Matthew, Elena, and Mel talk with Oisín Breen about his poem “The Borderland Furies” and about his new book of poetry, Lillies on the Deathbed of Étaín, published by Beir Bua Press. We discuss how to approach reading poems that we don’t understand on a first read, a reader’s interpretation of a poem vs. the author’s intention, and looking at the world from different angles to find writing inspiration. We ask Oisín how he finds time to write and what his process of writing a book of poetry entails, then the discussion turns philosophical as we discuss the concept of one’s self changing over time, and Plato’s concept of the idealized form of objects.
Author Bio:
Irish poet, doctoral candidate, and journalist, Oisín Breen, a Best of the Net Nominee, is published in 105 journals in 20 countries, including in Agenda, North Dakota Quarterly, Books Ireland, About Place, Door is a Jar, Northern Gravy, Decomp, and The Tahoma Literary Review. Breen’s second collection, Lilies on the Deathbed of Étaín has just been released to growing acclaim through Beir Bua Press (2023). It follows his critically well received debut, ‘Flowers, All Sorts, in Blossom…’ (Dreich, 2020).
Referenced in this episode:
The Borderland Furies by Oisín Breen on The Metaworker website
Mourning by Oisín Breen on The Metaworker website
Lillies on the Deathbed of Étaín, Oisín’s newest book of poetry
Beir Bua Press – Oisín’s publisher, and publisher of post-avant, visual poetry collections
Flowers, all sorts in blossom, figs, berries, and fruits, forgotten – Oisín’s first book of poetry
Dublin & the Loose Footwork of Deity – a poem from Flowers, all sorts in blossom, figs, berries, and fruits, forgotten
Book & Author Recommendations:
Róisín Ní Neachtain, Irish writer and artist (Twitter @orphicreview)
W. Scott Howard, poet (Twitter @wscotth)
