DAVE LORDAN

davelordanpoet@gmail.com 0870921117 Information on my creative writing workshops here.

Dave Lordan gives electrifying performances of his poetry from memory. His poems are engaging and can be both hard-hitting and humorous: audiences love them.

Neil Astley, Editor of Bloodaxe Books.

The long final poem,  A Resurrection in Charlesland , is a bravura showpiece, working brilliantly on the page, as it must in performance. In it, Lordan breathlessly turns his head-on rant against our late but not lamented Celtic Tiger into powerful polemic, letting the rush of linguistic mayhem (Swiftian and Joycean riffs recur) be the proper metaphor for an anarchic state of things that’s mostly (by conspiracy and public collusion) hidden from sight, For all its differences of register and verbal manners, this poem might claim a place beside the poems of Kavanagh’s satiric period and Kinsella’s Nightwalker . Like them, it is an act of creative resistance to a suspect status quo, a resistance which Lordan correctly sees as part of poetry’s business.

The Irish Times

Dave Lordan is the first writer to win Ireland’s three national prizes for young poets. He is the current holder of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary Award and previous winner of both the Patrick Kavanagh and Strong Awards for poetry. He has won wide acclaim for his writing and is a renowned performer of his own work, with the Irish Times calling him ‘as brilliant on the page as he is in performance’. He has read his work by invitation at festivals and venues across Europe and North America. His collections are the The Boy in The Ring (2007) and Invitation to a Sacrifice (2010), both published by Salmon Poetry. His poems are regularly broadcast on Irish national radio and he reviews for the flagship Arts show Arena, as well as many publications including Ireland’s leading literary magazine, The Stinging Fly, of which he was a guest editor for summer 2012. He teaches contemporary critical theory and poetic practice on the MA in poetry studies in Dublin City University and he teaches creative writing at primary, secondary, third, and adult education levels ( Scroll down to see testimonials). He blogs on poetry and creativity at www.creativacy.blogspot.com. He can be contacted at davelordanpoet@gmail.com

My Current Projects:

Running New Planet Cabaret, Ireland’s first ever on-air creative writing course, in collaboration with RTE radio 1 and New Island Books.

Co-ordinating Wraparound, a programme of performance poetry workshops in school libraries, in partnership with the JCSP school library service, and Poetry Ireland.

Designing and delivering Teaching Creativity, a training course in creative teaching for educators. In collaboration with the Mater Dei Institute of Dublin City University.

Teaching writing for fun and development for Adults for Co Wicklow VEC.

Lecturing on New Directions in Irish Poetry for the Irish Studies department in DCU.

Writing and performing as part of the performance poetry duo Droppin The Act, with Karl Parkinson

Writer in residence at the JCSP library in St Killians, and at Co Limerick Youthreach.

Contributing Editor for The Stinging Fly Magazine, Ireland’s journal of record for new writing.

Editing a special ‘Irish’ issue of the Portland based online literary and visual arts magazine ‘Penduline’.

Looking forward to the upcoming release of my First Book of Frags, short experimental fiction published by Wurmpress.

Lordan moves Irish poetry forward, looking at modern realities rather than the Platonic ideals many poets are still relying on. Beyond his thematic choices, this collection is worth buying for its craft alone. His poems are built using startling images, expert restraint and energetic lines. They wake you up, shake you, insist you pay attention.

Southword Magazine

The long final poem,  A Resurrection in Charlesland , is a bravura showpiece, working brilliantly on the page, as it must in performance. In it, Lordan breathlessly turns his head-on rant against our late but not lamented Celtic Tiger into powerful polemic, letting the rush of linguistic mayhem (Swiftian and Joycean riffs recur) be the proper metaphor for an anarchic state of things that’s mostly (by conspiracy and public collusion) hidden from sight, For all its differences of register and verbal manners, this poem might claim a place beside the poems of Kavanagh’s satiric period and Kinsella’s Nightwalker . Like them, it is an act of creative resistance to a suspect status quo, a resistance which Lordan correctly sees as part of poetry’s business.

