Bermuda Poet Feted In Ireland, UK

March 15, 2012

Bermudian poet Paul Maddern is winning growing acclaim in the UK and Ireland for his “island-flavoured work.

Now a Teaching Fellow in Creative Writing at the UK’s University of Leeds, Mr. Maddern recently completed a PhD at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry, Queen’s University Belfast.

The former Saltus Grammar School student’s work has appeared in publications including, “The Caribbean Writer”, “Poetry Ireland Review”, “The Shop”, “The Yellow Nib”, “Incertus” (Netherlea Press, 2008) an anthology of emerging poets writing in the north of Ireland, and ”From a Small Back Room” (Netherlea Press, 2009) a festschrift for Ciaran Carson.

His work is also collected in the books “Kelpdings”  and “The Beachcomber’s Report.”

“The Beachcomber’s Report” was nominated for the 2011 Eithne and Rupert Strong Award for Best First Collection. Given annually, the award is for an Irish- or English-language publication by an Irish writer, or a writer domiciled in Ireland

British writer Ian Sansom has said of his work: “Paul Maddern has a sense both of the necessary rhythms of a poem – something that looks right to the eye and sounds right to the ear – and also of poetry’s conscience. There is technique here, there is insight, there is passion, knowledge, zeal.”

Paul Maddern reading his poetry

 “Bodysurf” – Paul Maddern
“Suasion” - Paul Maddern

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Comments (3)

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  1. kiskadee says:

    Congratulations Paul. We are so proud of you here in St George

  2. AliKer says:

    Way to go my friend – very proud of you too in Southampton :)

  3. Paul Maddern says:

    Thank you to that particular Irish-Bermudian, island-spanning clan for those kind comments. Surprised and delighted by the article. Finally met up with Bermudian poet Andra Simons in London last Thursday. Great to read some of the poems for a boy from back home. That was the first opportunity to do so, and it meant a great deal.