2016 Bloomsday Press Release

19th Annual Staged Reading / Bloomsday Celebration of James Joyce’s Ulysses

The Wild Geese Players of Seattle join Bloomsday celebrations across the globe honoring Ulysses’ author James Joyce. Our 19th annual staged reading of selections from the book will be held on Sunday, June 19, 2016 from 2–4 PM at the Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, Level 4 – Room 2 – Howard S. Wright Family & Janet W. Ketcham Meeting Room.

Bloomsday (Bloom’s day, named for Ulysses’ main character, Leopold Bloom) is a worldwide commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce and refers to the 24-hour period in 1904 in which Ulysses is set. Ulysses follows the wanderings of Bloom, a Jewish everyman, and Stephen Dedalus, a young writer and Joyce’s alter ego, as they wander the streets of Dublin.

Join us for a taste of Ulysses, in small bites. This year’s reading features Chapter 3, “Proteus”, and Chapter 6, “Hades”. In the book, both chapters take place around 11 am. In Chapter 3 Stephen has wandered down to Sandymount Strand (the beach at the southeast side of Dublin) to stroll and to think. He contemplates different theories of vision, Aristotle’s in particular, and remembers his adventures in Paris before his mother died.

Meanwhile, in Chapter 6 we join the funeral of Paddy Dignam, with Bloom sharing a carriage with Simon Dedalus (father of Stephen) and others to Glasnevin cemetery. As the carriage moves past Watery Lane, Bloom sees Stephen and points him out to Simon Dedalus. Bloom’s Jewish parentage makes him an outsider to the Catholics in the cab, and the conversation takes some awkward turns.

The Wild Geese Players of Seattle have presented staged readings of Irish literature, by writers such as James Joyce and W.B. Yeats, since 1998. We are a diverse group of people with an interest in Irish literature, and most of us are either Irish-born or have Irish connections. We believe that poetry and certain novels are best read aloud, that some words are better heard than read.

For more information, visit the Wild Geese Players’ website www.WildGeeseSeattle.org, like our Facebook group, or follow @WildGeeseSea on Twitter.

Follow-up contacts:
George Reilly, Director,  WildGeeseSeattle@gmail.com
Claudia Finn, CFinnSeattle@gmail.com