Award winning poet, Western Writers' Centre Manager, Fred Johnson will run a new six-week poetry course at The Western Writers' Centre at 34 Nuns Island, starting Wednesday 30 January at 7.30pm.

Fred Johnston was born in Belfast in 1951 and was a journalist for some years, co-founding, with Peter Sheridan and Neil Jordan, the Irish Writers' Co-operative in the mid-seventies in Dublin. He moved to Galway and founded the annual literature festival, Cúirt, in 1986, primarily as a festival of poetry.

A winner of one of the earliest Hennessy Literary Awards in 1972, he last worked in the public relations firm, which administrated them for a couple of years. On his return from Africa in the early eighties, he received two Sunday Independent awards for prose and poetry respectively. He has published nine collections of poetry, four novels and a collection of short stories and has received a number of prizes, including sharing a Prix de l'Ambassade for translating the poetry of Michel Martin. His most recent collection of poetry is 'The Oracle Room,' launched in October from the UK-based Cinnamon Poetry and the novel, based in Paris, 'The Neon Rose,' published in the UK in August this year.

Mr Johnson is currently working on translating the poems of Breton poet, Collette Wittorski. He also teaches Creative Writing as part of the NUI, Galway Adult and Continuing Education programme. A critic and reviewer, he is also a familiar voice on RTE radio, commenting on literary matters. Later this year, he will appear at the Nairn Book festival and, before that, at the Festival Franco-Irlandais in Dublin. His essay work includes an item in the current issue of the magazine, Studies, on the 'Non-Stop Connolly Show' by John Arden and Margaretta D'Arcy, and its political background in the mid-Seventies when it first appeared.

The six-week course is an introduction to poetry and the writing of poetry, including a look at various styles through the ages, the use of rhythm and rhyme. It will also contain a weekly button-module on reading poetry for its imagery and language and exercises in writing poetry. What is the difference between poetry and prose? Is poetry easy? Can anyone be a poet? What is the nature of poetry? Why should I write poetry? Is poetry useless?

The fee for the six week course is €100. Further details can be obtained from Marvelle Maguire at 091-533594, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or www.twwc.ie.

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