FIRST THOUGHTS: Irish poets on the origins of their work
The words may embody a time of hurt or joy, a new direction in a poet’s work, perhaps even a transformative realisation on the nature of the art form.
Explaining the emotional and psychological landscape in which a poem originates is usually confined to the world of the poetry reading where, in front of the receptive few, poets have the luxury of explanation — those few words of introduction that allow them to put their verse in context: why they wrote it, what it meant to them, and where it fits into their writing life.
