Farmers and people connected to agriculture responded enthusiastically to a call from writer Ryan Dennis for fiction, essays and poetry for his booklet ‘Voices from the Land’.
The booklet will be launched in the Iontas building at the National University of Ireland (NUI) Maynooth on Wednesday, May 18, at 6:30p.m.
All are welcome, and refreshments will be served. Maura McElhone, author of ‘Falling for a Farmer,’ will be the guest speaker.
“There was an incredible response for the booklet, with the work of 37 contributors – the oldest being 82 – making up ‘Voices from the Land’,” said Ryan, who grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York.
“The fiction, essays and poems on its pages are honest and sometimes unrelenting,” he said.
“Some are from writers who farm or have farmed; many are from farmers putting words to paper for the first time. Some of it celebrates Irish farming, while some pieces point to its problems.
“All of it is powerful.
“Together, the work in ‘Voices from the Land’ puts forth a complex, reflective and thorough consideration of what it means to be an Irish farmer,” said Ryan.
“There’s plenty of attention on the changing nature of agriculture, but maybe not enough on those who must deal with the consequences. We don’t always get to see the people behind the industry, and if that doesn’t happen, we’ll never get a complete picture of it.
“However, these writers have shared themselves with us.”
Ryan said that he was surprised by the response from the farming community to the booklet.
“Between the article on Agriland, Twitter and word of mouth, news of the booklet seemed to spread quite easily, and many people have commented on the fact that a project like this hasn’t been done before,” he said.
Printed copies of ‘Voices from the Land’ will be available free at the launch, as well as various locations – to be announced – around Ireland. There will also be access to a digital copy of ‘Voices from the Land’ online after the launch on May 18.
‘Voices from the Land’ was produced as part of the writer-in-residence position at NUI Maynooth, in conjunction with Kildare County Council Arts and Services.
“I’d like to thank all of the contributors for taking the time – and perhaps risk– of putting pen to paper and making this such a complete collection of work,” said Ryan.