Nessa O’Mahony, Dublin, Ireland, and Beaumaris, North Wales (February 2005)

UK publisher Bluechrome has just published Nessa’s new poetry collection, Trapping a Ghost. Full details and a sneak preview of the covers may be found here and copies can be bought online. Nessa will be doing readings in various places in Ireland and the UK over the coming months (e.g. Galway, 31st March; Caernarfon 1st May; Dublin, 19th June)

Larry Desautels, Buffalo, New York, USA (December 2004)

"In Tying a Poem, Desautels’ eye and pen shape the experiences of a well-examined life. And with more questions than answers to offer—for what life or poem, Desautels implies, is ever complete?—we find points of identification on every page. His colloquial diction creates the feel of a conversation over a pint or two among friends. Direct, vulnerable, and always a bit irreverent, these poems ask for our understanding, and seem ready to lend a sympathetic ear to our emotions that will no doubt, be awakened by the sharp insights and drams of wisdom in these living breathing lines. Whether leaving footprints ‘stepped and shuffled, / in Causkey’s floor,’ chatting with the spirit of Mona Lisa, or pausing because, even for poets, ‘loneliness has now words,’ Desautels' poems assure us, finally that we’ll get through this life with all its joys, pains, and gifts." Kevin Costa, PublishAmerica (www.PublishAmerica.com)"

Leanne O’Sullivan, Gorth, Eyeries, Beara, Co. Cork, Ireland (October 2004)

Leanne O'Sullivan had her first book of poetry, Waiting for My Clothes, published by the well-known English publisher Bloodaxe in September 2004. On the cover of the book, America's former poet laureate, Billy Collins, describes her as "a teenage Virgil, guiding us down some of the more hellish corridors of adolescence with a voice that is strong and true. For that alone, she deserves our full attention." Among many honours and inclusions in prestigious literary journals and anthologies, she has received First Prize in the Seacat All-Ireland Poetry Competition and the RTE Rattlebag Poetry Slam, and given the Davoren Hanna Award for Young Emerging Irish Poet. Waiting for My Clothes was officially launched in Dublin in September by Irish poet Brendan Kennelly. A celebration and launch was also held 24 October at Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat in Eyeries. Paddy O'Connor, a teacher at Beara Community School who recognised and supported her talent early on, officially launched the book in Beara.

Barbara Babcock, California, USA, and Co. Waterford, Ireland (August 2004)

In August 2004, Everyman Palace Productions and Kenneth Madden presented The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams starring Barbara Babcock as Amanda Wingfield at the Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork City, Ireland, to rave reviews and enthusiastic sold-out audiences. An Emmy Award winning actress, Barbara has appeared on television in Hill Street Blues, for which she won the Emmy; Dallas, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, for which she received an Emmy nomination; Murder She Wrote; and currently has a recurring role on Judging Amy. Her film credits include starring roles for Far and Away and Space Cowboys.

Stephen Wangh, New York , New York (July 2004)

Stephen Wangh led a two-week intensive workshop with Joy Leonard and Chris Nichols, founders of the Synaesthetic Theatre and teachers of Viewpoint work. It was designed especially for teachers of acting, offering them the opportunity to develop their art in physical theater. This workshop was the first time that these physical approaches to acting have been offered in a workshop specifically designed for acting teachers.

The work included the psycho-physical exercises developed by Wangh from his work with Jerzy Grotowski and Viewpoint exercises in moving and seeing originated by Mary Overlie and elaborated by Wendell Beavers. The workshop also offered in-depth discussion about studio pedagogy and methods of working with young actors in training.

Wangh is a Master Teacher of the Experimental Theater Wing at NYU. His ground-breaking teaching in physically based theater has been available to undergraduates at NYU for over twenty years, but has rarely been offered directly to professional teachers of acting. Since the publication of his book, An Acrobat of the Heart (Viking Books, 2000), Wangh’s teachings have become widely read.

Gordon Grant, Savannah, Georgia (March 2004)

Gordon Grant signed copies of his new book, The Golden Mask, at the Castletownbere Library on Thursday, 25 March from 11:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. and on Friday, 26 March from 10:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. in Beara, Co. Cork , Ireland. The event was sponsored by the Castletownbere Library, Beara Community Arts Group, and Anam Cara Writer’s and Artist’s Retreat.

Janet Maher, Baltimore, Maryland, USA (March 2005)

I hope you'll be able to join us for this year's event. Please click on the link below for more information, including details of the inspirational Survivors’ Lap and the moving Luminaria Ceremony. If you can't join us, will you please visit the site and make a donation to support our efforts? Either way, you will make a real difference in the lives of people facing cancer and in the lives of the people who love them.

Visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Relay for Life of Baltimore - All University. Thank you very much!

 Ann was one of four featured artists in an exhibition called “Beneath the Surface,” at the Liz Hernandez Gallery ( www.lizhernandez.com) in Tucson, Arizona. Some of her work from that show can be seen on the Gallery’s web site.

Following recent exhibitions in San Francisco, Provincetown, and the Biennale in Florence, Italy, Deborah’s paintings were featured in her first solo show in Cambridge, Massachusette, since 1999 at The Gallery at 38 Cameron Street (http://38 cameron.com/html/gallery.htm).

Jennifer Pepper, Alfred University, New York, USA (July-August 2001; October 2004)

 Jennifer’s drawings and sculpture were shown simultaneously at the Fulton Street Gallery in Troy, New York, and the Mill Cove Gallery in Castletownbere, Co. Cork, Ireland.

In the Fall of 2004, Jennifer installed a site-specific work “Buoyancy of Place” in a group exhibition entitle Spa Questions 2004 in Sumter, South Carolina .

Nancy Pinney, Old Lyme, Connecticut, USA and Chris Kapinski, Waterford, Connecticut, USA (July 2004

Nancy and Chris, who worked at Anam Cara in September and October of 2000, were featured in an exhibition On Common Ground at the Olive Stack Gallery in Listowel, Co. Kerry, Ireland
(www.olivestack.com). The exhibition ran during July 2004 and presented a group of Irish and American artists who met at the Cill Rialaig Artists Retreat.

Laura Cloud, Haslett, Michigan , USA and Lebanon, Connecticut, USA (June/July 2004)

Laura was one of the fifteen artists selected to participate in the 2004 National Affiliates Exhibition that was held at the SOHO20 Gallery in New York City in the summer of 2004. “An Associate Professor at Michigan State University, Laura is a conceptually based artist often working with reoccurring patterns of natural phenomenon. Her current work developed over several years while documenting experiences as artist-in-residence in Australia, Japan, Ireland, and the USA. Travel Journals will be at the ARC Gallery, Chicago, this spring. The collaborative A Poetic Dialog, with twenty-five artists and poets opens March 2004, also at ARC Gallery.