Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Application deadline: 6th December 2022
Poetry Ireland is delighted to announce I bhFad i gCéin- Far Afield, funded by the Arts Council, a programme of international residencies based in five cities across the globe. The programme will provide five Irish poets with a two-to-three-week residency in one of five international locations plus a bursary of €2,000. Taking place in New York, Berlin, Edinburgh, Manchester and Montana, this ambitious programme will offer Irish poets the opportunity to immerse themselves and make contacts in one of five overseas locations in 2023.
I bhFad i gCéin, which means “far-afield” is inspired by the poetic spirit of adventure and aims to directly invest in the careers and development of Irish poets by enhancing their networks and experiences. The Residencies will be hosted by Cave Canem in New York, poesiefestival in Berlin, Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh, Quarantine in Manchester and Tippet Rise Art Center in Montana. Each residency is specifically chosen to allow poets to immerse themselves in their locations and each location has been chosen to reflect the growing and diverse community of poets living and working in Ireland.
The Residencies are funded by the Arts Council’s International Residency Scheme. Each successful applicant’s travel, accommodation costs will be covered by the programme in addition to a bursary which will enable the poet to take full advantage of these unique opportunities.
Liz Kelly, Director of Poetry Ireland said “Poetry Ireland is delighted to be in a position to offer Irish poets an opportunity through these International Residencies to gain fresh perspectives and platforms for their work. Each of the five locations is unique, with local partners offering multi-disciplinary experiences ranging from digital formats in Manchester to connections with indigenous communities in Montana. Time–out to explore and write is incredibly valuable and better still, when that time out can be taken in a new setting.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs will also support the programme and work closely with Poetry Ireland and successful applicants to ensure that a support network is in place at each of the five residency locations.
Upon completion of the programme, all participants will be invited to take part in a gathering to reflect upon their creative experiences during the residencies.
The first of the residencies will begin in March of 2023 in Edinburgh with the Scottish Poetry Library with applications opening today, Thursday the 10th November and clising 6th December. A jury of cultural and poetry experts will select the winning poets. Successful applicants will be informed through Poetry Ireland in the second week of December.
Potential applicants should carefully read the guidelines for each residency, as requirements and offerings will differ in every city. Not every residency will suit every poet, and applicants are asked to carefully consider their choice of residency application. While there is no rule against applying for multiple residencies, it is unlikely that a poet will be drawn or suited to more than one residency. The residencies in Berlin, Manchester, and Montana are open to established poets with at least one published book, while residencies in New York and Edinburgh are open to emerging poets. Each residency is open to both Irish language and English language poets.
INFORMATION ON RESIDENCES & HOW TO APPLY
Berlin
Dates: 1 – 22 June 2023
Level: Established
Every summer for one week, Berlin is transformed into a multitude of event spaces for poetry. More than 150 poets and artists from all over the world come together at poesiefestival berlin to present their work and the diversity of international contemporary poetry.
This three-week residency taking place in June 2023 will immerse the selected poet in the heart of one of Europe’s most vibrant and creative cities in the lead-up to the festival and will engage them in a number of professional development opportunities with Haus für Poesie, Germany’s premier literature organisation. The poet will be invited to take part in pop-up street performances, facilitate writing sessions for young writers (16 – 24 year-olds), and take the stage at poesiefestival on the same bill as some of the world’s biggest names in poetry. It is anticipated that there will be an opportunity for the Irish poet to record some of their work for Lyrikline and possibly have their work translated into German over the course of the residency.
The poet will have their flights to and accommodation in Berlin covered, and they will be provided with a writing space to work on a current project. The poet will also receive a bursary of €2,000 to enable them to fully engage with Haus für Poesie and the poesiefestival.
This residency is aimed at writers with at least one published pamphlet or collection, who can demonstrate professional experience performing on large-scale stages, ideally in a spoken word context. The ideal candidate for this residency will have some experience taking a creative approach in working with young writers (16 – 24 years old) and will ideally have teaching experience in community-based workshops. This residency would best suit a politically engaged writer who can demonstrate sensitivity towards and knowledge of current political topics and social discourses, as these themes will play an important role in the 2023 poesiefestival.
