Five poets from the Jiangsu Region of China will join 11 poets from the United States along with poets from Gort’s Ploughed Field Collective to participate in a three-day poetry gathering centered at Thoor Ballylee, the historic home of W.B. Yeats. The weekend will also extend into programs at Coole Park and at the Hidden Gem Café in Gort.
Poet and leader of the China poets, Chen Yihai said, “The world is busy fighting. Poets are busy bridging continents with their writing.” Also among the China contingent will be master calligrapher Zichuan [Zeh-schwan] who will demonstrate poetry in calligraphy. Zichaun is also an expert on ancient Chinese poetry.
The American contingent will be led by 2024 Stanley Kuntiz Medalist Rodger Martin, whose books have been published in both the U.S. and China. He said, “This opportunity to share poetry in three languages, Mandarin, Irish, and English, particularly in the home of one of the greatest poets of the Twentieth Century, W.B. Yeats, demonstrates so clearly, our commonalities matter more than our differences.” Travelling with the Americans are three poets with Irish roots: Meg Kearney, Susan Roney-O’Brien, and Jackson Caffrey.
Both groups will work with Gort’s Ploughed Field Poetry Collective and with the Yeats’ Thoor Ballylee Society. Chair of the Society, Adam Stoneman, said “It is an honour to host the fifth edition of this international symposium, in association with our very own Ploughed Field Collective. As an important heritage site steeped in poetic and literary history, Thoor Ballylee is well placed to act as a cultural ‘bridge’ for an exchange of poetry across continents and traditions.
The symposium begins Saturday, 16 May at Thoor Ballylee and concludes Monday in Gort, 18 May. Visitors are invited to attend any of the public events at no charge.
