This conference will feature a keynote lecture by Professor Colin Graham, and a plenary Q&A with Dr Miriam Gamble. A poetry reading on the evening of Saturday March 2nd will include readings by Dr Leontia Flynn, Professor Nick Laird, and Dr Padraig Regan. A poetry reading on the afternoon of Sunday March 3rd will include readings by Susannah Dickey, Michael Naughton Shanks, and Jessica Traynor. Both readings are open to the public.

The past two decades are testament to the vibrancy and experimentative nature of contemporary Irish poetry. From Sinéad Morrissey to Leontia Flynn, Nick Laird to Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Irish poets working today have explored the shifting meanings of ‘Irishness’: foregrounding the porosity of public and private realms, challenging poetic hegemonies, and revitalising existing forms. ‘Finished and under construction’ (the title is derived from Flynn’s poem ‘Belfast’) will be a three-day conference in March 2019, taking as its focus recent work by Irish poets, and foregrounding fresh critical perspectives and methodologies.

Bookended by the political milestones of the Belfast Agreement and Brexit, the period under consideration has witnessed the development of poetics which are both informed by, and act to subvert, pre-1998 traditions of Irish poetry.

Registration is free at https://finishedandunderconstruction.com/