Update: 5 June 2023
A million thanks to writer and writer festival workshop organiser Margaret O’Brien, County Tipperary, for bringing eco poet /filmmaker Grace Wells and me together to co-facilitate together for the first time for the 10th Brewery Lane Writers Festival for a 3 days writers workshop.
I’ve long admired Grace’s work and Grace has been a poet-in-residence for past Haumea Ecoversity Ecoliteracy and Earth Charter courses. We enjoyed the Brewery Lane workshop and found our combined efforts were much appreciated, so we are now working together for two more events.
Upcoming: 9 July 2023
I’m thrilled with my ongoing ecological art forest work at Hollywood Forest, that Grace and I will be co-facilitating an art and ecology afternoon gathering on ‘The Need for Ecoliteracy in our era of Environmental Challenge on Sunday 9th July, 2pm, Courthouse Gallery, Ennistymon, as part of the 2nd Hometree.ie Ardnaculla Summer School Co. Clare. All Welcome
Read a more detailed post about my experience of Hometree and their first summer school in 2022 here
September 2023:
‘A Quickening Holism: Creativity as an Act of Love’: Grace and I will be co-hosting a 1/2 day seminar for IMMA’s 2nd Earth Rising Event, with guests Prof Michael Cronin and painter and Gaeilgeoir Phoebe Cope, date to be confirmed again on ecoliteracy, values, Irish language and love
April 2023: What a wonderful hearts-wide-open, 3 days I spent co-facilitating the 10th Brewery Lane 3-day Writers Festival in Carrick-on-Suir on ‘Voice, Vision and Values’ with friend and ecologically attuned poet Grace Wells.
We are very excited to be nearing the 2023 Brewery Lane Writers’ Weekend and what a special one it is shaping up to be!
This is the 10th anniversary of this annual event, how time flies, and as in every year since we began two of the best of Ireland’s writers and creatives will again take up residence in Brewery Lane Theatre.
This year is no exception as we welcome poet Grace Wells (no stranger to Tipperary) and Cathy Fitzgerald plus the twelve participants from many parts of Ireland who will work and create together over the weekend of 14th to 16th April.
The event has been fully booked since shortly after booking opened. Writers know how special it is to get this time and space for creative work and reflection, in the stimulating company of other writers.
With a focus on ‘Voice, Vision and Values’ poet Grace Wells and Ecological artist-educator-researcher, Cathy Fitzgerald will engage with 12 writers in a stimulating introduction to eco-literacy and an eco-arts writing practice. (Read more below)
If you don’t already know the work of Grace Wells I recommend you check out her most recent collection, ‘The Church of the Love of the World’, and her YouTube channel for her gorgeous video poems. You can find out more about Cathy Fitzgerald’s innovative and groundbreaking work at Haumea Ecoversity
VOICE, VISION AND VALUES
Much of our most meaningful creative work flows when we are aligned with our authentic voice, vision and values. From a deep central core within ourselves, we’re able to creatively respond with integrity and authority to the challenging world around us. Terry Tempest Williams has written, ‘we know in our bones that the world is broken,’ but for many of us it’s not enough to stand idly by—even though we may not yet know just how we’d like to respond to what’s going on. At this year’s Brewery Lane Writers’ Weekend, eco-creatives Cathy Fitzgerald and Grace Wells will be offering an introduction to ecoliteracy and an eco-arts writing practice. We’ll be exploring how we can best participate in the ecology of life at this challenging time, and offering some nourishing and nurturing meditative practices that will help to support our creativity and the wider world. Inspired by the hopeful tradition of the Earth Charter, the three days of workshops, readings, meditative practices and one-to-one mentoring sessions, will offer spaces for you to align to your own voice, vision and values as you unfold a creative way forward. Whether you’re prompted to set quiet whispers onto the tides, or to take daring artistic and environmental actions, this course will offer a nurturing foundation for your next steps.
This workshop was w very special time to deeply dive into the challenges of these urgent times & share how ecoliteracy and Earth-loving values can enrich & expand poetry and writing, and to meet 12 wonderful writers all committed to give voice to what matters most – care for themselves, their families, ancestors and future generations within Earth’s communities and the Universe’s unfolding emergence.
An unforgettable time: thank you Mary, Mary-Clare, Eileen, Fionnuala, Shirley, Geraldine, Winnie, Chantelle, Joanne and Bernie 
.
Thank you so much Margaret, for bringing Grace and I to work together and organising this carefully curated and sensitive event with the wonderful Brewery Lane Theatre and Carrick-on-Suir’s Tudor Artisan Hub.
See Margaret’s wonderful publications, including the new diary for wellbeing based on the Beaufort Wind Scale, Weather Report. Contact Margaret if you want to connect with other Irish writers and poets around the Tipperary area.
In 2022, Grace Wells launched her third collection of poems, ‘The Church of the Love of the World’, which was published by Dedalus Press. It was recently short-listed for the Farmgate National Poetry Award 2023. For further information, and to purchase a copy, you can go to:
https://www.dedaluspress.com/product/the-church-of-the-love-of-the-world/
She also launched her book-length poem about Ennistymon, ‘Everyone Has a Different Ennistymon‘, published by Doolin Arts 2023. For further information, and to purchase a copy, go to:
https://www.doolinarts.ie/product-page/everone-has-a-different-ennistymon-grace-wells
The collection is an eco-poetic meditation on the challenge of finding belonging and sanctuary in psyche, body, culture, and nature, within our era of biodiversity and climate crisis.
The poems from ‘The Church of the Love of the World’ are accompanied by a sequence of eco-poetry-films, Grace Wells’ Home Movies, a selection of which can be found HERE.
On the following pages you’ll find an archive of Grace’s books and poetry. And a selection of Grace’s Poetry Film.
Hello! Kia Ora! Dia daoibh!
I’m Cathy Fitzgerald, an ecological artist, educator, and founder of Haumea Ecoversity. Originally from Aotearoa New Zealand, I’ve lived in rural Ireland, the home of my ancestors, for over 30 years. Together with my philosopher colleague Dr Nikos Patedakis (USA), we’ve guided over 400 creative professionals worldwide in transformative ecoliteracy training since 2019.
Haumea Ecoversity Community Membership is the next chapter of this work—a vibrant space for lifelong learning, collective wisdom, and creative transformation for a more beautiful, just, and life-sustaining world.
Dr Cathy Fitzgerald
“In these times of great challenge, I’m passionate about bringing ecoliteracy—including new ecological thinking, values, language, and head-heart-body practices—to creative, sustainability and cultural sectors. These areas have a crucial leadership role: they can inspire communities to embrace new values and actions for living well on Earth, together with all life.”
About Cathy
- Ecological Artist: Creator of the ongoing Hollywood Forest Story with new-to-Ireland continuous cover forestry (begun 2008).
- Educator & Advisor: Accredited ESD Earth Charter educator, Creative Drummin Carlow Bog project ecoliteracy advisor.
- Researcher & Mentor: Specialist in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) at Haumea Ecoversity.com
In 2022, I was honoured to be nominated by Earth Charter International and UNESCO Chair for ESD as Earth Charter Focal Point Communicator for Ireland
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