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Casey lived for eight months on the streets of Dublin but is now housed. His first collection is Home more or less. Ian Duhig says: "Paul Casey is a truly international poet whose work is informed by languages from Irish and French to those of Africa, and his experiences of that continent enormously enrich this book. His creatively homeless imagination enables him to respond to his themes innovatively and with great formal variety; beyond that, a linguist's ear, his sharp mind and wide-open heart make 'home more or less' a collection that truly merits international attention."And this, from Thomas McCarthy: "In home more or less Casey has made the long journey from parched earth to writing under constant Irish rain. He has discovered that green colour so dangerous to wear, the colour of poems. Attended by the ghosts of Afrikaans, with African memories like the afterglow of stinging nettles, he has created an entire world out of a new myth-kitty of far-way and Irish material. In a poetry where the mountain Gods end their tears, he has created a new, sea-drenched climate for the soul."
McGlinchey's new collection's The Lucky Star of Hidden Things. She has a recommendation from Paul Durcan: "Afric McGlinchey belongs to an endangered species: she sees the world through the eyes of her soul."
According to Salmon, her collection "explores African memories and traces the nomadic path of her own upbringing. A number of the poems consider relationships, where, behind the imperative of love and passion, there lurks a pursing shadow of doubt. One can also sense an impulse for motion in many of the poems. These are the narratives of an outsider, where symbolic imagery hides as much as it reveals."
And although I can't claim to have ever lived in South Africa, I too have a batch to choose from that explore the place and family connections. Doors open 7.45 pm for poems and the best coffee in Kemptown.