New Books and Titles | Neon Hearts and the Angry Mob by Wayne Power | Book Launch

Neon Hearts and the Angry Mob by Wayne Power

– poetry at its unfiltered best with an unrivalled comedic edge –

Neon Hearts and the Angry Mob
by Wayne Power

Love in a time of lockdowns could be one way of describing the soon to be published Neon Hearts and the Angry Mob by Wayne Power, a worthy follow-up to his debut collection, Everyone's a Star after Midnight, published in 2020

Moreover, these poems go to the very essence of love, seeing it in terms of matters that concern both the heart and the mind. It is a love that is rooted in the communities to which we belong: those that we are born into and those that we seek out, often in search of refuge.

Written in the author's inimitable, racy style – reflecting the spoken-word, performance art that is his craft – these stories offer snapshots of the light and shade of city life, recollections of lost nights, love, mental health, also addressing social and political themes.

This is poetry at its unfiltered best, at times gritty but delivered with an unrivalled comedic edge, nourished by a sentiment steeped in fondness for where he is from, where he has been and where he hopes to go in life. We cannot have the good without the bad, so take time to enjoy all that the world has to offer, see both sides, enjoy the things that existence reveals or has yet to tell us about ourselves and the human condition.

Everyone's a Star after Midnight
by Wayne Power

Neon Hearts and the Angry Mob by Wayne Power is published by The Manuscript Publisher and available to pre-order online, where his debut collection, Everyone’s a Star after Midnight is also on sale.

The book will be formally launched on Friday, 4 March at 7pm in St Patrick's Gateway Centre in Waterford by local and nationally known playwright, Jim Nolan. Music, entertainment and refreshment will be provided on the night, along with performances by the author of some of his poems, who will also be on hand to sign copies.

New Books and Titles | Introducing Wayne Power – author, poet, spoken-word artist

Everyone's a Star after Midnight by Wayne Power

– tales from the urban jungle, of Love's lost and found, midnight masquerades and a soul laid bare –

The debut collection
from Wayne Power

Wayne Power is a writer, poet and spoken-word artist based in Waterford, who has risen to prominence in his native city in recent years, through his work on the local arts scene. It is not surprising therefore, that his debut collection of poems, Everyone's a Star after Midnight, should be so eagerly anticipated by all who know him and are familiar with his work.

It is a book, he says, that is dedicated:

… to the underdogs, the dreamers, the mental health warriors, the unrequited, the shoulders we cry on and the torch songs we let heal us. The friends who become family and the family who become everything.

In 2019, Wayne burst onto the spoken-word scene, at a rapid pace, through his work with the Modwords collective. He quickly became a regular face at Waterford's various open mic nights, taking every opportunity to share his truths. In this video, Wayne performs his composition, My Town, which is just one of the many gems in this, his debut collection.

His poetry and writing are unfiltered, at times gritty, recalling lost nights, love, mental health and political themes coupled with a comedic edge, all of which celebrate the human condition. They are snapshots of the light and shade of city life, steeped in a fondness for where he is from, where he has been and where he hopes to go.

Love is underrated. Fear is overrated. I didn't dream it.

Wayne Power,
author and spoken word artist

Everyone's a Star after Midnight by Wayne Power is published by The Manuscript Publisher. It is available to buy online, in print and e-book editions. RRP €12 plus P&P.

World Storytelling Day

From the website of World Storytelling Day:

World Storytelling Day (March 20th) is a global celebration of the art of oral storytelling. It is celebrated every year on the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, the first day of autumn equinox in the southern. On World Storytelling Day, as many people as possible tell and listen to stories in as many languages and at as many places as possible, during the same day and night. Participants tell each other about their events in order to share stories and inspiration, to learn from each other and create international contacts.

Getting ready for World Storytelling Day 2017? Tweet us what you are doing using the hashtag #WorldStory17.

World Storytelling Day has its roots in a national day for storytelling in Sweden, circa 1991-2. In 2009, there were World Storytelling Day events in Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America and Australia.

Each year, many of the individual storytelling events that take place around the globe are linked by a common theme. The theme for 2017 is Transformation.

My Ireland by Stephen James Smith

My Ireland by Stephen James Smith is the title of a poem commissioned by the St. Patrick's Festival organisers – a response to the theme for the 2017 festival. It offers a personal view of how the author sees Ireland today and yet (judging by the way that it has resonated with a public audience that has been largely appreciative) it is, by no means, a lone or solitary voice.

Here it is then, in spoken form, with audio-visual accompaniment to add an extra layer to the poem's already powerful invocation:

Stephen is a Dublin-based poet and playwright, who (according to his official website) has been "central to the rise of the vibrant spoken word genre in Ireland today" although, he would say that, wouldn't he?