The Irish Times

 Dave Lordan is the first writer to win Ireland’s three national prizes for young poets. He is the current holder of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary Award and previous winner of both the Patrick Kavanagh and Strong Awards for poetry. He has won wide acclaim for his writing and is a renowned performer of his own work, with the Irish Times calling him ‘as brilliant on the page as he is in performance’. He has read his work by invitation at festivals and venues across Europe and North America. His collections are the The Boy in The Ring (2007) and Invitation to a Sacrifice (2010), both published by Salmon Poetry. His poems are regularly broadcast on Irish national radio and he reviews for the flagship Arts show Arena, as well as many publications including Ireland’s leading literary magazine, The Stinging Fly, of which he was a guest editor for summer 2012. He teaches contemporary critical theory and poetic practice on the MA in poetry studies in Dublin City University and he teaches creative writing at primary, secondary, third, and adult education levels ( Scroll down to see testimonials). He blogs on poetry and creativity at www.creativacy.blogspot.com. He can be contacted at davelordanpoet@gmail.com

“Our inaugural Creative Writing Workshop for Teenage Writers, which was  designed and led by Dave Lordan, was one of the great successes of this year’s West Cork Literary Festival. It sold out very quickly, and participants travelled from all around the country to take part. Parents expressed their appreciation that a workshop aimed specifically at creative teenagers was available. In this course, Dave concentrated on the participants’ creativity, without limiting it to writing, which allowed them to develop a very broad spectrum of artistic skills. One young man, for example, was invited by renowned author Dava Sobel to perform a section of her play during her own headline event. A young woman, who had insisted on the first day that she would never do a public reading, nonetheless read her extraordinary piece about the Christchurch earthquake on the following Friday. Several of the group, with Dave’s guidance, volunteered to take part in our Amnesty International Writers at Risk campaign, which involved reading to huge audiences, in front of world-class authors. Dave’s work on this involved helping the group to write and edit their pieces, coaching them in public speaking, and giving moral support at the event.  Having young people involved, like this, in many aspects of our programme was an asset to the festival – and would not have been possible without Dave. His dedication to his group was extraordinary. He made himself available to them around the clock, which in fact made it possible for the WCLF to hold this workshop in the first place. The group produced brilliant work in the classroom sessions and their performances at a special reading on the final day were also a testament to Dave’s hard work. Several parents spoke to me in moving terms about what this very special week in Bantry had meant to their children, and so to them, and this is entirely due to Dave’s talent, dedication, and sensitivity. I very much enjoyed working with him, and look forward to repeating the workshop again next year – with Dave at the helm.”

Denyse Woods, Artistic Director, West Cork Literary Festival.

 

Forthcoming Publication

First Book of Frags: 16 Short Fictions

Forthcoming in in Feb 2013 from Wurm Press

including Fucking Titanic and the Pushcart Prize nominated A Bone
Dave Lordan is a visceral writer, unafraid of the off-kilter, the downbeat and the ugly. He ably weaves his slant, wry view of the world through these stylish stories. Written in muscular, shining prose that has echoes of James Joyce and Angela Carter, this collection of fiction is nevertheless the work of a true original.

Nuala Ní Chonchúir, author of Mother America

Ballsy and brash, Lordan the poet rollicks behind the unrest. His writing is stylistically a joy. I’m thinking particularly of “Fucking Titanic”, where form, rhythm and craft carry you in first class across ugly realities. Cultural and literary references abound. There’s a nod to the modernists in “A Wall”, which quickly crumbles into a calligramme, and in “A message to the dead”, where poverty of everyday speech and communication, as well as the organic possibilities of language are explored in words that reveal just how expertly Lordan’s frags are building on Joyce’s Fragments.

At some point throughout these stories, you’ll be squirming, holding your breath, out of your comfort zone, exhausted from the verbal whip and lash of it all, yet irresistibly drawn further in because you know that behind the hilarious accounts the message is very close to home. So close we are the message, and it needs to be somehow tackled. In the polarised world of these stories, where everything is manically militia one minute, carnival the next, it might take some hazily-defined quixotic enterprise to find a solution to the mayhem. But that too, menacingly, is a parody.

