Why reading and writing poems shouldn’t be considered a luxury in troubling times

By Emily Cullen, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing and Meskell Poet in Residence, University of Limerick

The American poet Adrienne Rich once asked: “To say that a poet is responsive, responsible – what can that mean?” This question about poets bearing witness and being the “conscience” of their society is something I’ve pondered over the years.

My own political awakening was something of a slow burner. As a fledgling poet from a middle-class background, growing up in Carrick-on-Shannon in the Irish county of Leitrim in the 1980s, I watched the news each night in shock as another bomb exploded not far…

Read complete article

~	Hong Kong ranks low on global press freedom index as watchdog cites ‘unprecedented’ setbacks

~	Media coverage of campus protests tends to focus on the spectacle, rather than the substance

~	The good news is the government plans to cancel $3 billion in student debt. The bad news is indexation will still be high

~	Albanese government to wipe $3 billion in student debt, benefitting three million people

~	The Indigenous Peoples Camp that calls for rights every April in Brazil

~	Pillay: Israel is helped by ‘powerful States’ in violation of Palestinians’ rights

~	Debates on campus safety in response to Palestine solidarity activism show we need strategies to navigate discomfort

~	El Salvador: Constitution “à la carte” could deepen human rights crisis in coming years

~	Arrest Warrant Issued for Former Central African Republic President

~	With eyes on Gaza, violations against West Bank journalists multiply