About poesiefestival berlin
Poetry has long sought out other forms of presentation besides the page or the conventional literary stage. At poesiefestival berlin, poets collaborate and experiment with artists from music, theatre, performance, dance, film and digital media. In 2023, our focus will be on collaborative works between poetry and music as well as forms of political poetry and Spoken Word.
poesiefestival berlin brings poetry to life in multiple forms and not least produces a yearly wealth of translations from dozens of languages. Our headliner event, Weltklang (world:sound), brings together renowned poets from around the world – in the past these have included Laurie Anderson, Derek Walcott, Serhij Zhadan, Eileen Myles, Friederike Mayröcker, Claudia Rankine and many others. In 2023, the annual Berliner Rede zur Poesie (Berlin Poetry Lecture) will be given by South Korean poet Kim Hyesoon and a night of political spoken word will include spoken word artists with a focus on societal change.
Berlin Application Form – https://poetryireland.submittable.com/submit/7540c3b6-1e19-40d9-be72-5a30219f5fe3/i-bhfad-igcein-far-afield-berlin
Manchester
Dates: Early summer 2023
Level: Established
This residency is an exciting opportunity for a poet interested in working collaboratively and in digital media to be given space and time to work on their own writing, as well as take part in an innovative project with Manchester’s leading arts organisation Quarantine.
This three-week residency taking place in early summer 2023 will immerse the selected poet in one of England’s busiest cultural hubs. During their time in Manchester, this poet will be invited to work with artists Lisa Mattocks and Lowri Evans. Lisa Mattocks (lead artist) is a digital artist and coder and has been making work with Quarantine since 2011. Lowri Evans is based in Manchester and São Paulo, Brazil. She makes intimate art projects in unusual places with complete strangers.
During the residency, the poet will take part in an interactive experiment with live writing featuring real-time observations of members of the public, combined with commentary/writing about current global news events. The poet will craft these into live writing – which will be projected in real-time – onto locally significant buildings, a wall in a small cafe or at a train station platform. All the content will be streamed via a custom-built website for an online audience but will also attract an in-situ ‘live’ audience. The aim is to develop a framework and content for the first version in Manchester, that could be repeatable in other locations. We have been in touch with Galway City Council Arts Office which has expressed an interest in becoming involved as a collaborator and presenter of the work.
As the residency will involve working in close artistic collaboration, it is expected that some conversations will take place over Zoom with the fellow artists Lisa Mattocks and Lowri Evans prior to the in-person residency.
The poet will have their flights to and accommodation in Manchester covered. They will be provided with a writing space in Manchester city centre to work on a current project. The poet will also receive a bursary of €2,000 to enable them to fully engage with the three-week residency.
The ideal recipient for this residency will have a strong interest in interdisciplinary work with a passion for working collaboratively. This poet should be flexible, people-focused, and confident enough to both receive and contribute to ideas.
About Quarantine
From a shared curry with a stranger to an epic 12-hour performance featuring 24 workers – each Quarantine work takes its own unique form. We’ve invited audiences to sing a karaoke duet with a serving soldier, staged dance marathons, compiled an online compendium of knowledge, made films with people who know they are dying, hosted family parties, taught Chinese cookery lessons and created a journey in the dark for one person at a time. As well as staging theatre on stage for audiences in seats…
Our work responds to the world around us, and what’s happening in our own lives. Each new work finds its own form – playing with and dismantling conventions of how theatre should be made and experienced. But it always comes back to the live encounter: creating the circumstances for an exchange between people who might not otherwise meet.
Quarantine was started in 1998 by directors Richard Gregory and Renny O’Shea – who still lead the company today – with designer Simon Banham. We operate as an ensemble of artists and producers working with a shifting constellation of creative collaborators. We’re rooted in Manchester, UK, and make and tour work around the world – work that is intimate and immediate in its relationship with people and global in reference, scope, and ambition.
