Dear Editor,

My name is Michael Clay. I am the poetry editor for the Dallas-based creative arts website www.madswirl.com. I attended, by invitation, the Second Annual Fermoy Poetry Festival from Thursday, August 1 through Monday, August 6.

I found this festival to be well organised (kudos to Gene Barry and the Festival Committee for their excellent work behind the scenes) and well attended by poets from around the world. The workshops and readings, held not just in the town’s Grand Hotel and in pubs (nothing unique about poets in pubs, is there?); but also in banks, restaurants, dress shops, bakeries, barber shops and grocery stores (a unique addition which I’ve not seen done anywhere else), were enriching and inspiring. This was a novel way to involve the people of Fermoy with the poets from the festival to create a truly town-wide cultural event. I loved the warmth and enthusiasm of the shopkeepers and publicans of Fermoy!

As a participant in the festival, I conducted a Dallas-style, poetry open-mic reading at the Wagon Tavern (special thanks to Tom for his welcome and assistance), where we joined poets from Mad Swirl in Texas with those from the Festival via internet link. We enjoyed an historical first for Mad Swirl and for the Poetry Festival; a four hour poetry reading exchange between the two groups.

I and the Mad Swirl personnel from Dallas are grateful for this unique experience. We are excited about next year’s Third Annual Fermoy Poetry Festival, intending to send a contingent of poets from Dallas to join in this rich cultural event again. Thanks to the fine folks of Fermoy!

If you would like additional statements or have questions, please feel free to correspond with me at this email address. I can also be reach via my mobile phone at +1 214 762-5352.

All the best and warm regards,

Michael Clay,

Poetry Editor,

www.MadSwirl.com.