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The Irish tradition in the New York City Fire Department is undeniably rich. But it also must be said that stories of the FDNY inevitably tilt towards the male perspective, since the department has only been hiring females since the early 1980s, following a contentious court battle.
But in her absorbing and compelling first novel, Ashes of Fiery Weather, Kathleen Donohoe manages to tell a decades-spanning story of firefighters that also puts female characters at the forefront. There are wives and widows, yes, but also an Irish-born female firefighter. As much an Irish immigrant novel as it is an FDNY story, Ashes of a Fiery Weather – the title comes from the mournful Wallace Stevens poem “Our Stars Come from Ireland” – opens in 1983 at a Brooklyn funeral. Galway-born Norah O’Reilly is mourning the loss of her firefighter husband Sean, who was killed in the line of duty.
Frank B. Hanes Writer-in-Residence
North Carolina poet Laureate, Jaki Shelton Green
2021 Frank B. Hanes Writer-in-Residence Readings
The week will include two public events a panel on Environmental Justice and a conversation moderated by Gene Nichol, class visits by each writer, a community outreach with a local high school and a writing session with UNC creative writing students, and a celebratory dinner.
Monday, Feb 22:
CHANGE: Due to weather conditions and travel, Rev. William Barber II will not be able to attend our reading tonight. We look forward to a reading and Q&A with North Carolina Poet Laureate and social activist Jaki Shelton Green! Tune in on Thursday for a Panel on Environmental Justice with Jaki Shelton Green, Rev William Barber II, and NC Attorney General Josh Stein, moderated by WUNC’s Leoneda Inge.