The New Frontier is a landmark publication of writing from the Irish Border, composed of non-fiction, fiction and poetry – it is a chorus of voices from some of the island’s greatest writers, that conveys in its multiplicity the true meaning of our border. At a time when the division of our shared island has once again become an international concern, the Border now a threshold between Europe and the United Kingdom, The New Frontier seeks to explore the meaning of this partition in the 21st century for those people that inhabit that divide.
This collection of writing ultimately poses the question: What does it mean to be Irish, Northern Irish, or British in the modern age, and what does it mean to live on a threshold between a kingdom and a republic?
The New Frontier will undoubtedly become a key cultural and literary touchstone. This anthology considers the border, and our historical divisions, through literature, by inviting writers from border areas to respond imaginatively and instinctively. By writing the land, writing the body, writing the lived experiences of this complex and misunderstood part of Ireland, The New Frontier looks to reclaim the border region from decades of misinterpretation and misunderstanding.
Featuring writing from:
Conor O’Callaghan, Darran Anderson , Garrett Carr, Luke Cassidy , Nidhi Zak , Kerri ní Dochartaigh, Michael Hughes , Séamas O’Reilly, Pat McCabe , Lias Saoudi , Maureen Boyle, Emily Cooper , Dean Fee , Jill Crawford , Annemarie ní Chuirrean, Peter Hollywood, John Kelly , Michelle Gallen, Marcel Krueger , Eoghan Walls , Orla McAlinden, Bronagh McAtasney, Mícheál McCann , Jess McKinney and Maria McManus
JAMES CONOR PATTERSON is a poet and essayist from Newry, Co. Down. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Irish Times, New Statesman, Poetry Review and The Stinging Fly, among others. In 2019, he received an Eric Gregory Award, and was shortlisted for the White Review Poet’s Prize in 2021.
