Off Square Books to host book launch for The Irish Goodbye on Tuesday, February 24 at 5:30 pm
by Noreen Ocampo
Beth Ann Fennelly—Poet Laureate of Mississippi from 2016-2021, Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Mississippi, and two-time winner of Oxford’s Favorite Writer in The Townies—believes that everyone has a story to tell.
In The Irish Goodbye, Fennelly’s forthcoming book of micro-memoirs, she exemplifies how the sheer act of attention can transform seemingly mundane moments into a life story worth sharing and celebrating. With these micro-memoirs—some as short as five words—Fennelly expertly builds on her previous book, Heating & Cooling, in which she first introduced readers to the small but mighty form.
The micro-memoir form stems from Fennelly’s innovation and experimentation across written genres. A poet by training, Fennelly has authored seven books, including three books of poetry—Unmentionables, Tender Hooks, and Open House—in addition to three books of nonfiction and a novel, The Tilted World, which she wrote with her husband, Tom Franklin. Fennelly explains, “I found that the micro-memoir is the perfect form to steal what I love from the different genres.” Compression, abbreviation, and lyrical thrust from poetry. Narrative and tension from fiction. “And from nonfiction,” Fennelly states, “what I really love is truth-telling.”
At its core, The Irish Goodbye is a book of true stories from Fennelly’s life, spanning from girlhood to adulthood as she explores what it means to be a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and individual. While readers can catch glimpses of Fennelly’s life in her poetry, The Irish Goodbye reflects her experiences in a wholly different way, lifting a magnifying glass to memories of hurt and triumph alike, holding it steady and allowing readers to peer through. “The pieces in this book,” Fennelly says, “they’re me. This is my life. My husband, my kids, my town. Everything I talk about in the book is verifiably true.”
From a lonely year spent teaching on the Czech-Polish border to the unexpected death of Fennelly’s sister, The Irish Goodbye leaves no stone unturned and does the often-terrifying work of refusing to shy away from grief, loneliness, shame, and truth. “I think that people turn to memoir because it shows a human heart being vulnerable,” says Fennelly.
“I’m interested in pressing into the areas that aren’t written about on social media, or aren’t deliberately masked or beautified.”
Photograph by Megan Wolfe.
As a source of inspiration, Fennelly gestures to her favorite mug from Square Books, which bears a quote from James Baldwin: “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read.” In the face of a digital landscape saturated by artificially altered content and social media posts that overlook the small, imperfect, and real moments that make up our lives, The Irish Goodbye urges readers to consider what can be gained from being vulnerable with oneself. “When you do that, other people see themselves in you,” Fennelly explains. And in this way, The Irish Goodbye brings us together.
Through her work both on and off the page, Fennelly reminds us that reading and writing equip us to better understand ourselves and the world. Wanting to create opportunities for her local community to come together and rediscover the joys of reading, she began hosting BYOB—Bring Your Own Book—events across and around Oxford. By inviting community members from all walks of life to spend 45 minutes of uninterrupted time reading with strangers, Fennelly emphasizes one of her core beliefs: “Reading is for everybody. Books are for everybody.”
These BYOB events came about as a way to remind Oxford of its rich literary tradition in the face of rapid growth and new development. “I do worry a little bit about Oxford getting overdeveloped… I worry about, for example, servers at restaurants that can’t afford to live in the town they serve. I think that that starts getting really dangerous, what that does to a community,” Fennelly shares. “And so I thought, ‘Is there one small thing I could do to build community that would help remind Oxford that reading is something we do here, that’s part of who we are?’”
So far, Fennelly has invited community members to bring their own books and read at Exploradora Coffee, The Growler, T.I.N. in Water Valley, and Lost Dog Coffee in Taylor. The next BYOB will take place on Tuesday, March 31 at 5:30 pm at Circle and Square Brewing, followed by Tuesday, April 21 at 6 pm at The Magnolia Coffee Co. in Water Valley.
For those interested in writing their own micro-memoirs, Fennelly will lead an interactive workshop on Monday, March 16 from 5:30-6:30 pm at the Oxford-Lafayette Public Library. This free class is part of the Oxford Micro Memoir Project, developed by Greenfield Farm Writers Residency at the University of Mississippi and sponsored by Visit Oxford. Writers of all levels are invited to attend. “There are a lot of people who want to write their life story and don’t know how to start,” Fennelly says. “You start with one paragraph. One sentence.”
After all, the micro-memoir is ultimately a form that encourages everyone to dare to see themselves as writers, reminding us that we’ve all lived lives worth writing about and sharing. The micro-memoir reflects Fennelly’s belief that the joys of literature are for everyone. “I think people want to be creative,” she states. “I think they forget that it makes them feel good, and it’s so much easier to pick up your phone and open an app and zone out than it is to use your brain. But we’re happier people when we’re creating beautiful things.”
The Greenfield Farm Writers Residency is also accepting submissions of original 300-word micro-memoirs for a chance to win a $750 grand prize or a $250 runner-up prize. Finalists will be invited to read their work on stage at the Double Decker Arts Festival. Submissions for the Oxford Micro Memoir Contest will be accepted until March 30. For more information, visit: www.greenfieldfarmwriters.org/micromemoirs.
The book launch for Beth Ann Fennelly’s The Irish Goodbye, her much-anticipated seventh book, will take place at Off Square Books on Tuesday, February 24 at 5:30 pm. An additional reading will take place at Lost Dog Coffee in Taylor on Thursday February 26 at 6 pm. Books are available for preorder on the Square Books website and can also be purchased at the event. Please join us in celebrating one of Oxford’s most remarkable and beloved writers.
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