After last year’s entertaining meetings, last night Cave Writing returned upstairs in Jack Nealon’s Pub on Capel St. As guests began to arrive, the location proved intimate and bohemian enough to stimulate the creativity present. Final-year english student and Cave organiser Leo Dunsker hosted the event. Despite his expectations for a smaller turnout, many young writers attended the gathering, and were enthusiastically willing to share either their poems or their short stories in a friendly and supportive environment.
Addressing a group of over 20 people, Dunsker introduced the first four speakers who, curiously enough, were all Trinity english students. Will Fleming’s opening poem dealt with professional ambitions in the face of humanity’s inability to communicate, with a visually strong language. Sean Pearson’s piece, instead, had a more introverted tone. The overwhelming presence of churches and Gaelic architecture brought the audience back to early modern Ireland’s religious atmosphere, marking a definite contrast with today’s fast-paced modernity. Then, Katherine Hearn, informally reading from her phone, shared her philosophical ramblings, quoting Nietzsche and Freud. Her monologue was a hymn to human perfectibility, hinting at Voltaire and Rousseau’s writings. The first set of readings ended with Jenny Moran’s poem about a woman that had been objectified by her partner. Being the co-founder of the feminist journal nemesis, set to be launched later this term, and a regular at Cave Writings, Moran has consistently condemned misogyny and the barriers that, still in the 21st century, threaten social progress.
After a 15 minute-break, the other four speakers got their chance to take to the podium. Dunsker’s first poem dealt with everyday life’s deeper meaning. Indeed, thanks to his witty tone, “laundry day” and “softball” became poetic tools, charged with existentialist undertones. His second composition, in contrast, challenged mainstream social constraints. Next, Florence Heap shyly approached the stage to read a poem that questioned the all-pervasive power of technology, the audience could not help but think of how sometimes, medical advancements cannot do anything in the face of life’s brutality. Molly O’Leary’s original sonnet, describing the peculiarities of a diving set, brought back cheerfulness in the room. The only non-english student of the event, she revealed that Amazon is her main source of inspiration, causing her audience to break out in laughter. Finally, Ed Salley’s two poems reflected diary pages. In his view, rain was the symbol of boredom, while his mind nostalgically wandered through his memories of an old friend who left Ireland looking for a better life.
As the event drew to a close, Dunsker approached the stage again, thanking everyone for having shared their writings and inviting his guests to stay for chatting, drinking and mingling. In organising this event, Cave Writings always hope to promote literary creativity in the freest ways possible. Poets and prose writers alike have found a welcoming environment in which literature as an art can be approached “for its own sake”, according to Oscar Wilde’s mantra. Compositions dealt with everyday life and existentialist rambles alike, showing that poetry can be found either in what is ordinary and in what is extraordinary. Some poems were only few lines long, while others took up to five minutes to be recited aloud. In the end, all speakers seemed proud of their performances, as the bohemian environment had stripped them of their literary shyness. As forecasted, Dunsker’s guidance has led the Cave Writings congregation to fully express its potential, leaving the door open for further improvements.
