Books
John’s first poetry collection Notions was published in 2018 by Dedalus Press.
A second collection Space was published in 2022.
”These are very remarkable and compelling poems. With strong narratives and events, vivid and surprising language, and a marvellous square-on exactness.”
- Bernard O’Donoghue
Space
02 May 2022
Published by Dedalus Press
The ‘space’ of John Kelly’s second collection of poems is, to begin with, the marvellous unknown that fascinates his younger self. But it’s also very much an earthly realm – the place where daily life occurs, the small territories each of us claims and clears, and from which we attempt to make sense of the world.
“Kelly’s poems, while approachably conversational in tone, have a lightly-worn musicality which sets them apart; a finely tuned ear and a knack for phrase-making…. There is an awareness here of the gifts of craft and form to elevate a poem from the merely atmospheric to the truly memorable.”
- Jessica Traynor. Poetry Ireland Review.
“Like all soul music, Kelly’s poetry works because it gets down in the dirt, it deals with the concrete, transmitting and probing very ordinary moments with precision.”
- Martina Evans. The Irish Times.
Notions
October 2018 : Published by Dedalus Press
Constantly inventive and unerringly precise, the poems in Notions, John Kelly’s debut collection reveal an author at home with both the stand-alone lyric and the longer, apparently improvisational pieces that contribute so much to this book’s extraordinary brio and style.
“Poems of great tenderness and linguistic skill.” - Catriona O’Reilly. The Irish Times.
“Kelly’s poems are marked by both gravity and wit – as well as by a copious resourcefulness …. an impressively accomplished collection.”
- Gerry Smyth. Dublin Review of Books
“Probably the best debut of the year” - John McAuliffe, Irish Times
