KIlkenny Don’t criticise young people for using the inventions adults made
Poems are dark and.....
Parents and adults really don't know what is going through the minds of teenagers.
A fascinating, sobering and insightful look into their thought process was provided on Wednesday evening in the Parade Tower of Kilkenny Castle.
It was the launch of ‘Mark My Words’, a collection of poems by the young people involved in the highly successful Kilkenny arts office initiative, Rhyme Rag.
The poems in the collection are dark and a remainder of what young people have to put up with and the pressures they feel.
‘Early Morning’ by Ari Doran dealt with new inventions and social media....
“We, the young, the new,
Are criticised for loving the inventions you made.
Because we adapted to your cars, phones and drones,
While you got left behind all confused.
Every poem in this collection is a gem in its own right and at €5, the book would make a great present.
The illustrations which accompany the collection are complimentary to the work and there is great credit due to illustrator Steven Ayklin.
The book is a result of the writer in residence programme and poet, Colm Keegan was the catalyst for the collection and at the launch he spoke about meeting the ensemble off the train in Dublin and how they re-energised him.
“I swear to God they were shining, a gang of young writers, full of naivete and ambition, bounding forward to take on Dublin,” he said.
Kilkenny Arts officer, Mary Butler explained what was behind the project: “We worked with the ensemble to ensure they experienced and understood the process of developing and producing this publication from inception to the finished product.”
She said it had been a hugely rewarding experience for everybody involved before she launched it.
Ensemble coordinator, Kairen Waloch was thanked for her work with the group as were the good people in Poetry Ireland.