Chris Fitzpatrick (c) Bryan Brophy NO REPRO FEE - 12-05-2022 BOOK LAUNCH - Poetic Licence In A Time Of Corona by poet and doctor Chris Fitzpatrick launched today at Hodges Figgis, Dawson St, Dublin 2 Pictured: Chris Fitzpatrick Photograph: Bryan Brophy / 1IMAGE Photography Fitzpatrick takes on COVID with the healing power of poetry. Prolific poet reflects on life during a time of fear, confusion and pandemic. Twenty-First Century Renaissance is pleased to announce the release of Poetic Licence In A Time Of Corona, the premier collection from poet and doctor Chris Fitzpatrick. Launched in Hodges Figgis, Dawson St, Dublin 2, 6pm, Thursday 12 May. As a physician, Fitzpatrick appreciates the ability to heal the body. But as a poet, he is eager to heal the soul and seek understanding with his telling of the gripping pain and uncertainty at the height of the pandemic. “I am thrilled to see such amazing support across Ireland and beyond,” Fitzpatrick said. This new work centres on a medic who finds healing for himself by writing poems on his phone as the pandemic rages around him. It relates to the story of the everyman, detailed through the lens of this poetry in the form of blank verse, from Lionel Richie sending him emails, to how images of the virus remind him of the chestnuts his father used to string for him as a child. His stories are both familiar and personable, and a poignant account of what so many people across the globe faced as COVID took hold. Peppered with lightness, moments of deep grief, and quirky side-steps, Poetic Licence In A Time Of Corona shows us how one man (who happened to be a doctor) made sense of the strangest of times. A doctor and a writer While the launch of the work reflects the lyrical side of the pandemic, Fitzpatrick is familiar with COVID in a more literal way. During the worst days of the COVID pandemic, Fitzpatrick worked as a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist in the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital in Dublin.

Poetry at Dingle Lit 2023

11:19am | Wed 11 Oct 2023

Experience the magic of poetry with Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan and Victoria Kennefick at Dingle Lit on Saturday, November 18th. In this event, chaired by Nicholas McLachlan, these two remarkable poets will blend insightful discussions with performances of their work. Chandrika Narayanan-Mohan, a globetrotting writer and cultural consultant, brings a unique perspective to her poetry, while Victoria Kennefick, celebrated for her collection Eat or We Both Starve, has already claimed prestigious awards. Explore your love of the written word with us.

Later that evening, join us by the fireside in Dick Mack’s for Death’s Duel, poetry and chat with a theme of health and illness, featuring poets Chris Fitzpatrick and Liz Quirke.

Chris Fitzpatrick’s first collection of poetry, Poetic Licence in a Time of Corona, was published by 21st Century Renaissance in 2022. He is a clinical professor in UCD’s School of Medicine.Liz Quirke is a poet and scholar from Kerry. She has published two collections with Salmon Poetry: her debut The Road, Slowly appeared in 2018 followed by How We Arrive In Winter in 2021.

Thanks to Dr Mary McCaffrey and Dr Conor Brosnan for their kind sponsorship of this event.