FRANK O’CONNOR FESTIVAL 2008 #1

Finally I get to blog about the FOC Fest, one of the highlights of my literary year. I’ve been laid up but I’m back, semi-recovered. I didn’t get to every event but I’ll try to say a little about all those I was at.

The opening event was the launch of the Stinging Fly’s new short fiction anthology 'Let's Be Alone Together'. Declan Meade, the editor, and writer William Wall, a contributor and general genius type, said a few words. William said that Declan, and other active supporters of the short story, are ‘national treasures’. And so they are. Four contributors read, including Jim O’Donoghue from Brighton: his first ever published story and his first time to read. He did a great job on both counts. The story was from the POV of a child and it was a poignant and sparely written piece. (Can’t tell you the name of it as my subscriber’s copy has yet to arrive.)

Yiyun Li, who won the FOC Intl Short Story Prize in 2005, but was unable to attend the prize giving, gave her first reading in Cork that night. If you have not yet read A Thousand Years of Good Prayers go and get yourself a copy. These stories are so affecting, so full of menace and tricky human interaction, they are masterpieces of the form. Yiyun read a new story and Patrick Cotter of Munster Literature did a great, relaxed interview with her afterwards, avoiding the pat interview questions that are the norm. It was like eavesdropping on a really interesting conversation. She said that one thing they don’t teach the students at Iowa (where she ended up by accident) is the ugly reality of the publishing world. If they did, I guess some of them would give up.

Thursday I took part in the editors’ panel with Vincent McDonnell and Jon Boilard. We read a story each, we chatted, we took questions. It went well.

There was an extraordinary reading that evening by two English writers: Ian Wilde who lives in Cork and Clare Wigfall who lives in Berlin. Ian read a story about poverty and a ventriloquist’s dummy and it was fantastic, mainly because he more or less acted it: with accents, gestures etc. I wondered as I listened would I like it if I just read it and I came to the conclusion that I would. It was funny and dark and the language was great.
Clare’s story, by contrast, was set in 1930’s England, among the gentility, and she sat there, every inch the English rose, utterly convincing with her sweet reading voice. The story is loosely based on the Greek myth where Aristaeus, the bee-keeper, loses his bees because he lusts after Orpheus’s wife, Eurydice.

Friday morning I woke with a sore neck but went and gave a workshop on Flash Fiction, with seven enthusiastic and good students. The two and a half hours went by in a…flash. And we all enjoyed ourselves.

That afternoon saw the Southword showcase: three readers from recent Southword journals read their work: Tania Hershman, Denise O’Keefe and Julien Camprédon.
Tania read a flash called ‘Plaits’ and a longer science-inspired story from her hot-off-the-presses collection The White Road. She read both beautifully, though it was her first gig ever. I’m very impressed with these confident first time readers.
Denise read her Seán Ó Faoláin shortlisted story ‘Three’ about three friends who get into a lot of trouble together; it was punchy and modern, a great story.
Julien read a story called ‘Burning Punks for the Love of Elves’, the title piece from his collection; a rather madcap tale, it reminded me of the film ‘Night at the Museum’.

More anon!

MITCHELSTOWN INTL SHORT STORY COMP

Mitchelstown International Short Story Competition, formerly known as The William Trevor Short Story Competition, is now accepting entries.

A shortlist of 20 stories will be selected by me, and Cork writer Vincent McDonnell; the final shortlist and winner will be chosen by Kildare writer John MacKenna.

Word count: max of 3000 words

Closing date: Friday 12th December 2008

Prize: €2,500 and a laptop computer

Five runners up will receive €200 each

Entry fee: €20.00 per entry and each entry must have an official entry form attached.

For more and to download an entry form see: Mitchelstown Short Story Prize

SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN WINNERS

The winners of the 2008 Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize are:

1st prize - Julia Van Middlesworth - 'Daddy Dead'

2nd prize - Anna May Mangan - 'The Red Dress'

Congratulations to them and to the eight other shortlisted writers.

FRANK O'CONNOR FESTIVAL

Frank O'Connor was born this day in 1903.

Tonight the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival kicks off in Cork with the launch of The Stinging Fly's latest anthology at Triskel Arts Centre at 7pm. Followed by a reading by 2005 Frank O'Connor Award winner, Yiyun Li.

I'll be at the festival for the next five days, so I will report on it when I'm back next week. Until then, slán go fóill!

BOOK SHELF MATES

I saw the following question on an author interview and thought it was a goody:

Whose books are generally shelved next to yours in bookstores?

