CAP’s CEO, Conor Shields’ Introduction to the “Manifest” Anthology – 2024

This is the 24th Poetry in Motion Community Anthology and with it, the 10th Anniversary of the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing. Over both these terms, so much has come and gone, so much drawn into focus and acute relief. It has been a great joy for us to have published an annual anthology supporting emerging voices and helping to establish others over that time and it is a continuing and special privilege to celebrate some of those voices as part of the legacy of our late Nobel winning laureate, the great Seamus Heaney.

It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since Seamus Heaney left us. Harder still that Seamus contributed to our publication ‘You Can’t Eat Flags For Breakfast’ fourteen years before that. And as the century moves on, we all know the slippiness of time and the increasing speed with which the days seem to come. And indeed, we all feel that time in so many ways and moments, in so much won and lost. The enduring power of memory and the often faltering determination of hope underpin so much of our being, that it is hardly surprising that on reflection, we reminisce, seeking out that emotional respite from the stresses and strains that we all must endure. And in this exploration we search to understand the value of what has changed in us, the sense and purpose that underpins our selves. And in all this, we can feel great loss but also find gratitude, resilience, strength and inspiration. It is from these deep wells that the poet often draws new narratives, offering other ways to understand both the personal and the universal.

We thank each and every poet published here and all those who share their poetic insights, for their humanity and generosity. At a time when it often feels that both are in ever-dwindling supply, our poets respond, voicing their concern, their despair, their anger, their humour and their hope. And as Seamus Heaney himself is quoted as saying, “Even if the hopes you started out with are dashed, hope has to be maintained.”

In the range of works that we publish here, we see the craft of the poet, even those who are only just emerging, as they work the imagery and symbolism, the sensory and the emotional. We read the art of poets who enjoy the support and encouragement of their local writers’ groups, (12 of which CAP supported this past year) and those others who perhaps toil alone. We can hear the diversity of voices, offering an experiential glimpse into these days. We are grateful for their conviction to write and their courage to publish.

We must also thank our principal funder, The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, for continuing to give CAP the means to support our community of writers and to offer us the opportunity to celebrate the great wealth of talent we have here.

We thank Marie Heaney for her continuing support for our programmes and the opportunity to host The Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing, in this the 10th year since her husband’s passing. We are deeply privileged to support his legacy.

As chair of the selection panel, I would like to thank my colleagues for their considerable effort and wise judgement; Dr. Stephanie Conn, the inaugural winner of The Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing and Sue Steging, last year’s winner; and of course the stalwart Damian Smyth, joint Head of Literature at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, who has been with us
every step of the way.

To this year’s winner, Michelle Dennehy, goes our sincerest praise and thanks. And to all those short and long listed, our congratulations. And to each and every poet published in Manifest, thank you for your support…hope must be maintained!

Conor Shields,

CEO, editor and chair of the selection panel.

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