Sabne Raznik, a poet, book reviewer and freelance writer based in Kentucky in the US, has posted a review of my three books on Yahoo! Voices under the heading 'The Work of Christodoulos Makris' . It's a generally positive response to them, particularly to Muses Walk ("With it, one begins to see that Makris is an important poet, not just for sleepy Ireland, but perhaps for the world," she writes) but not without expressing some reservations along the way. I must note a couple of factual inaccuracies: the project for which Muses Walk was originally conceived and made is an international one, called 'An Inventory of Al-Mutanabbi Street'; and, much as I wish it were true, there has been no recent trip to Greece .
I had a wonderfully intense time in New York City in the first half of January, facilitated by a formal residency at Irish Arts Center awarded to me through a two-part cross-Atlantic residency programme led by St John's Theatre & Arts Centre, Listowel, Co Kerry. The core component of the residency was an opportunity to work further on my next poetry manuscript using the space and facilities at the Center, located on 11th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood in Manhattan, while feeding off the energy, sounds, images and the general tumult, urgency and creativity of New York City. While my time there was short I was able to add some new elements to the manuscript, but more importantly to begin to think of it and start editing in structural, macro terms. I have for a long time now recognised that I write or make hybrid-form work in book- or project-length cycles, rather than in shorter, standard poem-length forms, even though those cycles are sometimes composed of link...
In the first half of January 2025 I will be in residence at Irish Arts Center in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. This residency represents the second half of my participation in the inaugural Listowel - New York International Residency Programme , and my aim while at the centre is to develop further a new poetry manuscript. My stay in New York is also giving me the opportunity to reconnect with the other artists from Ireland and the US selected to participate in this programme, to attend some theatre, music and poetry gigs and shows, and to make new connections with writers, artists and organisations operating in the city. And with the formal programme not providing a showcase opportunity, I'm grateful that friends and collaborators of mine currently and previously based in New York have generously arranged the following two exciting events on the occasion of my visit, at which I will be performing with some brilliant local poets and musicians: - On Wednes...
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