something to say, by Ronan McGuire

Prose, poetry, chapbook, 40 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Ronan McGuire’s something to say was born out of a fruitful period of writing in the first four months of 2024. The result is a brazen, forward-thinking, and clear-eyed collection of poetry and prose. The writing is diary-like and confessional but also stunningly precise. It feels like he’s been waiting his whole life to tell these stories.

On the first day of the year, McGuire recounts a vivid childhood memory that sets the tone for the collection. something to say traces the throughline between this memory and the author’s life in New York City some twenty years later. The collection brings a sense of loneliness to the forefront, shakes it wildly, and interrogates it. Only by going back to the very beginning can McGuire find a sense of peace, and this work is a culmination of that process.

As the year goes on, McGuire finds his voice through personal essays and poems on the nature of guilt, shame, and generational trauma. In the end, the unexpected result is hope, and something to say brings out the joy in this discovery.

Ronan McGuire is from a small suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. He attended Emerson College and started as a political science major. After taking an introductory poetry class on a whim, he discovered a natural talent and respect for the art. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in writing, literature, and publishing. He moved to Brooklyn in 2023 and works as a community organizer for a non-profit in Manhattan. For years, McGuire has written poetry mostly for himself as a cathartic exercise. With this project, he is sharing his natural gift, and shouting his words from the treetops, for anyone who will listen.