Lisa Mattocks (lead artist) is a digital artist and coder and has been making work with Quarantine since 2011. Lisa has made films, trailers, websites, written essays, performed in shows. She has been a stage manager, a technician, a co-deviser, a conductor, a typesetter, a producer, a collaborator, a lead artist, a video programmer and a graphic designer. Lisa has a history of creating work in collaboration with others and her own work has been commissioned and presented by Sick! Festival, LeftCoast, Manchester Metropolitan University, Contact, and Noorderzon Festival (NL) & collaborated on work for Compass Arts Festival (Leeds), In Between Time (Bristol), MIF (Manchester), ICA (London), Sibfest (Romania) & ACT (Bilbao),
Lowri Evans (lead artist) is based in Manchester and São Paulo, Brazil. She makes intimate art projects in unusual places with complete strangers. Lowri studied art at Manchester Metropolitan University and has worked with Quarantine on several projects, and also with: MITsp, coletiva Ocupação, Transform Festival, Contact, Est.1761, WOW Festival, Martha Kiss Perrone, 32ª Bienal de São Paulo, Capital 35, Heart of Glass, Casa do Povo, Sonia Hughes, Latitude Festival, Ovalhouse & National Theatre of Scotland. Lowri won a Manchester Theatre Award in 2015 for The Shrine of Everyday Things with Renato Bolelli Rebouças, Rodolfo Amorim and Contact Young Company. Lowri is also an associate artist with Eggs Collective, the international producer for Coletiva Ocupação and in the band Hotpants Romance.
Manchester Application Form – https://poetryireland.submittable.com/submit/8bedb349-22a6-4108-8eeb-a4a44865529e/i-bhfad-igcein-far-afield-manchester
Montana and San Francisco
Dates: Thursday 28 September – Thursday 12 October
Level: Established (25+ years old)
The selected poet for this residency will have the opportunity to spend ten days at Tippet Rise Art Center, located in south-central Montana, a beautiful and rustic corner of the American West. Set on a 12,500-acre working sheep and cattle ranch, Tippet Rise opened in 2016 and celebrates the union of music, art, architecture, and nature. Each summer, the art center invites visitors to experience large-scale sculptures and structures by some of the world’s foremost artists and architects, including Mark di Suvero, Ensamble Studio, Francis Kéré, Patrick Dougherty, Ai Weiwei, and more, in addition to hosting an indoor and outdoor concert season featuring international acclaimed musicians.
Tippet Rise is situated roughly between the cities of Billings and Bozeman and is approximately two hours north of Yellowstone National Park. The art center will be closed to the public during the timing of this residency and housing will be provided on-site, offering an idyllic opportunity to be surrounded by nature and art. Due to its more rural location and to fully experience all that the region has to offer, candidates must have a valid driver’s license to take part in this residency. Montana State University at Bozeman, will also host the Poet in Residence for a reading at the university on Monday, October 9, 2023 which is Indigenous People’s Day.
Flights, accommodation, a rental car, and gas/petrol costs will be covered for the successful recipient. A bursary of €2,000 will also be awarded to the poet selected.
On the completion of the residency in Montana on 10th October, the poet will travel to reading opportunities elsewhere in Montana and in California before returning to Ireland on Thursday 12 October.
This residency is aimed at established poets over the age of 25 with strong publication or performance credits who’ve had a writing practice for at least five years.
Montana & California Application Form- https://poetryireland.submittable.com/submit/d6a42369-62b3-4929-bdad-7d6d189efc4a/i-bhfad-igcein-far-afield-montana-and-california
Edinburgh
Dates: March 2023
Level: Emerging
This three-week residency in Edinburgh, specifically aimed at emerging writers with some interest in and experience working with young people, is a unique opportunity to live and write in a city renowned for its rich heritage of storytelling and literature. Boasting the world’s largest literature festival and home to a myriad of bookshops, as well as the highest concentration of public libraries in Scotland, Edinburgh is a city which celebrates the power of the written word quite unlike any other.
The selected poet will be given a number of professional development opportunities with the Scottish Poetry Library, including the opportunity to facilitate writing workshops for young people at Royal Mile Primary School – Welcome to our website ,one of the most diverse inner city primary schools in Edinburgh. The poet in residence will be invited to participate in a showcase event at the Scottish Poetry Library at the culmination of the visit to Edinburgh. This residency is particularly aimed at writers interested in upskilling their work with young people and primary schools. There will also be an opportunity to visit and network at Stanza Poetry Festival.
The writer will be given a space to write at the Scottish Poetry Library, and will have their travel and accommodation costs covered. A bursary of €2,000 will be awarded to the successful recipient.
