The Clock Tavern // 28 Oct // 14:00
This event is the official Westport launch of Kelly Michels’ debut poetry book, American Anthem, published by Gallery Press and recently shortlisted for the Forward Prizes’ Felix Dennis Prize for Best First Collection. The book recounts the author’s experiences growing up and living in the United States, exploring the personal and societal grief caused by the opioid epidemic and bearing witness to a culture transformed by the effects of gun violence. As Peter Fallon notes, ‘This is an urgent, necessary book, a severe indictment of the mammoth pharmaceutical companies and of the merchants and pro-ponents of arms’. The reading will be followed by a short discussion and questions from the audience.
Kelly Michels immigrated to Ireland in 2019 and received her PhD from University College Dublin. Her family is originally from Islandmore in Clew Bay, and she divides her time between Dublin and Westport.
This is a free event.