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New writer 2024: Siún Carden

Poetry

Siún Carden is from County Down and works as a Research Fellow at UHI Shetland's Centre for Island Creativity. Her poetry has appeared in places like Magma (the Climate Change issue), The Tangerine, Glasgow Review of Books, Northwords Now and The New Shetlander. Her first poetry pamphlet, Tract, was published by The Well Review in 2023. She is a Lead Reader with Open Book and helps Mark Ryan Smith and Roseanne Watt organise Shetland's North Star Cabaret events.

Writing sample

Poem 'Tract' that reads: we’ve heard tributaries of a town that floats on muck gurgle through a blistered A6 page like a bloodrush coming for you on a low close afternoon Elvis lives a pet T-Rex the author and wife in black and white at Beattie’s Supper Saloon we’ve tasted good news chewed to gummy mulch we know the story someone will be saved a life’s pressed into passing hands by a happed-up self-made sage loud hailing he won trophies with a dog called Border Keeper she tumbled into company with an unsaved man an open suitcase pasted thick with Marys and Dianas makes a blue pool in the pavement outside Boots it’s raining and we’re calling out and swallowing

Siún says:

'Hearing I'd received a New Writers Award was so hard to believe that I didn't tell anyone until the official paperwork arrived, in case I'd dreamed it. It's an amazing opportunity and I'm looking forward to learning a lot this year.'