Double first for Limerick poet Ron Carey

A contender for the €5000 award for Best First Collection
A contender for the €5000 award for Best First Collection

THE poet Ron Carey, originally from Ballynanty, has been shortlisted for the Felix Dennis Award for ‘best first poetry collection’, at the Forward Awards 2016.

Carey’s collection ‘Distance was published by Revival Press, the poetry imprint of the Limerick Writers’ Centre. This  will be the first time that a Limerick born poet has been in the running for this prestigious award and also, the first time a book published locally will be honoured.

“The shortlisting of Ron Carey’s collection for the award is an important occasion, not just for Ron, but also for the publishing efforts of the Limerick Writers’ Centre”, Dominic Taylor, managing editor of Revival Press, said. “Ron’s remarkable success should not only serve as an inspiration to other local poets but also shows the value of having a vibrant local publishing culture.”

The Forward Prizes for Poetry were set up in 1992 by philanthropist William Sieghart to celebrate excellence, and are awarded to published poets for work in print in the last year. The three prizes – £15,000 for Best Collection, The Felix Dennis Prize  £5,000 for Best First Collection and £1,000 for Best Single Poem – are unique in honouring both the work of established poets and the debuts of unknowns.

Past Forward Prizes winners include Claudia Rankine, Thom Gunn, Seamus Heaney, Alice Oswald, Ted Hughes, Carol Ann Duffy and Kathleen Jamie.

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