For me it varies; it depends on the alphabetical skills of the shelver and what books are stocked. But generally:

Anita Notaro

Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill

And, inexplicably often, Flann O'Brien.

So who are your shelf-mates?

HORIZON REVIEW NOW LIVE!

The inaugural Horizon Review, a new lit mag from Salt publishing in Cambridge, edited by Warwick Poet Laureate Jane Holland, is now available for you to read here.

There is lots of poetry; 5 short stories - including new ones by both Elizabeth Baines and me; an article on how to get an agent; reviews; an interview with China Miéville and lots more. It's action packed, it's new; get over there and support them / submit to them / enjoy!

RESIDENCY ON AN IRISH ISLAND

The Heinrich Böll Cottage - a writers and artists residency on Achill Island, County Mayo - are accepting applications for residencies in 2009. Closing date 30th September.

I've never gone there but my writing friend Geraldine has enjoyed many stints in the cottage. I think as a full-time writer, residencies are not that useful to me. I have plenty of writing time at home and can procrastinate in comfort at my own desk. Anyway too much wilderness makes me antsy. I grew up in a rural-ish part of county Dublin but I went to school in the city centre, so I think I need towns and cities nearby to feel right. Also, with two kids it's difficult to get away for large blocks of time.

Anyway, for those who love quiet residencies and are free to go, you can apply by mailing a letter of interest, including your preferred dates, a cv and short example of your work to:

John McHugh, Achill Heinrich Böll Assocation, Abha Teangaí, Dooagh, Achill, Co Mayo, Ireland.

ALL IRELAND POETRY DAY - 2nd OCT

This Autumn marks Poetry Ireland's thirtieth anniversary and to celebrate the occasion they have organised an All-Ireland poetry day.

On October 2nd they are supporting a reading in every county on the island. The Galway reading is at 6pm in the Galway City Museum:

An evening of poetry and song with poets Celeste Augé, Louis de Paor, Ted Deppe, John Walsh and Michael O'Loughlin; and music with poetry performed by Judith Mok and John Feeley. The Mayors of Galway City and County will read their favourite poems, as well as other guests.

Galway County Arts Office t 091 746880 e mgaughan@galwaycoco.ie

See the countrywide list of readings here.

MAN BOOKER SHORTLIST 2008

The Man Booker Prize 2008 shortlisted novels are:

Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger (Atlantic)

Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture (Faber and Faber)

Amitav Ghosh, Sea of Poppies (John Murray)

Linda Grant, The Clothes on Their Backs (Virago)

Philip Hensher, The Northern Clemency (Fourth Estate)

Steve Toltz, A Fraction of the Whole (Hamish Hamilton)

So much for my hopes for Joseph O'Neill...well, at least we have Sebastian Barry in there to carry the torch!

Aravind Adiga is only 34! Wow. Linda Grant is the only woman on the shortlist. Now I wonder do juries ever get split along gender lines?!

BOOKER QUOTES

Another great article in Saturday’s Guardian, this time about the judging of the (Man) Booker prize, which will be awarded this year, I hope, to Joseph O’Neill for Netherland. Come on the Irish!

A lot of what the judges say is relevant to other literary competitions and it just goes to prove that the whole thing is down to personal taste and subjectivity. There's been a bit of grumbling on another blog about the judging of lit comps, some of it quite ill-informed. Writers should try not to take it personally if their story or book is not shortlisted. It does not mean it is faulty. It does not mean the judge ‘has it in’ for you (especially in anonymous short fiction competitions!). It just means that on that day the winning piece was judged to be the favourite. Shena McKay said in her piece 'as a judge you are responsible for disappointing a lot of people'. This is so true but it can't be helped.

One thing the judges of the Man Booker did not mention is the fact that one is not comparing like with like. No two books, and no two stories, are the same. It is HARD to pick the so-called ‘best’ of a group of great stories or books. You just have to plump for the one that speaks loudest to you in the end.

