Feed the Beast

by Pádraig Ó Tuama

Feed the Beast by Pádraig Ó Tuama features poems which meditate on sexuality and religion. This breathtaking book charts the landscape into-and out of-the world of "gay cure" and reparative therapy. Having undergone treatments, therapies, and exorcisms for gagging the gay in him, Pádraig Ó Tuama pushes past gods and devils and searches for language that might offer safety. At the core of this collection is a breathtaking erasure poem written in response to the Vatican's statement on the blessing of same-sex unions. With dexterous use of form and voice, Feed the Beast explores registers of rage and resilience. Whether in parable, narrative or song, whether in tenderness or fear, the reader encounters poems that are honed, necessary and-finally-hopeful.

Genres: Poetry

56 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2023

About the author

Pádraig Ó Tuama’s poetry and prose centre around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. His work has won acclaim in circles of poetry, politics, psychotherapy and conflict analysis. His formal qualifications (PhD, MTh and BA) cover creative writing, literary criticism and theology. Alongside this, he pursued vocational training in conflict analysis, specialising in groupwork.

His published work is in the fields of poetry, anthology, essay, memoir, theology and conflict. A new volume of poetry — Kitchen Hymns — is forthcoming from CHEERIO in mid 2024.

Profiled in The New Yorker, Pádraig’s poems have been featured in Poetry Ireland Review, Academy of American Poets, Harvard Review, New England Review, Raidió Teilifís Éireann’s Poem of the Week, and the Kenyon Review.

Pádraig has told stories at The Moth, has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, has presented programmes on poetry and language for BBC Radio 4; and has extended interviews with On Being, with Kim Hill on Radio NZ, and Soul Search on Radio National (Australia). In addition, he has interviewed poets and public figures including former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, Hanif Abdurraqib, The Edge, Sarah Perry, Joy Harjo, Billy Collins and Martin Hayes.

Reviews

[Rachel Edney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I needed to read this book. These poems are imprecatory psalms. Holy rage at its most articulate.

From the notes from the author:
“I kept secrets for years. I didn’t realize it was possible to imagine. I’d sought freedom in safety, not rage. Anger was salvation, so was poetry, scholarship, relief and creativity. These poems were hard-won. I’m glad I survived [many didn’t.] I meet strangers everywhere who tell me about their [so-called] therapies and exorcisms. We recognize each other—by our beasts, our hunger.”

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us still weighted down by the fear of being outed and sent to conversion therapy “camps”. For those of us struggling daily with aspects of religious trauma, religious shame, internalized homophobia, deep regret of life lost to hiding from religious hate- this book of poetry is a gift. Pádraig’s poetry is filled with rage, sorrow, lust, queer resilience, and ultimately hope. Even having heard or read many of these poems, seeing them all together, holding them, is precious.

This book contains some of my all-time favorite poems and I’m delighted to have them bound together amongst his brilliant words.

[Amy GB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, astonishing. Makes me weep for all the hurt caused by religiosity, purity culture, homophobia and cruelty. Even though my experience is not exactly the same as the author's (due to gender, circumstance, denomination, and geography) I felt so deeply seen. I also feel connected and bolstered by how many of us there are like this, and by the loving friend who gave me this book.

[Kathleen J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but very very good collection.

Picked up out of the drop box when checking in books and had it around the house for awhile. Finally read the other day and did not realize much of the theme was as a response to undergoing some conversion therapy in Ireland. Happy pride, it is valuable to read such accounts

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post–Pádraig meeting update: the phrase, which captured my imagination, was a publisher's choice ("Oh, that was Aaron") and something Mr. Ó Tuama didn't have a hand in. Also, what a missed Parsifal moment with a hurting homeboy.

The last printed page in this, about 60% down the page and in large, upper-case letters, reads "FEED YOUR UNREST", and I'll be thinking about that for a long time.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such elegance. Such rage inside the cage of beauty.

I love "Grace" for so many reasons, including that the speaker makes me stagger with them along the line that barely holds us.

I was so lucky hear Pádraig read from this in Kent, Ohio. (So interesting that he left off the last line of "Abomination." (Was it Pádraig -- in a workshop I listened to -- who suggested taking off last lines? Because they are the final bow we don't need, because the knot suffices?)

[Laura W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof. This is a tough read. Apparently I didn’t really read the description before I bought this - I just knew I wanted to try one of his books - so it was quite a surprise to me (my mistake) that most of the poems are about being gay in Christian spaces. . . Absolutely brutal and heartbreaking. I definitely want to read another one asap.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a time to love and a time to hate; a time for making war
- This erasure poem catches your breath and won’t let go. Hard not to be changed by reading it.

A man shall lie with a man
- Similarly moving and poignant

Someone
- Will hit you in the heart

Out
- Will hit in the gut

The poems in this collection will move you, cut you and make you want to read them again and again.

[Elsbeth Kwant]

For the Sealey Challenge (read a book of poems for every day in August) I thought it would be appropriate to start with the man who taught me so much about poetry. I am deeply grateful for Poetry Unbound. as with the book Shelter I find I prefer the teacher to the writer. But nevertheless a good start to the challenge.

[Amy McGloughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every poem in this book was like a gut punch. Padraig writes about his experience with conversion therapy and juxtaposes many of the poems with pieces of scripture. The poems are body aware and visceral. You should definitely read this.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resonating - his working through the trauma of being gay in a Christian world and the trauma that that can bring on an individual. So many lines that capture my experience in ways that I could never say. Thank you, Padraig.

[Kim Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for sharing these poems with us Padraig. As soon as I finished, I moved the bookmark to the beginning to start again. The end informs the beginning. The book freed me to rage against religion. And “There is a you telling you another story of you. Listen to her.”

[Shawn Aebi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thumb on the intersection between religion and sexuality, with attention paid to the attempts to "recover" people from the sin of homosexuality. "Hate the Sin, Hate the Sinner" a perfect composition of the lack of grace prevalent.

[J.L. Neyhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content warning for big religious trauma for queer people who were traumatized in being subjected to “conversion therapy,” “reparation therapy,” “exorcisms” and other harmful, homophobic words and actions baptized in religious language.

[Tim Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

Padraig's short, but powerful book are reflections of his journey of coming out as gay, and the horrible religious experiences that can bring (conversion therapy). Please read this, and every padraig o' tuama book you can get your hands on.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book full of rage, love, playful blasphemy, found poems, and sonnets. A testament to the beauty and power of words.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most touching books of poetry I’ve ever read.

[Jen Compan (Doucette) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof. A powerful collection of poems,

[Josiah Hatfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I’m the audience for this book. Poems about sexuality and religion and written in a way that’s accessible to this guy who doesn’t fully *get* poetry oftentimes.