Based in South Dublin, Casey’s poetry is widely published in anthologies by Dedalus, New Island, Faber & Faber, The Nordic Irish Studies Journal, Jelly Bucket (USA), Orbis (UK), PigHog Press, Abridged, The Ulster Tatler Literary Review, Poetry Ireland Review, among others.
Poetry awards include: The Oliver Goldsmith International Poetry Prize, The Hannah Greally Award (Roscommon Libraries), and a Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Fellowship, among others. Runner up in Poetry Ireland, Trocaire Poetry Competition, 2018. Shortlisted in 2022 Irish Times National Poetry Award. Also received an Arts Council Agility Award, 2021 and a Heinrich Boll residency (Archill Island).
She is a regular contributor to poetry journals and magazines. ‘Bog Treasure’ (Arlen House), her sixth poetry collection formed part of an exhibition ‘The Strange Case of The Irish Elk’ in collaboration with Canadian Sculptor, Curator, and Anthropologist Jeanne Cannizzo. Supported by an Arts Council Project Development Award, the exhibition went on show in Vancouver (BC) in September, 2021. ‘Treasure’, a short film featuring Casey’s bog poetry and the photography of County Offaly Photographer Tina Claffey was commissioned by Offaly Arts, for Culture Night, 2021. ‘Bogmen First and Last’ (Fiery Arrow Press poetry) received a Creative Ireland Award, 2021.
Next course starts on 4th October 2023
We are currently experiencing a high demand for our online creative writing courses. We therefore recommend that you book early to avoid disappointment.
Price: €170
Places Remaining: 3
Duration: Six weeks
This poetry course is an ideal way to explore the business of poetry under the guidance of a published poet.
It is equally suitable for beginner poets on the initial rung of their journey and aspiring poets working towards a first collection.
- Each course also has its own tutor, who will provide individual feedback on your work. Our tutors are experienced writers with expert knowledge of the industry.
- Every week you’ll be sent a new learning module in the form of text lessons.
- It’s super flexible, as you can choose the time and place that best suits your schedule. A weekly written assignment, which will be assessed by your tutor, will help you stay on track and monitor your progress along the way.
How does the online course work?
Once you enrol:
- This course is carried out through email correspondence.
- Your tutor will email you one module a week – each module will contain various writing tasks and a core assignment
- Every week, you can submit your assignment by email for written personalised feedback from your tutor
- There are no set class times – complete each module when it suits you during the week
- We recommend spending 2-3 hours per week on each module
Week One: Found Poetry: ‘It’s not what you are looking at, it’s what you see,’ (Thoreau).
This module discusses the basis of how ‘found’ poetry is identified. Discovering texts and images which appear to be non-poetic but which are loaded with poetic potential is a tremendous way of honing critical faculties. The course will supply text in its ‘raw’ shape, demonstrating how line breaks can intervene to create a whole new linguistic dynamic. Creating line breaks is part of the process of developing a writer’s unique style. A glossary of useful literary terms will be provided.
Week Two: Form
Using ‘found’ material, varying types of form will be applied in order to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. In general, form and content have a symbiotic relationship, the latter often determining the former. Form can range from a simple shopping list to a Shakespearean Sonnet. Making the form choice ensures that the work has structure and definition. Various form examples (from the classical to newer, more contemporary ones) will be provided. The merits of free verse will also be explored.
Week Three: White Fences make Good Neighbours
Couched in another way; both a borrower and a lender be. Using existing work and recasting it provides the opportunity to get beneath ‘its skin’ in terms of producing a work of parody or simply by extending boundaries. Taking work already honed and polished by established poets allows the opportunity to amplify or redefine a single segment of the work, restructuring it to fit a new purpose.
Week Four: The View from the Window
Adopting personas in poetry is a useful way of developing voice. This module sets in train the facility whereby new poetic horizons can be entered. Akin to ‘viewpoint’ in fiction, ‘The View from the Window’ encourages the ability to adopt a gallery of different perspectives/personalities so that the resulting poems are multi-layered. The ‘Crazy Jane’ poems of W.B. Yeats, among others, are an example of this.
Week Five: Opening the Storehouse of Memory
Memoir poems based around people and places are a rich lyrical source. Memoir poems are filled with light and shade. They can be piercing and perceptive or darkly humorous. Memoir poems have the ability to transcend and transgress; to obey their own rules, to unearth and unfold. Timeline and historical backdrop can often provide the scaffolding for these poems, using language possibilities which cross space and time.
Week Six: The Collaborative Space
‘God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style. He just goes on trying other things.’ – Pablo Picasso
Part of the process of being a poet is the facility to collaborate with other art forms, to go on ‘trying other things.’ This module examines the relationship between the written word and the world of painting, photography and music. Engagement with other art forms broadens the sensual experience. A sequence becomes a suite, the blank page transforms to canvas, a photograph becomes a Haiku. Participants will be invited to choose a favourite image/piece of music and use it as a starting point for new poetic beginnings. A glossary of relevant technical terms will be included as a means towards shaping the work.
“It’s been a pleasure working with my tutor, she has a great sense of what works and what is superfluous. I found the material inspirational.” – Sue Morgan
“The course is almost hypnotic, from the first read of the module, the words, poems, examples just inspire. It will create a new way to think about writing, how to view the content of your writing, and finally how to use words in a manner that liberates. Eileen’s honest and direct critique is the cornerstone of her teaching and the inspiration she creates.” – Kevin Maher