Anamaria Crowe Serrano

In Ireland telling the truth is a symptom of madness. Dave Lordan is mad. Vision is a seeing into the given and at the same time a seeing beyond the given into its as yet unrealised potentials. In sixteen wicked and often wildly funny fictions he takes the absurdities of life in contemporary Ireland to their logical, apocalyptic extremes. This haterage has a grotesque, mythical quality. It’s a relentless and ultra-committed attempt to overturn every oppressive stone and expose to unforgiving light the grotesqueness festering underneath. And yes, hateful rage is put forward as an appropriate literary response. Every paragraph I write seems to be written by a totally different person, or by a different part of me at least. His ventriloquist forms and vulgar mouth-grenades challenge arguments for the validity of polite or officially-sanctioned language. The most resonant words in any tongue are the words for the most powerful scents of existence: Fuck, Shit and Kill.
Christodoulos Makris

http://yesbutisitpoetry.blogspot.com/

twitter.com/c_makris

Dave Lordan’s fantastical, imaginative, often twisted tales tell of a cocaine-coated decadent who springs forth from a Christmas cracker; sadistic employers in search of their next hireling to usurp; apocalyptic visions of European cities that become sentient, conquering then obliterating an undeserving humankind; and drowning victims of the Titanic who—finally—get the chance to tell their tales of sorrow and regret. First Book of Frags is a collection meant to be read in separate sittings, as each story stands alone in its intricate richness and avant-garde perspective, even when the themes darken the page.  Lordan’s is a poetic-infused prose that enlightens and mesmerizes the reader.

Bonnie Ditlevsen, Penduline Press, Portland

Recent, current and upcoming projects

Dave Lordan at Poetry International

Free workshop for teens in association with the Irish Film Institute and Poetry Ireland

Available for primary and secondary school workshops through the Poetry Ireland Writers in Schools Scheme

Writer in Residence to Hospital Youthreach school in association with Poetry Ireland.

Writer in residence to St Kilians JCSP library Bray, in association with Children’s Books Ireland.

Teaching creative writing for adults at Bray Instititute of Further Education

Summer Issue of the Stinging Fly, due to the success of the issue I have been appointed a contributing editor.

Teen Creativity Summer Camp at the West Cork Arts Festival, next edition summer 2013

Guest of honour at the October in Poetry Festival in Sardinia

Videos

Fearless at the Brownbread Mixtape

Surviving the Recession at the Poetry Anti-slam, Occupy Dublin

Books and Sample Poems

Soundcloud Account

Essay by leading poetry critic Kit Fryatt on my work

MY WORK AS FREELANCE CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER

I can design creative writing workshops and programs to suit any group of children’s and adults. Please contact me with any questions you may have on this.

Recent Clients include Sphere 17 Youthclub Darndale, Irish Film Institute Education Department, Fingal County Council, Dublin City Libraries, Ledbury Poetry Festival, West Cork Literary Festival, West Cork Arts Centre, Courthouse Arts CEntre, The Irish Countrywomen’s Association, and Children’s Books Ireland. In July 2012 I taught week long course for talented teenagers at West Cork Literary Festival. I am in very high demand as a workshop leader and have designed and delivered Poetry and General Creative writing courses to a wide range of client groups, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, Transition Years, DEIS school students, Youth Club members, Adult learners, and the elderly. Here are some testimonials:

“Our inaugural Creative Writing Workshop for Teenage Writers, which was  designed and led by Dave Lordan, was one of the great successes of this year’s West Cork Literary Festival. It sold out very quickly, and participants travelled from all around the country to take part. Parents expressed their appreciation that a workshop aimed specifically at creative teenagers was available. In this course, Dave concentrated on the participants’ creativity, without limiting it to writing, which allowed them to develop a very broad spectrum of artistic skills. One young man, for example, was invited by renowned author Dava Sobel to perform a section of her play during her own headline event. A young woman, who had insisted on the first day that she would never do a public reading, nonetheless read her extraordinary piece about the Christchurch earthquake on the following Friday. Several of the group, with Dave’s guidance, volunteered to take part in our Amnesty International Writers at Risk campaign, which involved reading to huge audiences, in front of world-class authors. Dave’s work on this involved helping the group to write and edit their pieces, coaching them in public speaking, and giving moral support at the event.  Having young people involved, like this, in many aspects of our programme was an asset to the festival – and would not have been possible without Dave. His dedication to his group was extraordinary. He made himself available to them around the clock, which in fact made it possible for the WCLF to hold this workshop in the first place. The group produced brilliant work in the classroom sessions and their performances at a special reading on the final day were also a testament to Dave’s hard work. Several parents spoke to me in moving terms about what this very special week in Bantry had meant to their children, and so to them, and this is entirely due to Dave’s talent, dedication, and sensitivity. I very much enjoyed working with him, and look forward to repeating the workshop again next year – with Dave at the helm.”

