Julie Irigaray
Writer. Poet. Teacher.
Welcome to my website. As an author who lived in four different countries, I aim to create a better understanding of the world and our place in it
— a mission which has cast me in many different roles: writer, poet, and teacher.
Read some of my work below, ranging from published articles to poetry.
"In this dramatic moment of the world, the artist must cry and laugh with the people. He must leave behind the lilies and put himself in the mud up to the waist to help those who are looking for the lilies. More especially, I have a real yearning to communicate with the others.”
Federico García Lorca
What’s New
Autumn 2020
My poem "Krieg" was commended for the 2020 Ambit Poetry Competition. The prize ceremony will take place online on 27th October. Please register here to attend.
"Krieg" will also be published on Ambit's website, and I cannot adequately express my pride in having this specific poem selected. The theme of this year's competition was "Cataclysm", so I submitted a poem about my great-grandfather who had been living in Argentina for years when he was drafted for the Great War. He ultimately lost a country (he never returned to Argentina) and a leg (he was amputated twice). He ended up farming on an uneven tract of land despite his wooden leg, and even climbed up trees! The poem deals with a true story that happened to him during World War II, and I felt the need to write it down as I find it heart-breaking. If after three wars (1870, 1914-1918, 1939-1945), two peoples like the Germans and the French could show humanity to each other, we cannot fail to do the same today. In these times of rising nationalism, this story of resilience and trauma is needed more than ever.
Neptune's Glitter House for WayWard Poets invited me to read on 30th October 2020 at 8pm. The event will take place online, so please book your tickets on EventBrite.
I'm also giving a talk for the Sylvia Plath Birthday Party on 24th October (18:00 London time). Join us for this funny evening: we'll all get dressed, drink (reasonably), and discuss Plath's interest in occultism and birthday parties, among many other themes!
