Another day at the Hewitt brought on poems, fiction readings, and a marvelous one-woman play directed by Belfast playwright Martin Lynch, who much to my happy surprise, remembered me from our earlier meeting and offered a friendly greeting this afternoon.  Though the events of the Hewitt begin to blur after a bit, each writer who has spoken thus far has added to the overall experience of the Summer School.

I particularly enjoyed poet Iggy McGovern, whose comedic poems somehow managed to incorporate literary jokes into odes to mathematics and science without sounding the least bit pretentious.  His carefully crafted poems earned wild laughter from the audience.  As someone who never takes themselves too seriously, it’s good to know that there are some serious poets out there doing the same.

Another interesting part of the day was a discussion with journalist Malachi O’Doherty about the political future of Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. I’ll admit that some of what he said went securely over my head, but the conversation was more urgent and more concrete than the poetry and prose readings that occupied the rest of the day.

Unfortunately, my day came to a dismal end when I forgot to buy dinner and was resigned to eating two day left over garlic chips.  Despite all attempts, they just don’t taste the same when you reheat them.  Of course, not amount of stale chips could ruin the enjoyment and stimulation of the festival.