Workshops & Readings

Links to a few recorded readings:

Katie Donovan reads three new poems for the John Hewitt Summer School

UCD Poetry Reading Archive, Katie Donovan reads her poem “Entering the Mare”, the title poem of her second collection (1997)

Limerick Literary Festival, Katie Donovan reads from a selection of her work as an invited guest of the festival in 2021

2025

Katie will give a reading at the Strokestown Poetry Festival in Roscommon on May 2nd with fellow poets Luke Morgan and Mark Granier.

She will also talk to members of the Tallaght Book Club in May, who have been reading her latest collection “May Swim”.

Katie co-hosted the monthly ArtNet Open Mic, Words by the Sea, in February with fellow writer Lia Mills.

2024

Katie’s sixth collection “May Swim”, recently published by Bloodaxe,  was launched in Hodges Figgis, Dublin, on May 22nd by Sinéad Mac Aodha, Director of Literature Ireland. There was a huge crowd and the book sold out, leading it to be placed at number 4 on the Hodges Figgis bestseller list.

She has given many readings from the book since, and is due to travel to The Hague and Brussels in November. On November 20th she will be in The Hague, reading at Leiden University as the guest of the Irish Embassy with poet Stephanie Conn. The following day she will read at the Irish Embassy in Brussels, also with Stephanie. Both events are at 6pm.

She is a guest on the latest edition of the podcast “Books For Breakfast”, hosted by Enda Wyley and Peter Sirr. In October she gave an online reading to students at the University of Missouri-St Louis, facilitated by Professor Eamonn Wall. It will shortly be available on Youtube.

She read from “May Swim” at SpeakEasy in Waterford for Culture Night, and also with Festival in a Van on September 26th. Earlier in September she read with Mary O’Malley at Books Upstairs, Dublin.

In August Katie read at the Hugh Lane Gallery for their “Art and Outdoors” Festival and at “Poetry by the Barrow” in Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny.

“May Swim” was launched in Galway by poet Rita Ann Higgins (at Charlie Byrne’s, May 28th). Katie also read from “May Swim” at the Cork International Poetry Festival with fellow Bloodaxe poet, Kerry Hardie. She gave a reading on May 30th, as part of the Bealtaine festival, at the Lexicon Library in Dun Laoghaire. She gave a reading in the United Arts Club in Dublin on June 14th as part of their Poetry Suppers series. She read at the Cáca Milis Cabaret in Wexford Arts Centre on June 21st. In July she gave a reading with Susannah Dickey for the John Hewitt Summer School. She also gave a reading in Kells for the Kells Arts Club.

Tune into the Bloodaxe Youtube channel for a recording of Katie’s online launch, hosted by Neil Astley, with fellow Bloodaxe poets Imtiaz Dharker and Amanda Dalton who also published new collections in May.

Katie was the featured guest on the most recent “Shaking Bog” podcast, hosted by the director of the popular Wicklow Art and Nature Festival, Catherine Nunes.

In April one of Katie’s poems, “Winter Heroes” was chosen to represent Ireland Poetry Day. Organised by Poetry Ireland, the theme of the day was “Good Sports”. Katie was delighted to see her poem appear on trains and in libraries. On Poetry Day (April 25th) she took part in an event in the Lexicon Library Dun Laoghaire to honour the late Eavan Boland. Fourteen poets read a poem by Eavan, as did Eavan’s daughter Sarah and grand-daughter Ella. Organised by Louise C. Callaghan.

In January and February Katie taught a series of Creative Writing workshops with ArtNet DLR in the Lexicon, Dun Laoghaire. With poet Jane Robinson, she hosted two Open Mics with ArtNet in March and April. Venue: Walter’s Pub, Dun Laoghaire. In December she will co-host another of these regular nights with Leo Cullen.

In January Katie and her fellow editors Eamonn Wall and Mick Considine launched their anthology “Distant Summers: Remembering Philip Casey”, published by Arlen House. The Dublin launch in Books Upstairs was a very emotional occasion as eighty attendees honoured Philip in his favourite bookshop. There was also a launch in Gorey library where many of Philip’s Wexford friends and admirers gathered to celebrate a much loved writer and friend. The anthology reached the “Irish Times” bestseller list on January 20th.

2023

In September Katie travelled to the US to give poetry readings with fellow poets Jane Clarke (also published by Bloodaxe) and Catherine Phil MacCarthy, thanks to support from Culture Ireland, Villanova University and Solas Nua. Readings from the trio took place at St John’s Church, Lafayette Square in Washington DC on September 24th, and in Mt Pleasant Library on the same day. The following day they read at Villanova University, thanks to the Center for Irish Studies. The reading was at Speaker’s Corner, Falvey Library. On Tuesday 26th September Catherine Phil, Katie and Jane gave a workshop in Stuart County Day School for girls in Princeton, NJ, and gave a reading at in Pierce Hall, Trinity Episcopal Church, Princeton. All the events were a great success!

