ABOUT WHITE HOUSE POETS ONLINE
This on-line version has been inspired by the popular weekly White House Poetry Revival readings at the White House Bar in Limerick, Ireland. This successful reading venue continued to give aspiring, and 'old hand' poets, the opportunity to have their poetic voices heard without cost to themselves except with, perhaps, some initial fraying of the 'public speaking' nerves.
Inspired by a suggestion from the Limerick poet Dr. Desmond O'Grady, the White House Bar poetry sessions started on 19th June 2004 and have continued ever since. On June 19,2013 the late MC/host Bernard 'Barney' Sheehan announced, with undeniably some 'poetic licence', the 500 'consecutive' evening of poetry at this venue. Since then, local poet, Tom McCarthy took up Barney's offer and stepped up to the podium as MC while still under the mentoring eye of his old friend.
The continued success of the 'bricks-'n-mortar' White House Bar venue was no doubt due to the warm welcome always afforded the novice and 'expert' alike. At these weekly impromptu sessions, new poetry often surfaced only to disappear too soon again, perhaps until the poet themselves published. This is the nature of such sessions. Poets 'read-and-go'. The purpose of this site is to, hopefuly, allow poets, and listner/readers alike, a platform with no time limit to performance, where a taste of a poet/writer's work can be presented, viewed, savoured and enjoyed at leisure and pursued into publication for the benefit of all.
This online version, in line with Limerick's '2014 City of Culture' celebrations, aims to have a gathering of all poets who have appeared at the White House Poetry Revival sessions. This includes regulars as well as those who occassionally 'dropped in' and those who have let their talent lapse.
Poets are invited to submit their poems as, in their own estimation, best examples of their work to date. No adjudication of submissions will take place. If you are a published poet, you can submit selected passages from across the range of your work. To give the visitor to this site a flavour of what motivates a poets' style, it is hoped to facilitate up to three (preferably short) complete poems, or selected stanzas, from each poet. The voice of, as yet, unpublished poets are particularly welcome. Here, you can lay out your stall and, tell others where to find you, and perhaps, create your own following on-line.
The White House Bar (Limerick City, Ireland) had a long association with members of the artistic community in Limerick and continued to attract national and international published poets as well as those just starting out. Following the sudden closure of this venue, weekly poetry reading have continued at various venues around the city.
While the bricks-and-mortar venue, known as the White House Bar, has ceased poetry readings, you can still be assured of a respectful and appreciative audience at these readings here at the virtual White House Bar here at WHITEHOUSEPOETS ON-LINE.
- Brian J. Slattery
(Administrator/owner of www.whitehousepoets.com)