Apologies for the recent silence, friends. I’ve been quite preoccupied with several pressing issues over the last several weeks, with the result being that this newsletter was left dormant.
First: an update. I recently turned 30, and had the pleasure of seeing my novel ‘A Land Without Wolves’ published at last, and also partook in the long-awaited launch of Pratik Magazine’s Spring edition, which featured work by myself and my colleague Peter O’ Neill (check out his blog here), at the English Language Institute in Dublin.
The latter of these was especially signifiant as, for me, it marked the end of our year-long celebration of Charles Baudelaire’s bicentenial, which began earlier this year. On top of that, Pratik’s editor-in-chief, Nepalese-Indian poet Yuyutsu Sharma was in attendance as part of his Irish tour, and read from his own work, in particular from his most recent collection ‘A Blizzard in My Bones’. Myself and Emer Davis also read from our while Peter himself chaired, introducing a short film he had made in conjunction with videographer Victor Dragomiretechi, entitled ‘Literary Dublin’, which features Peter in various locations of the Irish captial and discussing their effects on the work of Joyce, Wilde, Heaney and other doyens of Irish letters. Also in attendance was the Indian Ambassador Designate Mishra and his wife Reeti. If leaving this newsletter idle for a while counts, it certainly wasn’t the worst way to do it.
Image: The English Language Institute on Dublin’s Dame Street, where the lauch was held.
Along with this I’ve been in talks with an up and coming theatre company, and the possbility of staging more plays in the near future is once again in reach (more on this as it develops).
As for me, I’m back into the swing of things, working on various upcoming projects, which this newsletter will feature more promienently in. Restrictions have lifited over here and it reamins to be seen how it will play out, but already live events are back in full swing. It is my hope that it remains so.
I’ll see you all next week.
Best,
Dan.