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Steve Denehan

@steverinod.bsky.social

170 followers 150 following 190 posts

New poem posted every Monday. Books available from the usual places. Represented by Keep Her Lit - http://keepherlitagency.com

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 2d

Last week I had a great chat with Ray D'Arcy on RTÉ and read the below poem.

In case anyone would like to have a listen here is the link - www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Thanks for reading. :)

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 15h

A book to curl up with during the winter months. Beautiful poetry from a beautiful person. :)

Lawrence Moore @lawrencemoore.bsky.social · 17h

I am very excited to announce that my second full-length poetry collection, This Joyful Interlude, will be published by @janes-studio.bsky.social and is coming out in just a few weeks!

Delve into this thread for more info (and new poetry 🙂)

#poem #poems #poetry #poet #books #poetrycommunity

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The front cover for This Joyful Interlude, the forthcoming full-length poetry collection by Lawrence Moore published by Jane's Studio Press.

In this illustration by Jane Cornwell, rose gardens thrive over a graveyard monument.

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 1d

You're so good. Thanks, Lawrence. :)

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 2d

Last week I had a great chat with Ray D'Arcy on RTÉ and read the below poem.

In case anyone would like to have a listen here is the link - www.rte.ie/radio/radio1...

Thanks for reading. :)

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 6d

Thanks a million for sharing this, Lawrence (@lawrencemoore.bsky.social) and Louise (@louiseblackwick.com). I really do appreciate it. :)

Reposted by Steve Denehan

Lawrence Moore @lawrencemoore.bsky.social · 12d

Here's my review of 'a quarter dead and half alive', the new poetry collection by @steverinod.bsky.social, out now with Renard Press.

Some purchase links:

UK amazon.co.uk/dp/1804471607
US amazon.com/dp/1804471607
CA amazon.ca/dp/1804471607
AU amazon.com.au/dp/1804471607

#poems #poetry #books

Steven Denehan’s new poetry collection, a quarter dead and half alive, is a triumphant return from a poet much admired for his gentle, poignant honesty and wry, self-effacing humour.
A deeply personal, yet highly relatable work, it draws heavily on Denehan’s own lived experiences as well as those of loved ones, most notably when talking about his daughter’s childhood and his father’s struggles with dementia.
Regardless of theme, the consistent clarity of his writing style serves as a welcome mat, inviting us to settle down and make ourselves comfortable within the lines.

‘the other one
is me’

Happy to be the butt of his own jokes, Denehan displays a complete absence of self-pride throughout, confessing to various dark thoughts and pessimisms, as if in hope of absolution from the reader.

‘I have gained on him
in the years since, while he
has moved further and further away’

a quarter dead and half alive assumes the peak of its powers when concerning those the writer holds dear. The emotional rawness in poems like ‘2013, Before Dementia’ is only made more palpable by the obvious tenderness with which it is laced.

‘her eyes, wet fireworks
add to the light
of a sun
that shines through her curls’

Nevertheless, Denehan’s glowing portrayals of an effervescent daughter’s childhood ensure it will not be rawness, but reverence and joy that remain with the reader long after the final page has been turned.

A quarter dead and half alive, a new poetry collection by Steve Denehan, published by Renard Press.

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 8d

You are the best! Thanks a billion, Lawrence! :D

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 8d

There are a whole heap of longer poems but this is another short poem from my new, million selling, smash hit book - A Quarter Dead and Half Alive that was published a few weeks back by Renard Press.

It's about the love my father had for my daughter, even through his dementia.

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 14d

Thanks for sharing, Lawrence (@lawrencemoore.bsky.social). You are the best. :)

Reposted by Steve Denehan

Jumping Jules Poetry @jumpingjulespoetry.bsky.social · 15d

Absolutely thrilled to have poem in Lighthouse Literary Journal. Many, many thanks to editor @julwe1.bsky.social. I really recommend this journal, so many wonderful poems and prose inside. It’s a great read. Thank you 🌸

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 15d

That's a beaut, Jules! :)

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 16d

This is a short (yay!) poem from the new book. I've had some very nice messages from people who have read and are reading the book at the moment. Thanks so much to everyone who has picked up a copy or ever took the time to read a poem. It's a huge thing.

Thanks for reading. :)

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 19d

Thanks a million for sharing, Wendy (@wendybayne.bsky.social) and Jodie (@jangleresse.bsky.social). I really appreciate it. :)

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 21d

The highest of fives, James. :)

Reposted by Steve Denehan

The Madrid Review @madridlitmag.bsky.social · 22d

Steve's been in every issue of The Madrid Review. We love him and we're not related, unless you count the great big poetry family ❤️ 🙃😆 His new book's out today - have a look! @steverinod.bsky.social ##poetry
renardpress.com/books/a-quar...

A Quarter Dead and Half Alive – Renard Press

A Quarter Dead and Half Alive is a beautifully crafted, wide-ranging collection that lingers on the intersection of humanity and the environment. Foregrounding ageing parents and new family members ar...

renardpress.com

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 22d

High fives, Rod! :D

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 23d

Thanks a million for sharing, Rod (@rodmannix.bsky.social) / (@writingcommunity.bsky.social) / (@literarybulletin.bsky.social), Lawrence (@lawrence.bsky.social) and Joe (@josephdoconnor.bsky.social). I really appreciate it. :)

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 23d

Ah, you're so kind, Lawrence. Thank you very much for sharing. I really appreciate it. :)

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 23d

Thanks so much, Will! :D

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 23d

This is a poem from the new book (out today from Renard Press!) that was recited beautifully on Phoenix FM last week by Dermot Peele. It can be found at 1 hour 40 here - www.mixcloud.com/925PhoenixFM...

There is also an interview at 10 minutes in if anyone would like to listen.

Thanks for reading.

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · 29d

Thanks a million for sharing this poem, Lawrence (@lawrencemoore.bsky.social) and Joe (@josephoconnor.bsky.social). I really appreciate it. :)

Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · Sep 8

This poem, written from the perspective of a Palestinian person, was published in a special 'Poems For the People of Palestine' edition of The Madrid Review.

It is such a strange time to be alive.

Thanks for reading.

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · Sep 1

This poem, written earlier this summer, was published in a recent issue of the very snazzy Moss Piglet.

Thanks for reading. :)

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · Aug 25

This poem, which means a lot to me, is a companion poem to 'A Poem From My Father to My Mother'. It was published in Acumen earlier this year.

It will also be in my next book, 'A Quarter Dead and Half Alive', due from Renard Press on September, 15th.

Thanks for reading. :)

Reposted by Steve Denehan

Lawrence Moore @lawrencemoore.bsky.social · Aug 21

Here's 'Just a Ride'.
Previously published in @thewombwellrainbow.bsky.social's The Starbeck Orion

#poem #poems #poetry

Just a Ride

I wish I could believe it otherwise,
but life is just a special, one-off treat;
if spent on biting nails, reciting fails
and fretting, not forgetting fools' advice,
you're left with an ordeal and not a ride
and no one dresses in their brightest blues
and hangs around in endless, screaming queues
to suffer an ordeal (Georgina lies),
so take my hand in yours and come what may,
we'll leave the maps and compasses behind,
meander down a random alleyway
if suitably attracted by a sound,
then when we freshen up and go inside,
our hearts can show our heads it's just a ride.

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Steve Denehan @steverinod.bsky.social · Aug 18

This poem, about the dwindling of wonder in the world, was published in an issue of Waffle Fried Magazine in February.

Thanks for reading. :)

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