Here are some of my favourite quotes from the article:

‘…our job was to pick the year's best book, regardless of its author.’ Hilary Spurling, 1979

‘The prize was founded, in part, to encourage competitiveness. Which of the six novelists will make it to the finishing post? This grisly notion constitutes a perfect recipe for envy, back-biting and self-glorification.’ Paul Bailey, 1982

‘I think that the best argument for the whole cruel and unfair business of prizes is that they can lead readers to writers who wouldn't otherwise be read much or perhaps at all.’ Marina Warner, 1985

‘The Booker may at times have tended to increase the unhelpful dichotomy between popular storytelling and books which are classified as literary novels, but most of the winners have combined high literary achievement with compelling storytelling.’ PD James 1987

‘The success of the prize has had an enormous impact on the reception of literary fiction and other kinds of writing, not only directly, but also indirectly through the proliferation of new prizes that have imitated it. But the overtly competitive nature of these prizes, heightened by the publication of longlists and shortlists, takes its psychological toll on writers; and, given the large element of chance in the composition and operation of judging panels, the importance now attached to prizes in our literary culture seems excessive. A committee is a blunt instrument of literary criticism.’ David Lodge, 1989

‘I'm glad I was a Booker judge relatively early in my career. It stopped me thinking that literary prizes are about literary value. Even the most correct jury goes in for horsetrading and gamesmanship, and what emerges is a compromise.’ Hilary Mantel, 1990

‘…the absurdity of the process was soon apparent: it is almost impossible to persuade someone else of the quality or poverty of a selected novel (a useful lesson in the limits of literary criticism). In practice, judge A blathers on about his favourite novel for five minutes, and then judge B blathers on about her favourite novel for five minutes, and nothing changes: no one switches sides. That is when the horse-trading begins.’ James Wood, 1994

‘Some wonderful books win the Booker, of course, just as the flypaper occasionally catches some really large flies. But it means - or should mean - nothing in literary terms.’ James Wood

‘And as far as I remember, not a single judge (including me) ever changed his or her mind, or shifted his or her position, in response to an argument put forward by a colleague.’ Jonathan Coe, 1996

‘Being a judge gave me much more anxiety than being on the shortlist myself, even with the horrible bookies' odds and the risk of being depicted as a cartoon racehorse, because as a judge you are responsible for disappointing a lot of people.’ Shena McKay, 1999

‘What did I learn? Discussion is futile. No one changes their mind about a book. You might as well have a show of hands straight away. There aren't many bad books (only one novel ended up in the bin after two pages), but there are a lot of so-so, nondescript novels that leave no trace. Publishers are idiots.’ Tibor Fischer, 2004

‘As usual, no minds were much changed by the panel discussions - candidate B merely came forward when one judge's candidate A was voted down. John Banville came out top with The Sea. King of the As and Bs. Teeth were gnashed in the press the next day; but they would be if Jesus Christ had written the winning novel.’ John Sutherland, 2005

‘Once an author is on the shortlist anything can happen.’ Giles Foden, 2007

The rest of the article is here.

POETRY COMP FOR WOMEN OVER 30

The 2008 Second Light Poetry Competition is now open for submission to women of 30 years and over. Second Light is a network of women poets, aged 40 and upwards, who are published or beginning to get published and who are serious about developing their work. The deadline for the poetry competition is 1st OCTOBER 2008 and this year’s judge is Gillian Clarke.
Prizes of £300 sterling, £100 and £50. Poems MAY have appeared in magazines but NOT in a book.

Gillian Clarke is President of Ty Newydd, the writers’ centre in North Wales which she co-founded in 1990, tutor on the M.Phil in Creative Writing at the University of Glamorgan, and the current National Poet for Wales. Recent books At The Source, 2008. A new collection, A Recipe for Water, is due in 2009.

A pdf entry form can be downloaded here.

MY PICK OF THE SHORT REVIEW

The latest Short Review is online and this is my favourite review of the piece: Jim Crace's The Devils' Larder reviewed by Pauline Masurel.

Look at that cover. Magnificent! If the cover doesn't woo you, Pauline's review will, I think:

'Most of the stories have a certain darkness in the mix. Food is often still closely associated with the earth or water in which it grows. The collection is seasoned throughout with Crace’s love of language and measured rhythm of delivery.'
I just went to Amazon and bought the book and I look forward to reading it.

It was pointed out to me by a festival organiser that there is not much food in my short stories. (The theme of the festival was 'Convivialité'.) I LOVE food and it surprised me that I don't mention it much in my fiction - it's certainly not deliberate.

Do click on Pauline's name above to see her rather charming website.

SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN SHORTLIST

In no particular order here are the shortlisted writers for the 2008 Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize:


Genine Lentine, San Francisco, USA

Anna May Mangan, Wembley, UK

Terese Svoboda, New York, USA

Elizabeth Costello, Dublin, Ireland

Cathy Sweeney, Bray, Ireland

Natalie Diaz, Surprise, AZ USA

Benjamin Arda Doty, Minneapolis, USA

Colm Keegan, Dublin, Ireland

Michelle Tandoc-Pichereau, Cotes C'Armor, France

Julia Van Middlesworth, New Jersey, USA

One of these people is the overall winner of the €1,500 prize, one claimed second prize of €500, and eight are runners up with €100 each. Each writer will also be published in December's Southword.

The winner will be announced at the Frank O'Connor Short Story Festival on Saturday the 20th of September at 12.30pm.

Thanks to all who entered - I had a ball reading the stories,I learned a few things along the way and, in the end, I could only choose ten of the 705 stories I read.

To those who didn't make the final ten, your story may well have been in my 'YES!' pile and another judge or editor may find it is her favourite on the day. Send it out again and good luck.

INDO BOOK EVENT TCD

WRITER REBECCA MILLER AND HUBBIE, DDL

Lia Mills!

Hugo Hamilton!

Martina Devlin!

Martin Amis!

Rebecca Miller!

Isabel Fonseca!

Benjamin Black!

All appearing this very week-end in and around Trinity College, Dublin, in an event organised by the Irish Independent

Everything really does happen in Dublin. Remind me why I live in the sticks again?

See the BOOKS 2008 site for classes, readings, times etc.

FRANK O'CONNOR FESTIVAL 2008

Below is the vast line up for this year's Frank O'Connor Short Story Festival in the true home of the Irish short story, Cork. Many events are free, so there is no excuse for penniless writers. With workshops, readings and panel discussions there is soemthing to tickle everyone. Go, learn, have fun!

Wednesday 17th September

Opening Reception and launch of Stinging Fly Press anthology 'Let's Be Alone Together'

Refreshments and readings.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 7pm. Admission: Free.

Yiyun Li- Reading and Interview

Beijing-born Yiyun Li, 2005 winner of the inaugural Frank O’Connor International
Short Story Award, makes her first appearance in Cork.
Venue:Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 9pm. Admission: Suggested donation €5.

Thursday 18th September

What does an editor want? - Reading and Discussion

Jon Boilard, Vincent McDonnell & Nuala Ní Chonchúir, three fiction editors of Southword and former judges of the Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition each will read a story of their own, then discuss the experience of assessing manuscript submissions, talk about what they were looking for and how the editorial experience has shaped how they now view their own work.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 2.30pm. Admission: Free

Ian Wild & Clare Wigfall - A Reading

A reading by two young exiled British short story writers, County Cork-based Ian Wild who has also written for radio and the stage and published a collection of poems and Berlin-based Clare Wigfall who has just won the BBC National Short Story Prize.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 7pm. Admission: Suggested donation €5.

William Wall & Adam Marek - A Reading

A reading by distinguished Cork-based novelist and man of letters William Wall, joined on this occasion by young British short story writer Adam Marek who has just published his first collection.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 9pm. Admission: Suggested donation €5.

Friday 19th September

Flash Fiction Workshop

Southword fiction editor Nuala Ní Chonchúir presents a how-to session on Flash Fiction -the micro short fiction form sometimes called short-shorts or sudden fiction.
Venue: Munster Literature Centre, Douglas Street. Time: 10am - 12pm.
Fee: €40. Participation limited to eight individuals. Phone 021-4312955 to book.

Southword Showcase - A Reading

Southword is establishing itself as a journal which publishes great short fiction by complete unknowns as well as international stars such as Colm Toibín, Haruki Murakami and James Lasdun. On this occasion we would like to feature three writers who have featured in Southword and have not yet published a book of short fiction in English. Julian Campredon, Tania Hershman and Denise O’Keefe.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 2.30pm. Admission: Free.

Rachel Trezise & Mary O’Donnell - A Reading

Young Welsh iconoclast Rachel Trezise reads with Co. Kildare-based poet, novelist and broadcaster Mary O’Donnell. Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 7pm. Admission: Free for Culture Night!

Mary Leland & Wena Poon - A Reading

Cork-based novelist Mary Leland shares the stage with San Francisco-based Wena Poon, originally from Singapore reading from her first collection of stories.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 9pm. Admission: Free for Culture Night!

Saturday 20th September

Starting Short Stories - A Workshop

An introduction to writing Short Stories given by Jon Boilard, former fiction editor of Southword and winner of the Sean O’Faolain Short Story Prize.
Venue: Munster Literature Centre, Douglas Street. Time: 10am -12pm. Fee: €40. Participation limited to eight individuals.
Phone 021-4312955 to book.

