Reading: North and South

Join Belfast poets Csilla Toldy and Maureen Boyle, and Cork poets Colm Scully and Jennifer Horgan for readings from their most recent work.

Csilla Toldy, Firebird (Arlen House, 2025)

Maureen Boyle, The Last Spring of the World (Arlen House, 2022)

Colm Scully, Neanderthal Boy (Wordsonthestreet, 2025)

Jennifer Horgan, Care (Doire Press, 2025)

Csilla Toldy published three volumes of poetry with Lapwing Belfast (2013, 2015, 2018), a first full collection, Firebird, with Arlen House (2025); Angel Fur and other stories with Stupor Mundi, (2019) and the novel Bed Table Door (Wrecking Ball, 2023) which won the Desmond Elliott. Recent poetry appeared in Southword, Cyphers, PN Review and Abridged. Her poems were shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and nominated for the Forward Prize. Csilla creates film poems. Some were commissioned as public artworks, the latest, Imbolc, by Down Arts Centre, where she is artist in residence at present. Csilla is a professional member of the Irish Writers Centre. www.csillatoldy.co.uk

Maureen Boyle is the author of three books of poetry. The most recent, ‘The Last Spring of the World’ was published in June 2022 by Arlen House, Dublin. She has received various awards including the Fish Short Memoir Prize, The Strokestown International Poetry Prize, the Irish Chair of Poetry Prize and Inaugural Travel Bursary.  She is a poetry and memoir mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre and lives in Belfast.

Colm Scully from Cork has published two collections, his most recent being Neanderthal Boy, with WordsontheStreet Press. He has been published recently in Poetry Ireland Review, Southword, Cyphers, Orbis, Howl and Swerve. He is a previous winner of The Cúirt New Writing Prize. He makes poetry films which have been screened and won prizes internationally. He is a curator at the Ó Bhéal Poetry Film Festival and The Drumshanbo Written Word Festival. You can learn more at colmscully.com

Jennifer Horgan is a Cork poet. Her work has been published in various journals including Poetry Ireland Review, Howl and Cyphers. Her debut collection Care was published in 2025 with Doire Press. She was awarded a poetry mentorship with Thomas McCarthy in 2023 through the Munster Literature Festival. In July 2025 her work was shortlisted in RTE’s The Prompt series and in November 2025 her poem Crossing Over Barrack Street was awarded ‘Best Irish Poetry Film’ at the 13th Ó Bhéal International Poetry-Film Competition. She is a weekly columnist with The Irish Examiner and author of the non-fiction book ‘O Captain, My Captain’: One Teacher’s Call for Change in the Irish Education System.