Boyne Writers Group

The second issue of the magazine was officially launched by novelist Noelle Harrison (Beatrice, A Small Part of Me) in the Castle Arch Hotel, Summerhill Road, Trim on 27 September 2007.

Download pdf version of Boyne Berries 2

Noelle Harrison's Speech.

Good Evening

I am delighted to be here tonight to be part of the celebrations of the launch of the second Boyne Berries Magazine.

It is a fabulous achievement for a group of writers to consistently come together, discuss their work, and publish it in the form of a literary journal. What a vital forum for emerging writers in Meath!

It is also very brave.

Every single writer who has put their work into Boyne Berries 2 has been courageous in their willingness to be read. The world of the writer can be a very solitary one and it is truly frightening to have your precious words exposed for everyone to read and comment on.

As Jean Cocteau, the French writer and film maker, once wrote:

THE MUSE USHERS THE ARTIST INTO THE EMPTY ROOM AND POINTS SILENTLY AT THE TIGHTROPE

All writers whether emerging, or published, best sellers or established academics are on the high wire. There is always danger: rejection, self doubt, the ego. At the end of the day the writer is alone, inching along the tightrope of their creative quest.

Yet is a compulsion, is it not? The muse, the words in your head, the ideas going around and around which force you to push yourself out there and write. How fantastic life can feel from the top of that tightrope, when you have perfect balance, you are confident of your skills, and the adrenaline is coursing through you, pushing you forwards. The same surge of energy as your fingers pound away on the keyboard. There is no going back.

I believe the gift of writing is not something the individual possesses but a talent which passes through you, a gift you can and should share with others. Good writing is not just about the author. It has to be something which enriches the reader's experience. The ego is as much about a voice telling you that you CAN'T write as a voice telling you that you are the BEST. There should be no such thing as comparison, or competition in the world of writing. The pleasure is in the craft of writing, enjoying the thrill of creating and sharing it with your readers.

And so it is for all of the writers included in Boyne Berries 2. All of them with their own unique voices and their own gifts to share.

When I first read the magazine I was astounded at how many writers there are included in the magazine from this area of Ireland. If only it had existed when I first came to live in this area over ten years ago.

The impact of meeting with other writers to get feedback on your work and then to actually have it published cannot be underestimated.

It helps you to develop discipline . . .
I had better get that story, poem finished in time for the next meeting . . .

And get honest but supportive reactions to your work from others who are aware of the hyper sensitivity of someone who is beginning to write. It is so easy to be crushed when you just start out.

Someone once said to me 99 per cent of being a writer is rejection. I have always borne this in mind over the years. Everyone gets rejection. Not everyone is going to like your work. You just have to stick at it until you find the right agent, publisher, readers. How much more helpful to have the support of a writers group encouraging you to continue.

I would like to say how much I enjoyed reading all the passages, stories and poems of all the writers in Boyne Berries 2. I believe 42 writers in all? Varying in age, gender, culture and background and each contributing a unique jewel to this treasure trove of expression.

The work varies from humorous memoirs of Irish rural characters making you laugh out loud to raw, edgy pieces which leave a lump in your throat.

We meet fantastic characters, those who are almost part of our Irish heritage, and we are brought back in time to remember Ireland's past, its people and its land.

Our rural landscape surfaces again and again, particularly South Meath of course, and nature is conjured into beautiful images for the reader to behold. As well as creatures; dogs, swans, bats.

Some of the writers bring us onto a more spiritual plane, a pure abstract exploration of the soul, magic, and the conundrum of existence and myth.

Some create scenes we can all recognize in the domestic details of our lives: washing up, shopping, a child's shoe box of trinkets, metaphors of the human condition. There are stories and poems of loss, and love, memory and redemption.

And yet the writing in Boyne Berries 2 does not completely focus on Meath, or even Ireland. In their work the writers reflect their diverse backgrounds - Greece, India, Italy, America - and we are shown glimpses of other cultures - France, Australia and more.

Powerful issues are raised: the consequences of war, poverty, and terminal illness. And there is the work which explores the process of writing itself, writers block, and how poetry itself becomes a character. So much. So much is explored in this slim volume.

And so, as these writers get to the end of this particular tightrope, and breathe a sigh of relief. You're on solid ground. The magazine is OUT. Don't for one moment think it's over. Look again. Your tightrope of creation can stretch on forever, if you want. For this is just the beginning. It is a never ending line, the line of your soul, of your will to create. You might wobble, and shake at first, but if you are brave, and step out confidently then it can be fun. And that's the whole point. Enjoy the thrill of writing, and soon you will be flipping somersaults in the sky.

And so it is with great pleasure I officially launch the second issue of Boyne Berries magazine.