Rhona Greene is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer from Dublin and an avid poetry fan. She is published in several Black Bough Poetry editions, was shortlisted in the Dai Fry Mystical Award contest and her poem in Afterfeather gave the edition its name, making her one of the anthology’s featured writers. She is also featured in Sarah Connor’s Advent poems and has read for Annick Yerem’s Advent project and Eat The Storms Poetry Podcast. Twitter & Instagram: Rhona_Greene

This year has been full of such wonderful poetry experiences and surprises, things a year or two ago I could never have imagined happening and every day poetry continues to be a constant source of joy and comfort to me. I am so grateful for the very special community of poets I have come to know and love and for the amazing encouragement, support and opportunities that have come my way in the short time I have been writing.

This year in July I submitted a poem for the first time to @TopTweetTuesday at Black Bough Poetry for an event hosted by Briony Collins and I was thrilled my poem was selected to be included in the anthology Briony was curating from selected submissions. Then to my great surprise, honour and delight my poem ‘The Sky Road Home’ was placed as the opening poem in the anthology – which was named ‘Afterfeather’ inspired by a word in my poem! I did my very first poetry reading as one of the featured poets at the anthology’s zoom launch and it was both the most nerve wrecking and thrilling experience all at once. And then to top it all off this poem has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize! I am totally astonished and so excited. What a wonderful adventure this little poem has taken me on and I am so grateful for all the support it has received and I am still pinching myself that any of this has really happened.

Link to Afterfeather edition:
https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/afterfeather-edition

Link to Pushcart Nomination tweet for The Sky Road Home: https://twitter.com/TopTweetTuesday/status/1597482657986011137?s=20&t=rq4Lm-HPwwUzObiHV4Ol-A

Link to all Pushcart Nominations from @TopTweetTuesday

It was a real joy and privilege to be asked to be involved in Black Bough Poetry Best of the Net selection process helping to choose poets for nomination from their Silver Branch Project.

Link to the Black Bough Poetry SilverBranch Best of the Net Nominations:

Link to the selection team:

I wrote my second poetry review for Black Bough’s September Book of the Month feature celebrating Louise Mather’s wonderful poetry in ‘The Dredging of Rituals’

Link to my review of The Dredging of Rituals by Louise Mather: https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/book-reviews-june-dec-22

I submitted a poem to the Dai Fry Award for Mystical Poetry contest with Black Bough Poetry and was stunned and overjoyed to find myself on the longlist and then the shortlist and my poem ‘Shiny Distant Thing’ is published in their wonderful anthology ‘Sun-Tipped Pillars of our Hearts’ which takes its lovely name from Lauren Thomas’s exquisite winning poem ‘Stone Circle’. This was such a special project and a real honour to be included in this way and I was delighted to read my poem at the very special launch event in October.
Link to ‘Sun-Tipped Pillar Of Our Hearts’ edition:
https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/about-6

Link to shortlist for the Dai Fry Award:

Link to my poem ‘Shiny Distant Thing’

In December I recorded two poems for Annick Yerem’s gorgeous #AdventWithAnnick project: the first was @seagoatscreams/Ankh Spice’s hauntingly beautiful poem ‘березы (Birch trees)’

Link to my reading of ‘березы (Birch trees)’ by Ankh Spice

and the second way my own poem ‘Secret Code’ which I originally wrote for Sarah Connors 2021 Advent feature.

Link to me reading my poem ‘Secret Code’: https://twitter.com/missyerem/status/1602919451124539393?s=20&t=ZLVe9E7mH3pPTxbpRv0KzA
Link to Sarah Connors 2021 Advent series where Secret Code was first featured:
https://fmmewritespoems.wordpress.com/2021/12/22/day-22-the-spice-drawer/

I hosted @TopTweetTuesday for my second time in the middle of December and it is just the most exhilarating joyful experience to spend time immersed in glorious poems by poets all over the world.

My poetry year has ended on a complete high with Part II of my piece ‘Little Crosses’ published in Black Bough Poetry’s super Christmas/Winter edition Vol.3 (Part I is in Vol.2) and I was bowled over with the invitation to be the feature reader at the book’s zoom launch, reading Little Crosses Parts 1 and II and I am still buzzing from the joy of that magical night.

Link to Black Bough Poetry’s Christmas-Winter edition Vol.3:
https://www.blackboughpoetry.com/christmas-winter-edition-3

Link to text of Little Crosses Part II: https://twitter.com/blackboughpoems/status/1607784013426757633?s=20&t=DUmVqAed8sZ9uBz2WpUp-w

I hope to continue to enjoy reading poetry and supporting and celebrating the wonderful poets and small independent presses who create such exciting work and to hopefully write a little bit more too.

Happy New Year to all, may 2023 be kind to you.
Rhona Greene