Poet Paula Meehan held a poetry reading in the auditorium of the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center on April 24 after receiving the 19th Annual Lawrence O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry from the St. Thomas Center for Irish Studies.
The reading, free and open to the public, served as a farewell event after Meehan spent a week visiting classrooms and making public appearances.
The Center for Irish Studies created the award Meehan received when the center was established in 1996. Lawrence O’Shaughnessy had previously funded an award for poetry that was traditionally bestowed in Ireland.
When James Rogers and Thomas Redshaw set up the center at St. Thomas, Lawrence O’Shaughnessy wanted to continue the tradition. Rogers and Redshaw agreed, with the stipulation, that they could give the award on campus rather than traveling overseas. This allows the recipient to make an impact on the culture of the university.
Rogers said the center looks for future recipients by exploring the Irish poetry scene through the network of past award winners and those who have interest in the Irish literature. Through this method, they expose a wide selection of poets from across Ireland.
“We will say OK, this year it would be good to have someone from the north; this year it would be good to have a woman poet; this time it would be good to have a poet under the age of 50,” Rogers said.
Although Rogers said both he and Redshaw like to give the award to a wide range of poets, they would never give the award to someone they didn’t admire. They look for excellence in poetry, with a substantial amount of work that displays aesthetic and literary merit.
Even though Meehan holds the Ireland Chair of Poetry, Rogers typically likes to give the award to lesser-known poets. Still, he said he is “absolutely thrilled” to have Meehan on campus.
“In many ways we are the recipients of the honor this year, Paula is bringing honor to us,” Rogers said.
Rogers spoke highly of Meehan, complimenting her poetry and her ability to operate on so many levels when she writes.
“The work itself is extraordinary,” Rogers said. “She writes with attention to internal rhyme and slant rhyme and has given a voice to a whole generation of women poets.”
Meehan said it is an honor to be in the company of the other poets who have won this award. She spent the week talking to various people and classes on campus and said she is delighted by the conversations she has had about poetry in the modern age.
Meehan thinks it is especially important for college students to be considering the power and implications of poetry.
“Poetry is a site of resistance. It has always been a site that claims space for personal liberty and personal freedom. It finds its home in the minds of the young,” Meehan said.
Meehan’s reading was well-attended and elicited frequent applause and laughter. Junior Mike Best said he had a truly profound experience while listening to her reading.
“I know very little about Ireland. I’ve never been there – never really studied much Irish stuff. But, while I was listening all of the soft spoken, beautiful, lyrical poetry almost made me feel like Ireland was my home too,” Best said.
Jeffrey Langan can be reached at lang5466@stthomas.edu.