Martina Evans, a cork-born poet, novelist and teacher will be in Waterford later this month to read her poetry as part of the Imagine Festival. Her third collection from Anvil Press – Facing the Public, is a wry, often humourous account of growing up in a pub or public house and is full of old characters, old IRA men who suffered under the Black and Tans.
The procession of clients to the closed pub on Christmas Day – the one day in the year – as sad as it is real in Desperate men and in Every Year She Said is evocative of a mother’s comments after Christmas – God I Can’t Stand Christmas…another Christmas behind me….there’s nothing like a good walk. Then the familiar ending – hungry for ham and mustard sandwiches.
You will love the title poem – Facing the Public – with its iconic lines – I’m imploring you not to go up that road late again, late for Mass. Or, I never grumble but the pain I have in my two knees this night there isn’t a person alive who would stand it.
The Blue Room captures vividly the loneliness of growing up over a pub – the creak of boards….they sang A Nation Once Again….or I’m Nobody’s child. Where the only cure was “books, books, books”. Then there was the shock of My Last Confession and the chilling power of this poet, Martin Evans, to impress by implication.
Martina Evans will share a reading with Edward Denniston at Greyfriars Gallery at 12 noon on Sunday 24th October.
