Nov '24 11
Author Jennifer Liston at a book signing event, smiling at the camera while pointing to a stack of her book, <em>Grace Notes: Giving Voice to Gráinne Mhaol, Ireland’s Pirate Queen</em>. She is wearing a sparkly silver jacket over a black top and a necklace. The books on the table have a blue and green abstract cover with a sticker saying 'Signed by the Author.' A wine glass sits nearby on the table. This ALT-text was generated by ChatGPT.

We had a fantastic launch on Friday 8 November 2024 of my poetry collection, ‘Grace Notes’, published by Salmon Poetry, at The Allingham Festival in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal. I was so moved at the number of people who made an effort to be there: my sister Susan Coakley and her husband Daragh, my brother Tony and his wife Marie, and my brother James flew over from England as a surprise, as well as several close friends. And of course my dearest Robert Rath.
Author Jennifer Liston on stage seated next to Win McNulty at a small table with microphones in front of them. Jennifer, wearing a sparkly silver jacket, holds a copy of <em>Grace Notes: Giving Voice to Gráinne Mhaol, Ireland’s Pirate Queen</em> in her lap and looks toward the audience. The setting is a theatre with red carpeting and seating in the foreground. This ALT-text was generated by ChatGPT, then edited.

Local writer Win McNulty and I decided we would structure the launch as an interview/conversation. Win drew out of me many key points about the collection and its structure, how I came to focus on Gráinne Mhaol and voices/voicings as themes, my ideas about writing with and through constraints, and my rescued poetry process. It was a great conversation, and I’m very grateful to Win for all her background work and her intelligent, thoughtful and considered questions. We’re hoping to post video highlights publicly soon, so I’ll keep you updated.

I'm very grateful to The Allingham Festival committee for including me on the festival programme and for providing a beautiful space. I feel very privileged that my book launched on the 200th anniversary of the birth of William Allingham.


I'm particularly indebted to Tony and Marie Liston for arranging the amazing wine and canapés reception, and for looking after all the logistics associated with the event.

And of course my deepest gratitude goes to Jessie Lendennie and Siobhan Hutson Jeanotte of Salmon Poetry for publishing my work in such a beautiful form. The book itself is a work of art.

A display table with multiple stacks of Jennifer Liston's book, <em>Grace Notes: Giving Voice to Gráinne Mhaol, Ireland’s Pirate Queen</em>. Several copies are propped up to showcase the cover, which features a vibrant abstract design in blue, green, and purple tones. The books are neatly arranged, creating an inviting setup for a book signing or sale event. This ALT-text was generated by ChatGPT.

Christmas is coming, dear readers, so you might like to buy a few books as gifts for the bookworms and poetry lovers in your life! Order the book directly from the Salmon Poetry website. They ship worldwide!

Posted by Jennifer Liston

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