This Wednesday poet, spoken word artist, and writer Wayne Power will debut his emotive piece ‘A Place for Us’ on Hotpress‘s website. ‘A Place for Us’ was written in remembrance of Adian Moffit, Michael Snee, and Declan Flynn, but is extended to all victims of homophobic hate crimes in Ireland.
Power found his beginnings at the Modwords Festival in 2019, debuting his first short play Well girl, any news? In 2020, Power released his critically acclaimed debut poetry collection Everyones a Star After Midnight under the Manuscript Publisher. Prior to its release, Power had garnered some attention with his collaboration with the Summer in The City Festival. The collaboration saw his pieces ‘The Rallying My Town’ and the nostalgic ‘Top of the Town’ amassing over 20,000 views.
It wasn’t until March of 2022 that Power released his second collection of poetry Neon Hearts and the Angry Mob. Within the same month, Aidan Moffit and Michael Snee were murdered in attacks that would send shockwaves through the LGBTQ+ community. In response to the murders and the rise of homophobic attacks on the island, Power wrote ‘A Place for Us’, which was performed for the first time at a vigil for the two Sligo men. In Power’s words, the piece is meant as a “celebration but also a call to arms”.
“When the Sligo murders happened, it frightened me. Because I use those apps, and I felt that it could have as easily happened to me as both of them,” Power said.
“We’ve come so far as a community in this country. And it just showed that we can never take our safety for granted, even in 2022. But that we still have to live out loud and not in shadows like past generations.”
He added: “In a time where trans rights are questioned so casually and homophobia continues to snarl out in the open. I wanted to write for those who feel marginalised and isolated. That whatever dogma or prejudices still exist, we all have a place in this world”.
The video, debuting on Hotpress this Wednesday, was shot in September by Cian Cusack in several historical Waterford City landmarks including; the people’s park, the city center, and the Viking triangle.
‘A Place for Us’ by Wayne Power is available on Spotify and all other streaming platforms, with all Bandcamp proceeds being donated to charity.
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