Denyse Woods, Artistic Director, West Cork Literary Festival

Dave Lordan delivered the ‘Got Something to Say’  series of spoken word workshops for Dublin City Public Libraries. Working with teens from the Coolock and Darndale area Dave made poetry relevant to their lives, encouraged their self expression and helped build their confidence and self esteem. The resulting work was heartfelt and resonant and was performed confidently to an audience of adults and peers who were very impressed. We’d love to have Dave back again for a similar project.

Mags Curley, Dublin City Libraries

Dave Lordan did a series of creative writing workshops with primary and secondary students as part of our Dublin 8 One Liberties, One Book project. He was great to work with.He pitched his sessions at a level that allowed children of all abilities to participate. He dealt very skillfully with all eight groups and succeeded in getting them not just to produce work but in many cases to present it to the rest of the class. There was lots of fun, laughter and enthusiasm in the session.Dave’s preparation and the time he took to liaise with us before embarking on the sessions was very valuable. He was very easy to deal with and very flexible in responding to our needs. I look forward to working with Dave again and would highly recommend his workshops to others.

Deirdre Cronin,Home School Community Liaison Coordinator, The Coombe, Dublin 8, 08766504

We were a group of writers from the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (Delgany Guild) in search of new directions.  To this end, we attended an open workshop given by Dave Lordan to a cross-section of the community in Greystones on Culture Night, September 2011.  We were so impressed with his style that we asked him to provide a series of workshops for our group.  In a very short time, Dave identified the individual talents and interests in the group and provided encouragement and specific guidance to each member on how to proceed with their poetry, memoir or fiction.  His individually-tailored exercises, together with his handouts, were very successful in stimulating creativity. Without exception, members of the group expressed appreciation of Dave’s workshops, which were stimulating, supportive and inclusive and we now feel much more optimistic about our individual projects.  I, therefore, have no hesitation at all in recommending him as a Creative Writing Workshop Leader.

Mary O’Brien, Convenor ICA Delgany Guild Writers’ Group.

Prizes, Awards, Nominations etc

2001 Awarded Mphil in Creative Writing by Trinity College, Dublin.

2002 2nd prize in Patrick Kavanagh Award for unpublished collection Out of my head.

2004 Awarded Arts Council Bursary.

2005 Winner Patrick Kavanagh Award.

2008 Winner Rupert and Eithne Strong Award for best first collection.

2008 Shortlisted for Irish Times Poetry Now Award for best collection.

2010 First prize in the  Dublin Book short story competition of the Irish Writers Exchange.

2010 Clonakilty Community Arts Award, from Clonakilty Town Council.

2011 Culture Ireland Travel Award (Newfoundland).

2011 Culture Ireland Travel Award (New York).

2011-12 Chair of Ireland Poetry Bursary Award (awarded by NUI, Trinity, Arts Council, and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland).

2012 Nominated for a Pushcart Prize in short fiction Category

Festival Appearances

Ireland

Dun Laoghaoire Poetry Now (Twice)

West Cork Literary Festival (Twice)

The CUIRT Festival in Galway (Three Times)

The Sean Dunne Writers Festival in Waterford

The Cork Spring Literature Festival (Twice)

Dromineer Literature Festival

Cashel Arts Festiva

3.0 Writers Festival Fingal (Twice)

Dublin Writers Festival

Dalkey Book Festival

Samhlaoicht Literature Festival in Tralee (twice)

The Force 8 Literary Festival in Belmullet

The Flatlakes Festival in Monaghan (Twice)

The Patrick Kavanagh Festival in Monaghan (twice)

The Electric Picnic in Stradbally (Five times)

Skibbereen XSW Music and Arts Festival

Mantua Music and Arts Festival

Abroad

Imagine Ireland Festival New York segment

March Hare Festival ( Newfoundland)

Belgrade Summer Festival

Ledbury Poetry Festival

Ottobre in Poesia, Sardinia

I have also read at numerous venues and events in Northern Italy.