is something I consider particularly Irish. I believe these characteristics contribute to the reputation Ireland has as a locus of art, music, and storytelling. Further, I think that Ireland has a legacy of oral storytelling that exists in conversation and everyday interactions, and carries over into their love for the magic of the written word.” (web)
Amy Miller: “When I was twelve, I wrote a story for an English class, and got an A. I wasn’t a good student, so my parents were thrilled, and made me read it in front of some dinner guests one night. My parents hadn’t read the story, and didn’t know the dialogue contained the word ‘bastard.’ When I blurted that word out, the adults were horrified, aghast—I might as well have thrown a cherry bomb in the toilet. That was my first inkling that creating something out of language could actually have an effect.” (web)
Denise Garvey: “I live in the West of Ireland and run a study centre for students of all ages and abilities. Severely hearing impaired since birth, my childhood world was mainly lived in books and poetry has become an important means of self-reflection and self-expression. Born in Ireland and Irish back to the Norman invasion at least, I am interested in how the traditions of our country, previously so rooted in the extended family, support us, or sometimes undermine us, in our commitment to living full and powerful lives.”
Ryan Boyland: “Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese are two of the best players in college basketball today. When Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers won the national championship this past week, Reese mimicked a celebration that Clark had used the week prior, and was heavily criticized for it.” (web)
Willie James King: “I write only compelled to do so. Writing is hard, that is why I love it. Language is as difficult to control as any animal found in the deep, wild woods. They don’t conform. They hold to what they do best, no matter how we holler: Humanity! Humanity! And that is why I write; I might be able to speak not only for myself, but for those without a voice; or, who they think they are, etc.”
S.C. Flynn: “I was born in Australia of Irish origin and have now lived in Ireland for seven years. A large part of my poetic project concerns exploring the old country and discovering what my family connection to Ireland means today.” (web)
