That Ship Has Sailed synthesizes the serious and comic to address sex, love, loss, death, belief, the afterlife, and the past. The poems are honest and direct without sacrificing "the uncertainties, mysteries, and doubts" that Keats singles out in his notion of "negative capability," alluded to in the title poem. Amplified by the poet's work as a traditional Irish musician and composer, language is the adhesive that brings the work together across the avant-garde to traditional forms and meters.

That Ship Has Sailed (Pitt Poetry Series)

Literature & Fiction

Winch, Terence

Poetry

University of Pittsburgh Press

This series of narrative poems written in a flat, unadorned, matter-of-fact style recount Terence Winch's early days growing up immersed in Irish American culture and music.

Irish Musicians/American Friends

Coffee House Press

Chosen by Washingtonian magazine as the BEST WASHINGTON BOOK YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF: "In his underappreciated 1989 story collection Contenders, Terence Winch---better known as a poet and musician (he was a member of the local Irish band Celtic Thunder)---encapsulates twenty- and thirtysomething DC life in the 1970s and '80s. The authentic details―Dupont Circle group houses, live music at the Childe Harold, riding Metro when it was new―bolster these wry, unsentimental tales about the push-me-pull-you of relationships." ---The Washingtonian, December 2003.

Contenders: short stories

Story Line Press

Seeing-Eye Boy, the first novel by poet and musician Terence Winch. winner of the American Book Award and Columbia Book Award, brings to life the Irish immigrant world of 20th-century urban America. The vivid and engrossing story of Matt Coffey, 12 years old going on 13, offers an inside look at a lost universe where two cultures, Irish and American, blended together in the new world. In the story it's the fall of 1957, and Matt's world is in turmoil. He's acquired a new enemy named Bull Burke, has started taking care of a neighborhood blind man (who turns out to have been part of the resistance to the British during the Irish troubles in the old country) and his terrifying dog, and is feeling the stirrings of first love. On top of it all, now he has to contend with the threatened invasion of his block by the meanest gang in the Bronx, the dreaded Fordham Baldies. How he navigates his way through the minefield of early adolescence, and what he learns about love and life, are at the heart of Seeing-Eye Boy. The vivid narrative shows immigrant adults interacting with their first-generation sons and daughters, while Irish and rock music co-exist uncomfortably as the Irish become Irish Americans. Matt and his buddies take on gang members who use bicycle chains as weapons, as everybody dances around the efforts of Irish cops to keep the Bronx safe from violence. The thrilling climax involves water balloons, mysterious voices in Matt's head, firecrackers, fierce friendships, a dramatic rescue, a horrifying accident, and the eerie sound of the bagpipes. As writer Michael Lally says, "Seeing-Eye Boy is the lyrically precise and definitive story of what it is like being a smart and sensitive adolescent anywhere, anytime."

Seeing-Eye Boy

Teen & Young Adult

Historical Fiction

Four Windows Press

The Best American Poetry 2025 (The Best American Poetry series)

Guest edited by Terence Winch--NEA Fellow and editor of the "pick of the week" on the Best American Poetry blog--the 2025 edition marks a poignant farewell to series editor David Lehman, celebrating more than three decades of poetic excellence. For thirty-eight years, The Best American Poetry series has won widespread acclaim as the nation's most influential and vital poetry anthology. BAP, which has inspired similar ventures abroad, has garnered plaudits for its ability to capture the zeitgeist of American poetry. This year's anthology is guest edited by the esteemed poet and songwriter Terence Winch, who brings to the task his work as a musician and poetry editor as well as his many years of experience as head of publications at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Winch, known for his inspired selections on the Best American Poetry blog, curates a vibrant array of compelling voices. The Best American Poetry 2025 is a landmark edition that not only showcases the finest contemporary American poetry but also honors David Lehman's achievement as the anthology's founding editor. "The list of editors is a who's who of US poetry elites," writes Oxford professor of poetry A. E. Stallings. "And behind it all, the poet David Lehman, the series editor, has labored quietly and diligently ensuring its continuity and continued relevance." Lehman's vision and dedication have shaped these collections into much-anticipated annual events, sparking lively discussion, controversy on occasion, and always a jubilant affirmation of modern American poetry. This year's edition stands as a testament to David Lehman's legacy--and to the enduring power of poetry.

LEHMAN, David

Scribner

Nonfiction stories about Irish music.In a voice that "delivers both respect and irreverence with convincing authority," Terence Winch gives us "a world--two worlds in fact--his parents' New York immigrant Irish life in the '30's,'40's, and '50's, and the bubbling, eventful confusion of growing up as an artist on the East Coast from the late '60's on. These worlds are joined at the heart by music. And we are as close (as they say in the old Irish poem) to 'the music of what happens' as we are likely to get."--Charles Fanning. A noted poet, musician, and fiction-writer, Winch establishes a witty and yet austere presence in prose that is clean, clear, and utterly engrossing.

That Special Place: New World Irish Stories

Biographies & Memoirs

Regional U.S.

Hanging Loose Press

This recent collection from acclaimed poet, musician, and fiction writer Terence Winch reaches down to the roots of the contemporary Irish-American experience. In Boy Drinkers, Terence Winch---with singular poignancy, wit, and clarity---draws on his upbringing in the Bronx in the 1950s and '60s to bring to life an Irish Catholic world of guilt and choice, debt and legacy, and the betrayals of belief that shake the self to the core.  Winner of the American Book Award for his poetry collection Irish Musicians/American Friends and of the Columbia Book Award for The Great Indoors, and grant recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fund for Poetry, and the Maryland State Arts Council, Terence Winch is recognized as a significant presence in the literary community. Winch---also known as a songwriter with his celebrated band, Celtic Thunder---has been featured on NPR's "All Things Considered" and numerous times on Garrison Keillor's "Writer's Almanac." He is also the recipient of a Gertrude Stein Award for Innovative Writing.

Boy Drinkers

Poetry. "BOY DRINKERS looks with sober eyes at the people, tragedies, and traditions that shaped any of us who grew up in a community where alcohol and God were equally able to bring us to our knees. With his musician's ear and Irishman's humor, Terence Winch pokes fun at the Holy, makes sacred the mundane, and redefines the meaning of "grace"--Meg Kearney.

Poetry. Winch's seventh collection is "imaginative, soulful, and funny...THIS WAY OUT gives us Terence Winch at the top of his game."—Bob Hicok "These are the poems you read to your friend at two in the morning."—Sandra Beasley

This Way Out

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Winch, Terence. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Winch, Terence

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Winch, Terence. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

That Ship Has Sailed (Pitt Poetry Series)

Irish Musicians/American Friends

Contenders: short stories

Seeing-Eye Boy

The Best American Poetry 2025 (The Best American Poetry series)

The Best American Poetry 2025 (The Best American Poetry series)

That Special Place: New World Irish Stories

Boy Drinkers

Boy Drinkers

This Way Out