Salmon Poetry, one of Ireland’s leading poetry publishers has established a new writing centre and bookshop in Ennistymon, Co Clare. At a time when booksellers are struggling, Salmon’s innovative plans for the space will make it much more than just a shop but the heart of literary events in the area.
Salmon Poetry, taking its name from the Salmon of Knowledge in Celtic mythology, was established in 1981 as an alternative voice in Irish literature. The Salmon, a journal of poetry and prose was a flagship for writers in the west of Ireland, and Salmon’s first books, Gonella by Eva Bourke and Goddess on the Mervue Busby Rita Ann Higgins broke new ground for women poets. Since then over 300 volumes of poetry have been produced, and Salmon has become one of the most important publishers in the Irish literary world. By specialising in the promotion of new poets, particularly women poets, Salmon has greatly enriched Irish literary publishing.In recent years Salmon has developed a cross-cultural, international literary dialogue… “broadening the parameter of Irish literature by opening up to other cultures and by urging new perspectives on established traditions. That enviable balance of focus and ranginess is a rare and instructive achievement” (‘Opening up to Other Cultures’, Poetry Ireland Review 54, Kathleen McCracken.)
Salmon is run by Jessie Lendennie, who is the founder and Managing Editor. Salmon say “Salmon Poetry has continually taken risks. The challenge has always been in walking the tightrope between innovation and convention. The conventional approach is what makes art comfortable for people, accepted and necessary, but creative expression is not always so and not always immediately popular.’The judgment of what is Good and Bad in art is fraught, and it is, unfortunately, easier for many people to focus on what has already been accepted into the established stable. New work is work which is vulnerable; the greatest of artists can look back at their early work and see how far they have progressed. In order to progress there has to be a starting point. And if we are broad minded and willing to nurture the individual voice inherent in the work, the artist will emerge. Salmon has always given focus to this concept and seen its writers flourish.”
Originally based in Galway city, Salmon moved to County Clare in 1995 where the Salmon Poetry premises are based less than a mile north of the Cliffs of Moher, on Ireland’s stunning west coast. The Salmon Bookshop & Literary Centre is in the country market town of Ennistymon, a popular tourist spot, through which the River Inagh runs, just behind the main street.
In 2013, The Salmon Bookshop & Literary Centre will host a monthly reading series, book launches and signings, creative writing workshops, and master classes facilitated by writers from Ireland, the US, UK and further afield.
The bookshop offers a wide range of new and secondhand books, with an emphasis on poetry and literary titles, as well as offer accommodation for visiting writers and international students. The literary centre and shop will be at the heart of literary events in the area, with a programme designed to interest locals as well as visitors.
In 1996, Salmon Poetry was the first Irish literary publisher to have an online bookshop, and the second publisher in Ireland to have a website. Writers wishing to submit to Salmon Poetry are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the website and the range of titles published. For readers looking for that elusive perfect gift, the new bookshop sounds like a very good place to start!
