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This episode of Season 9 aired on Saturday 28th December 2024. It is produced and hosted by Damien B. Donnelly. Below are details and links to the guest stars…

Behind the Storms with

Mak Ward

Mark Ward is a published poet from Dublin, writing poetry since childhood. Focusing seriously on the craft in his late twenties, he has been widly published in journals and anthologies across the world as well as  prominently in Ireland (The Irish Times, The Irish Independent, Poetry Ireland Review, Banshee, Skylight47, The Honest Ulsterman and many more). His first collection, Nightlight, was published in February 2023 by Salmon Poetry. He has also published four chapbooks: Circumference (Finishing Line Press, 2018), Carcass (Seven Kitchens Press, 2020), HIKE (Bear Creek, 2022, ltd. ed. – out of print) and the Choose Your Own Adventure Sonnet Faultlines (online, 2022 / print, March 2024). Upcoming are a second collection, Real Estate; a chapbook of ekphrastic poems about queer painters, Masters; the second and third books in the American GI trilogy (of which Circumference was the first); and a collection of haiku, Night Trees. He occasionally writes short stories and began to publish them in earnest in 2021. As a playwright, he presented his first full-length play, A Stint in Your Spotlight (Dir. Antoinette Duffy) in 2008 as part of the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival and in 2010 he returned to the Festival with his one act play, The Middle Distance (Dir. Shane Carr). He has a BA (Hons.) in English Literature with an emphasis on Creative Writing, Prose and Dramatic Text from Brunel University, London, an MA in Creative Writing from Queens University. He is the editor on chief od Impossible Archetypes.

Follow Mark on X

Find out more about Mark here

For all things Impossible Archetypes

Katie Donovan

Katie Donovan is a poet, originally from Co. Wexford, but a long-time resident of Dalkey, Co. Dublin. She has published six collections with Bloodaxe Books, UK, the most recent of which, “May Swim” appeared in 2024. In 2017 she was the recipient of the O’Shaughnessy Award for Irish Poetry. She is a former journalist with “The Irish Times” and has taught Creative Writing in both iadt and NUI Maynooth. Her poetry has appeared in many journals and anthologies, notably the bestselling “Staying Alive” series. She has given readings of her work all over Ireland, the UK, continental Europe and North America. 

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Find out more about Katie via her website

James McConachie

Writing from rural Spain, James McConachie has poetry published by Iambapoet, Black Bough, Eat the Storms, The Madrid Review and essays/short stories for the Dark Mountain Project. His poems have been nominated for the Pushcart prize and Best of the Net. His debut collection, ‘Consolamentum’ was published in  October 2024 by Black Bough Poetry.

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Consolamentum is available at Black Bough Poetry

Carmel McKeown

 Carmen McKeown loves all that is her writing life, she feels privileged to have been invited by Damien to read on his special podcast. Carmel is a Meath born writer of poetry and short stories, often reflecting on her journeys from Meath, through the surrounds of Gormanston Castle, where she walked among yew trees planted by her ancestors. Her travels took her to Dublin, Australia, Limerick, Galway, the US and finally Skerries, where she now lives. Her poem Archetypes was published on Poetry Worth Hearing, episode 24 in 2024. Her short story Abscession was shortlisted for The Storms in 2023. In 2023, she was awarded a place by The IWC on ‘The Northern Soul Roadshow’ which she found to be a fantastic learning experience. She has read on various open mics and was grateful to be awarded a bursary on the John Hewitt International Summer School 2024 and a fiction workshop with Claire Keegan in 2023. Carmel has been invited to be a reader for the Edinburgh Flash Competition Awards for 24/25.

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Damien B Donnelly, Producer, Host and Poet

Damien B Donnelly is a 48-year-old Irish, adopted, queer writer & podcast producer who spent 23 years in Paris, Amsterdam, and London working in the fashion industry, returning to Dublin at the end of 2019. He’s the host / producer of Eat the Storms and the EIC of The Storms, the printed journal of poetry, prose & visual art. His debut pamphlet, Eat the Storms, published by The Hedgehog Poetry Press, nominated for a Pushcart Prize and featured on the Poetry Book Society Winter List 2020/21, followed by a Pushcart Prize nominated Stickleback (micro collection) and In the Jitterfritz of Neon, a conversational pamphlet co-written with Eilín de Paor. His first full collection Enough! was also published by Hedgehog in August 2022. His poetry and short stories have appeared in numerous journals, online and in print. His 2^nd full collection, Back from Away, was published in May 2024 with Turas Press

The Storms journal is available here

Follow Damien is on X and instagram and Bluesky: @eatthestorms,com

You can purchase his pamphlets and collections at his website

Backing music for Eat the Storms is from Purple Planet Royalty Free Music

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