A Girl's Writing Is Never Done (c) Shauna Gilligan 2026
Some images I took from an early morning walk this morning. We are waking up to nature and nature is waiting for us.
It is good for the soul to reconnect with what is around us. I’m feeling it’s also good to connect to our history. Poetry often does just that and Poetry Ireland have a wonderful podcast – have a listen to poet Jane Clarke read “Pit Ponies of Glendasan” on Words Lightly Spoken
This is the week when there are so many “best of” lists that it feels like too much pressure to finish the already large to be read pile before engaging with these lists and adding even more to your to be read pile.
So I have decided to revisit books that have given me joy – without searching out books from my bookshelves but going on memory and finding books within easy reach.
What books remain with me, years after reading them…..A small pile. A delightful pile. A pile of well-read and well-worn books that await fresh eyes.
And one book, yes, the faded yellow Salinger at the top of the pile, from my teenage years when I wrote my name and followed it with an exclamation mark! And the second from my childhood – Watership Down. Both of these to hand as I have passed them on to my teenagers. The rest are more recent reads, but diverse and wonderful – poetry, non-fiction, short stories and a novel.
In advance of the 31st December …. Happy Reading and Happy New Year!
I’m delighted to have my interview with American poet Ruth Danon published in Issue 83 of the wonderful The Cortland Review.
Thank you to Christian Gullette for accepting our interview for publication. Issue 83 has the most fantastic artwork on its cover (German Garden (Weather Report) 2019, oil on canvas by Wayne Koestenbaum), and features a myriad of poetry including Cynthia Atkins and Alison Hicks, as well as work in translation. Read the Editor’s Note here.
In our interview, Ruth and I talk about process, the subconscious, art and poetry – all in relation to her latest collection Word Has It. Ruth was very open and forthcoming in her answers to my questions which were often prompted by my emotional reaction to her powerful work.
In the same issue of The Cortland Review, Clara Burghelea reviews R Word Has It.
Thanks to Ruth for agreeing to the interview – you can connect with Ruth via her website.
Shauna Gilligan Writer 