Liz Quirke is a writer from Kerry with two collections from Salmon Poetry, The Road, Slowly in 2018 and How We Arrive in Winter in 2021. Quirke’s poems have been described in The Irish Times as “hard-won poems that rise out of a larger silence, re-doing the lyrics of Máire Mhac an tSaoi and Eavan Boland for 21st-century Ireland” and How We Arrive In Winter - a best poetry collection of 2021 choice by The Irish Times - has been described as “brilliant and deeply moving” and an “affecting and assured book, written from the frontlines of mourning, but attuned, too, to the possibility of a future as in ‘The Promise of Sweetbread’, which ends with the epiphany that ‘there has never been/ such a call/ for light/ as this.”
Poetry Reading & Event Moderation
I have two collections of poetry: The Road, Slowly (Salmon Poetry 2018) and How We Arrive in Winter (Salmon Poetry 2021). I have read at many of Ireland's main literary festivals and am also available for event moderation.
Writing
I write poetry, non-fiction and other forms of prose. Beyond my published collections, I am currently working on a long-form piece of non-fiction based on my PhD topic, queer kinship in contemporary poetry, mainly about queer family formation and non-biological motherhood.
Editing & Mentorship
Each year, I take on a number of mentoring projects with early career writers. These largely take place during the Summer months. Additionally, I offer copyediting/editing for poetry collections.