Poetry Gets Dissected | Julie Daunt
Arts and Literature editor, Julie Daunt reviews the second collection of poems, The Wild Pupil, by the young Cork poet, Kathy D’Arcy.
October 18th saw the launch of Kathy D’Arcy’s latest book of poetry, which took place in the Windle Building on campus. The event was attended by the Deputy Lord Mayer Councillor Jim Corr, Liam Ronayne of Cork City Libraries, former UCC student and poet Tom McCarthy, the Writer-in-Residence of UCC Matthew Sweeney as well as the head of the English Department. The book is published by Bradshaw books, with Máire Bradshaw attending the launch. The event was initiated by Alex Davies from the English Department and Thomas McCarthy launched the new collection. Jim Corr also spoke at the launch about D’Arcy and her accomplishments as a doctor and now as a poet and writer. This book is her second published work, after her critically acclaimed first book Encounter. The event was lit by an overhead projector, which displayed the Grant’s Atlas of Anatomy, the cover of D’Arcy’s book, in an almost re-enactment of a medical lecture.The book, entitled The Wild Pupil, draws on D’Arcy’s experiences as a medical student in UCC as well as her work as a doctor. After studying medicine, D’Arcy went on to become a writer, both in poetry as well as plays like Retreat and performances, such as Catch the Moon. She was also involved in UCC’s Dramat society while she studied here. In addition, D’Arcy is a youth worker, working with homeless teenagers in Cork city and she lectures here in UCC as part of the Masters in Women’s Studies. She is a frequent guest on RTE Radio One’s art show Arena. D’Arcy was also recently awarded a literature bursary by the Arts Council, and she is also the Writer-in-Residence for the Tigh Filí gallery in the city.As an innovative and promising writer, I asked D’Arcy about her latest selection of poetry, and why she chose to combine her medical background with her writing: Me: Firstly (and probably an overly asked one) what inspired you to write this new book of poetry? Kathy: I started writing poetry as a child, but that kind of thing isn't given much encouragement in school or the community so I was very blocked as a teenager and young adult. Having my first collection published by Lapwing gave me an enormous amount of encouragement and confidence, and I think I was freed by that to write what was really in me to say and that turned out to be endless reflections and image-sequences based on my time as a medical student and doctor - I suppose it leaves a lasting impression but I hadn't realised just how much. I thought with the publication of this collection that would be over with but I'm still constantly coming back to it - maybe will be forever. These days, however, I'm working on a collection based on my experiences walking the Camino de Santiago last year and I've just been awarded a bursary from the Arts Council to support me with that, for which I'm very grateful. Me: You've come from a medical background. What made you decide to turn to poetry writing? Kathy: As I said I've always written poetry - in fact since before I knew what a poem was, truthfully. I did well in school, and in the convent school I was in we would have been encouraged to pursue high academic achievement and to compete with our male peers for the top professions, which is a very noble attitude for a girls' school to have but maybe doesn't allow a lot of room for creative development. So I became a doctor! I was always fascinated by anatomy and how bodies work and I don't regret it at all, in fact it's given me a beautiful new language to write in. I really enjoyed the lectures I attended (!) but when I qualified it became obvious that the job was incompatible with writing - both because of the long, stressful hours and because the health system is so broken that I couldn't but feel ashamed to be part of it. Not an inspiring position to be in. I work with homeless teenagers now, which I find much more fulfilling, and teach classes for healthcare service users on how not to be intimidated by bad or careless healthcare professionals. I also tell all the young people I run writing workshops for to do what they really love - you only live once! Me: The book is entitled The Wild Pupil, which I presume is taken from the title of one of the poems featured inside. Can you tell me a little bit about this poem and its meaning? Kathy: I started writing about the heart in a concentrated way about two years ago - not as a romantic sign but the grotesque, bloody, muscular reality of it. Central to the exploration was my need to connect with people more than I felt I was - I always felt I wasn't quite reaching them, and this became an image of needing to reach into people's chests and capture their actual hearts. The title poem describes this image of impossible connection (I suppose it's a bit like the fairytale of The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg!), and the image is of a human thorax like an eye, with the spread ribs as eyelashes and the beating heart in the centre 'the wild pupil.' Unfortunately my poetry is often not for the squeamish! Me: Are there any poets or writers who inspire your work? Kathy: At the moment I am very inspired by Thomas McCarthy, the Cork poet who launched my collection in UCC on October 18th last. I wish I could reach the still beauty of his work, but I'm aware that my poetic voice is still very young and impulsive, emotionally driven and without the gorgeous perspective he has. I'm also inspired to write by the Bloodaxe anthologies 'Staying Alive', 'Being Alive', and 'Being Human'. They collect poems on various themes about human experience from known and unknown poets from all over the world. I often read from them at the start of writing classes. None of these are like my own work though, I don't know where that comes from!Me: Do you have any words of wisdom for any aspiring writers or poets? Kathy: If you come from the heart and write what you really want to without fear, it will be good. Not just that - you'll inspire others to write. We're raised and educated to think that our creativity is no good, so recognise those thoughts as coming not from you but from bad institutional systems and go back to the fearless creativity we all had as children. And f**k the begrudgers!The book consists of 53 poems. My personal picks from this collection are Good China, Pictures of You and Two Days’ Absence. These three are short and quirky poems of only a few lines, but are very thought provoking as well as easily relatable to our everyday experiences. The collection comprises of short and long poems; some consist of just three lines, others take up the whole page. The poems are witty but are often shadowed with a biting realism that comes from D’Arcy’s time as a practicing doctor. The poems are personal and unique. Some read like a thought or an idea, others are more metaphorical and symbolic in their descriptions. Throughout the collection, the underlying medical symbolism is evident whether it is the deeply descriptive piece like The Wild Pupil or the more shocking story relayed in Burned. Critics have also responded positively to the collection. When poet Tom McCarthy spoke at the launch, he said “this (book) shows how much can be accomplished by someone so young … we can expect serious things from this poet.” Similarly, former professor at UCD and literature critic Maurice Harmon also said "I have been struck by two things in particular…the absolute clarity of the style (use of language, handling of syntax, tone, achievement of shape)… and the fascinating concentration on a particular subject… the medical, physical, anatomical, surgical… something most people cannot handle." Overall, this book shows that D’Arcy is a writer and poet worth keeping your eye on.You can find more information regarding Kathy D’Arcy, her work and upcoming events on her website www.kathydarcy.com. The Wild Pupil is available from www.bradshawbook.com