Alvy Carragher
Poetry
"She has the gist, but not the knack,
the gist is building with bravery
to take a tree stripped of all its dignity,
then put it back together tenderly."
The men I keep under my bed
"as if no generation can kill the ghosts of the last
as if we're all buried with them
and their dirt is trapped between our teeth
forming the sleep in our eyes"
About me
Born in 1989, I'm an Irish poet who lives, works and writes in Toronto. Originally, I grew up in Ireland along the River Shannon in both Galway and Tipperary. I've since lived in Louisiana, Dublin, and South Korea before moving to Canada in 2018, where I'm now a citizen.
I've published two books of poetry and a novel. My work has been archived by the National Poetry Archive in Ireland, and my third full-length poetry books is set to be published in 2024. It received the generous support of the Irish Arts Council's Literature Bursary Award in 2022.
I write about many things, and my concerns tend to vary from poem to poem. Often my poetry circles wider themes of myth, power, family, nature, ordinary beauty, trauma, spirituality and healing.
Land Acknowledgement for Toronto
As Canada works towards reconciliation, it's important to acknowledge that the land referred to as Toronto has been home to the Huron-Wendat, the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. It is still home to many Indigenous people. There is a need for each of us as individuals and as a society to strive to renew our relationship with indigenous people respectfully, honouring their culture, spirituality, history and their stewardship of this land.
Poetry Videos
Online | 7-9 pm (EST) | Registration required
Monday night writing workshops
Join us for a free 2 hour facilitated online writing session on Monday nights with the Writers Collective of Canada. A community-based session to spark creativity and share your voice with others. This is an encouraging space for creating rough drafts in the company of others. There's no critique, we reflect back what is strong in each writer's work. It's a little bit magic.
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The promise is that these will be infrequent, contain poetry, news of publications, readings, workshops or other relevant information. In using contact information, I'll always try to be respectful of your time and energy.
