Niall O'Sullivan – Poet

bio

Niall O’Sullivan was born in Slough of Irish parents back in the seventies. He studied Art in Bath, dropped out and spent the next decade working as a landscape gardener before involving himself full time in London’s poetry scene. He has been writing poems since he was a nipper and reading them to audiences since 1997. Though he holds no animus with those that call him a performance poet, he prefers to be known as a poet.
Niall has read across the UK and Europe. Highlights have been the Apples and Snakes Temptation tour and the Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 2005, Germany in 2006, Norway in 2007 . In 2008, Niall served as the resident poet at the Battersea Literature Festival and was highly commended by the Forward Prize for his poem “The Father in Law” which appeared in the 2009 Forward Book of Poetry. He is always happy to do the business for many regular London events such as Express Excess, Utter, Shortfuse and Apples and Snakes.
Niall has been widely published in many magazines and websites, he is particularly grateful to the Wolf, London Magazine, South Bank Poetry and Rising.
Niall released his first collection, “you’re not singing anymore” with Waterways in 2004 and his second collection,”Ventriloquism for Monkeys” in 2007, again with Waterways.
In 2009 Niall wrote poems and blogged from the 2009 Wimbledon championships via the official website, www.wimbledon.org .
Niall is probably best known to many Londoners as the current host of Poetry Unplugged, London’s biggest weekly open mic at Covent Garden’s Poetry Cafe. He runs another night called The Cellar at the same venue on a monthly basis. Niall’s first ever reading was at Poetry Unplugged and his hands were shaking so much he had to crouch down and read his poems from the floor. Niall still loves the Poetry Cafe and hopes to be involved with that wonderful venue ’til he buries you all.
Outside of poetry, Niall has hosted the Big Issue Film Festival at the Prince Charles Cinema in 2004 and the Wandsworth Green Business Awards at the Clapham Grand in 2008. He also runs poetry workshops for schools and for grownups and edits other people in his clumsy attempts at making ends meet.
Niall likes to run at least 25 miles a week, it’s the only way he can keep his head straight when he’s not indulging his unhealthy obsessions with philosophy, paleoanthropology and Roger Moore.

Comments

Comment from Paul
Time June 18, 2009 at 5:19 pm

Hi Niall,

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed your poetry tonight at the whitechapel gallery, can you also pass on thanks to Tim Wells as well.

Paul

Comment from niallosullivan
Time June 18, 2009 at 11:32 pm

Thanks Paul, I’ll pass on your thanks to Tim, though he might not be in a fit state this morning to receive them, I didn’t follow him to the Stoke Newington Turkish bar after last orders.

Comment from Steve Vowles
Time February 12, 2010 at 8:43 am

Good to see you at writLoud Tuesday. Thanks again for signing the books. Steve.

Comment from niallosullivan
Time February 14, 2010 at 7:48 am

Thanks for the support and the kind words Steve. Liked the questions you asked too, hope I gave some decent answers. Best of luck with your poetry in the meantime.

Niall