About Scottish Poetry Library
Bringing people and poems together is at the heart of everything we do – our mission. With this in mind, we’ll strive for our visitors, borrowers and service users to experience the SPL as a welcoming and compassionate organisation, aiming to transform people’s lives through exciting experiences and creative engagement with poetry – the ‘spark o’ Nature’s fire’ as Robert Burns wrote.
As a membership organisation, we encourage younger people and students to join and connect with us and with poetry for the rest of their lives. We also seek to reach out to communities that are traditionally underrepresented in our audiences, often the result of real and perceived barriers connected to limitations of low income, physical ability, low literacy and sense of belonging.
John Burnside wrote that ‘the more imaginative we are, the more compassionate we become’. By supporting the poetry community, creative learning programmes in schools and community settings, and offering increased access to poetry in live literature events and high-quality online resources, we support imagination. And in supporting imagination, we aim to demonstrate the compassion in poetry and affirm that, as writer and former SPL Board member Jenni Fagan puts it, ‘Poetry belongs in every community’.
Edinburgh Application Form – https://poetryireland.submittable.com/submit/901d05df-d3e9-4a09-8377-07a909c240fc/i-bhfad-igcein-far-afield-edinburgh
New York
Dates: 15 – 29 April 2023
Level: Emerging
This two-week residency in New York City, specifically aimed at emerging writers of the African diaspora based in Ireland, will immerse its recipient in one of the greatest cities in the world.
The selected poet will be connected with leading cultural partners in New York, including Cave Canem, which was founded in 1996 to remedy the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in the literary landscape. Cave Canem will host the visiting poet for an afternoon at their offices, as well as arrange a dinner for the poet with a Cave Canem Fellow. Cave Canem will also provide an introduction to at least three literary cultural / artistic spaces in NYC (ex. Poets’ House, the Bowery Poetry Club, the Nuyorican Poets Café), along with a tour of the NYPL’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. While in New York, writing space can be found for the successful poet at the NYPL. The residency will culminate with a showcase reading hosted by Cave Canem featuring the poet alongside a Cave Canem Fellow.
At the Irish Arts Centre, the Hell’s Kitchen home for artists and audiences of all backgrounds who share a passion or appreciation for the evolving arts and culture of contemporary Ireland and Irish America.
Flights and accommodation will be covered for the successful recipient. A stipend of €2,000 will also be awarded to the poet selected.
About Cave Canem
Founded by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady in 1996 to remedy the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in the literary landscape, Cave Canem Foundation is a home for the many voices of African American poetry and is committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets.
A 501-c-3 non-profit literary service organization with administrative and programming headquarters in Brooklyn, NY, Cave Canem has grown from a gathering of 26 poets to become an influential movement with a renowned faculty, high-achieving national fellowship of over 400 and a workshop community of 900.
Cave Canem enjoys over 20 local, regional and national cultural partnerships, among them the Brooklyn Book Festival, where we are a Programming Partner; the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference, where we are a Literary Partner; and collaborative residencies for fellows at such sites as the Millay Colony for the Arts, the Vermont Studio Center, Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and The Home School.
Cave Canem’s programs and publications enlarge the American literary canon; democratize archives; and expand for students, aspiring poets and readers the notion of what’s possible and valuable in a poem. In Cave Canem, poets of colour find productive space for writing without fear of censure or the need to defend subject matter or language—an intellectual and physical site where they validate their own and their peers’ voices and deeply know that s/he is not “the only one.”
About Irish Arts Center
Irish Arts Center, founded in 1972 and based in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, is a home for artists and audiences of all backgrounds who share a passion or appreciation for the evolving arts and culture of contemporary Ireland and Irish America.
We present, develop, and celebrate work from established and emerging artists and cultural practitioners, providing audiences with emotionally and intellectually engaging experiences in an environment of Irish hospitality. Steeped in grassroots traditions, we also provide community education programs and access to the arts for people of all ages and ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In a historic partnership of the people of Ireland and New York, Irish Arts Center recently completed construction on a fully-funded $60MM state-of-the-art new facility to support this mission for the 21st century.
New York City Application Form – https://poetryireland.submittable.com/submit/4e21d0c4-7b0e-42c1-9cee-da286f270a1c/i-bhfad-igcein-far-afield-new-york
For queries or further information please contact Louise Kane on +353 87 992 7546 or comms@poetryireland.ie