On October 14th Katie ran a day-long workshop with storyteller Jean Ryan entitled Scéal Eile. Organised by ArtNet, the day consisted of walking, stories, poems and workshopping (in Walter’s pub, Dun Laoghaire).

In November Katie took part in two very special events to honour Irish poet, Brendan Kennelly. On November 14th at MOLI there was an afternoon of poetry and discussion organised by Poetry Ireland as part of the Dublin Book Festival. On November 25th a conference dedicated to his master work, “Cromwell” was organised by TCD’s Dept of English. The event, which took place in the Long Room Hub, featured Paula Meehan, Harry Clifton, Lucy Collins and many more.

Katie taught a 5 week course in Irish Poetry to students in Dublin who were attending the Iowa University Summer School, a very bright group of enthusiastic young people.

In February she led a poetry workshop for ArtNet DLR members entitled “Love Train” where participants took the train from Dun Laoghaire to Bray and back, writing poetry, reading poetry and drinking coffee along the way.

She also facilitated 2 workshops with Deansgrange Writers in February – a dedicated group with lots of talent.

2022

With poet Rosamund Taylor, Katie led a Gingko Walk for the Poetry Weekender Festival in her home stomping ground of Dun Laoghaire. The Gingko Walk, originally intended to create Haiku, was in this case used as an opportunity for poets and participants to stop and look at some of the local beauty spots, to read and listen to poems, and to convene over coffee and buns for chat and feedback. A very enjoyable morning for all! Luckily the sun shone for this September event.

Katie hosted a lively and enjoyable Creative Writing workshop with the ever productive Avoca Scribblers in November.

2021

In February, Katie was the featured poet for the Limerick Literary Festival, a long-standing literary event formerly known as the Kate O’Brien Weekend. Other guests of the festival included Dermot Bolger and Julian Gough. All events were virtual, so Katie recorded herself reading her poems at her home in Dalkey, Co. Dublin. The theme of the festival was “The Irish Writer at Home and Abroad”. Katie’s 45 minute recording is now up on Youtube.

2020

As part of Phizzfest in Dublin, Katie read with other contributors from the best-selling anthology, “Correspondences”, which matches Irish writers with immigrant voices. January 16th.

For this year’s Mountains to Sea festival in Dun Laoghaire, Katie was to have read her poetry alongside John McAuliffe and Nidhe Zak on March 29th. The Festival was cancelled due to Covid-19, but the organisers generously paid a part fee to all the invited speakers anyway.

Katie has taken part in a few different virtual readings including one for the John Hewitt Summer School and one organised by Poetry Ireland to honour Eavan Boland, shortly after Eavan’s untimely death last April.

2019

Katie read on January 6th, for Nollaig na mBan, at Lilliput Press in Dublin’s Stoneybatter. In aid of the Rape Crisis Centre, the reading also featured poets Paula Meehan, Oana Sanzanio Marian and Chiamaka Enyi-Amadi.

She gave readings at the Shaking Bog Nature Writing Festival in Glencree in June and at O Bheal in Cork in August. She read at Bray Literary Festival in September. She read with poets Jane Clarke and Maureen Boyle at Books Upstairs in Dublin, December 8th.

She facilitated a Creative Writing class with a group from TCD in April.
She mentored Kurdish poet Insaf Yalcinkaya, in a process that produced three poems by Insaf and one by Katie for “Correspondences” a new anthology of poems edited by Jessica Traynor and Stephen Rea, launched in November.

She took part in “Lifelines” – a fundraiser for the Blackrock Hospice, in October, along with fellow performers Jane Clarke, Geraldine Mitchell, Eamon Sweeney and Colm Breatnach.

2018

After a busy 2017, Katie went into writing mode, trying to complete some new poems, as well as working on her novel for children and writing a couple of reviews.

She gave a poetry reading at St Dominic’s secondary school for girls in Belfast in February.

She gave a poetry reading with Daniel Reardon and Christine Broe at Books Upstairs in Dublin on June 3rd.

She performed at a Fired! event for the Bangor literary festival, Aspects, in September.

She facilitated a workshop with the Avoca Scribblers in November.

2017

Katie finished her stint as lecturer in Poetry at Maynooth in Spring 2017.
She enjoyed teaching Creative Writing at the John Hewitt Summer School in Armagh in July 2017.
During Autumn term 2017, she was invited by the Trinity College English Dept and the editors of the TCD literary magazine, Icarus, to facilitate a Creative Writing workshop for students.
Katie is a graduate of TCD so she relished this chance to revisit her alma mater.
She was part of a panel discussion on her life and work as a writer organised by the TCD DU Literary Society, a lovely event for Katie as back in 1982 she was a founder member of the original DU Lit Soc. The panel was convened by Dr Rosie Lavan and fellow panellists included crime writer and current TCD student, Catherine Ryan Howard. Also Grainne Clear, editor with Little Island Books.