Booksmith is thrilled to host Pádraig Ó Tuama to celebrate his books Poetry Unbound, an anthology based on the popular podcast of the same name, and Feed the Beast, a new collection of poems. Please join us!

Please note:

• Masks will be required throughout the duration of the event and capacity will be limited to allow indoor distancing. Protocols are subject to change.
• Because we’re limiting capacity, we can't guarantee we'll have space for walk-ins. The best way to ensure you’ll get a seat is to order the Book + Seat ticket through this link.
• We are happy to offer *signed copies* of both Poetry Unbound and Feed the Beast: order a Book + Seat ticket bundle if you'd like to pick up a signed copy of one or both of the books at the event, or if you just want a signed copy and no admission you can order here for Poetry Unbound and here for Feed the Beast.
• If we feel it is not safe to gather, as the event gets closer, we will pivot to a virtual event and your registration will remain valid.
• Questions? Write [email protected].

About Poetry Unbound

Expanding on the popular podcast from On Being, Poetry Unbound offers immersive reflections on fifty powerful poems.

In the tumult of our contemporary moment, poetry has emerged as an inviting, consoling outlet with a unique power to move and connect us, to inspire fury, tears, joy, laughter, and surprise. This generous anthology pairs fifty illuminating poems with poet and podcast host Pádraig Ó Tuama’s appealing, unhurried reflections. With keen insight and warm personal anecdotes, Ó Tuama considers each poem’s artistry and explores how its meaning can expand into our own lives.

Focusing mainly on poets writing today, Ó Tuama engages with a diverse array of voices that includes Ada Limón, Ilya Kaminsky, Margaret Atwood, Ocean Vuong, Layli Long Soldier, and Reginald Dwayne Betts. For anyone who has wanted to try their hand at a conversation with poetry but doesn’t know where to start, Poetry Unbound encourages understanding and appreciation, presenting a window through which to celebrate the art of being alive.

About Feed the Beast

Feed the Beast by Pádraig Ó Tuama features poems which wrestle with sexuality and religion. This breathtaking book charts the landscape into—and out of—the world of “gay cure” and reparative therapy. Having undergone treatments, therapies, and exorcisms for gagging the gay in him, Pádraig Ó Tuama pushes past gods and devils and searches for language that might offer a home for hunger. Alongside a sequence of Seven Deadly Sonnets, this collection contains a breathtaking erasure poem written in response to the Vatican’s statement on the blessing of same-sex unions. With dexterous use of form and voice, Feed the Beast explores registers of rage and resilience. Whether in parable, narrative or song, whether in tenderness or fury, the reader encounters poems that are honed, necessary and – finally – empowered.

About the author

Irish poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama’s work centers around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. He is the author of several books of poetry and prose: Feed the Beast, Daily Prayer with the Corrymeela Community, In the Shelter, Sorry for your Troubles, and Readings from the Books of Exile. Ó Tuama is also the host of the popular podcast Poetry Unbound, which immerses the listener into one poem every week, and the author of the collection, Poetry Unbound, an expansion on the podcast that offers reflections on fifty powerful poems. He is based in Ireland. Photo by Trevor Brady.