How the Weather Was, Jean Kavanagh’s second collection, describes how someone’s choices can lead to an interruption of the ordinary, moving in parallel with the seemingly steadfast lives of others.
Far from her origins — whether traversing an island in the Arctic on a night bus, or confronted by different stars in the New Zealand sky — the poet faces the challenge of returning to academia, and the kaleido...
How the Weather Was, Jean Kavanagh’s second collection, describes how someone’s choices can lead to an interruption of the ordinary, moving in parallel with the seemingly steadfast lives of others.
Far from her origins — whether traversing an island in the Arctic on a night bus, or confronted by different stars in the New Zealand sky — the poet faces the challenge of returning to academia, and the kaleidoscope of new relationships, while holding on to the soul of who she used to be.
The book’s final section opens into this revenant past, for a candid exploration of a trauma from decades before. It is an emotional weather report. The outlook is unsettled, but with the prospect of improving conditions.
Jean Kavanagh is an Irish poet living in Norway. She studied Irish Folklore and English Literature in UCD, Dublin, and has a Masters’ Degree in Indigenous Studies from the Arctic University of Tromsø, Norway. Her work has been published in journals, showcase anthologies for the Galway Arts Centre, and in Dogs Singing: A Tribute Anthology (Salmon, 2011), and Even the Daybreak: 35 Years of Salmon Poetry (Salmon, 2016). In 2012 she was shortlisted for the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award. Other Places, her debut collection, was published in 2014, and was shortlisted for the Strong/Shine Award for Best First Collection in 2015.