Don’t Drone On - a Workshop on Reading the Short Story Aloud

The days when you could get a on a stage and read aloud a poem or story in a soporific monotone are passed. Simon Robson gives you pointers on how to improve your performance and develop a reputation where festival and reading curators can’t resist including you on their programmes.
Venue: Munster Literature Centre, Douglas Street. Time: 10am -12pm. Fee: €40. Participation limited to eight individuals.
Phone 021-4312955 to book.

Who has won the Seán O’Faoláin Prize?

The announcement and reading of the winning short story of the €1500 2008 Sean O’Faolain Short Story Prize.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre ,Tobin Street. Time: 12.30pm. Admission: Free.

The State of the Art - a Discussion

Chaired by Rosalind Porter Senior Editor at Granta and including the participation of Stinging Fly editor Declan Meade, Jen Hamilton-Emery, commissioning editor at Salt, Seamus Hosey RTE Radio producer and organiser of the Francis McManus Awards and Lucy Luck, literary agent.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 2.30pm. Admission: Free.

Salt no Vinegar Please: Carys Davies & Vanessa Gebbie - A Reading

Readings by two of the eight Salt authors longlisted for the Frank O’Connor Award this year. Salt is now
the world’s most prolific publisher of short story collections and we are delighted to be able to showcase both the publisher and their authors Carys Davies and Vanessa Gebbie.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 4.30pm. Admission: Free.

Alison McLeod and Simon Robson - A Reading

British-based Canadian novelist Alison McLeod and actor, playwright and fiction writer Simon Robson
read from their very different flavoured works.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 7pm. Admission: Suggested donation €5.

Julie Orringer and Bernard MacLaverty - A Reading

Erstwhile San Francisco resident Julie Orringer reads from her massively admired debut collection, followed
by one of the Irish giants of the short story form Bernard MacLaverty.
Venue: Triskel Arts Centre, Tobin Street. Time: 9pm. Admission: Suggested donation €5.

Sunday 21st September

Presentation of the 2008 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award

Jhumpa Lahiri, this year’s O’Connor laureate will read from her winning book and conduct a public interview with Irish Times Literary Critic Eileen Battersby.
Venue: Millennium Hall, Cork City Hall. Time: 7.30pm. Admission: Free. Refreshments will be served.

AGENT AND PUBLISHING EVENT

Finding an Agent and How to Get Published is a panel discussion hosted by Irish PEN with literary agent Sheila Crowley, editor Mary Webb, and publisher Eoin McHugh

At: United Arts Club, 3 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2

8 p.m. Thursday 11th September

Email irishpen@ireland.com or phone 087 966 0770

Cost is €3 members & €5 non-members

There's a fairly commercial fiction bias here as Sheila 'has masterminded many No.1 bestsellers' (?!) and 'focuses primarily on women’s commercial fiction, thrillers, mbs (mind, body, spirit), sport and celebrity books'. And Eoin McHugh (formerly of Easons) heads up Transworld Ireland, the publishers 'responsible for recent bestsellers from Patricia Scanlan, Mandy Hearty and Amanda Brunker'.

Still, sometimes these events can be an eye opener in terms of information you would not otherwise learn. And it's a nice way to meet other writers too!

WOMEN WRITERS WRITING WOMEN UPDATE

Last month I posted about Nessa O'Mahony's new blog for women writers here.

The blog end of it hasn't taken off yet, but for those of you on Facebook, the Facebook group HAS taken off and is worth a look. It too is called Women Writers Writing Women and there are now 37 members and, so far, 2 topics up for discussion: 'Influential Women (Writers)' and 'Rooms of Our Own'. It's worth a look for tips on new writers and general sharing about writing.

POETRY INTERNATIONAL WEB

Theo Dorgan and James Harpur are the featured poets in this quarter's Irish edition of Poetry International Web. This is a great resource site for both poets and readers; I've discovered all sorts of wonderful articles and new-to-me women poets here, like South Africa's Ingrid Jonker.

See Theo's bio and work here.

See James's bio and work here.

ELECTRIC PICNIC - LIT EVENTS 2

ANNE ENRIGHT, ELECTRIC PICNIC READING & INTERVIEW

We were up with the lark on Sunday morning, wandering about, enjoying the calm and quiet main area – most others were still tent-bound. At half twelve Anne Enright and Claire Keegan were to read and discuss the short story with Declan Meade of the Stinging Fly, in the Arts Council tent. Claire couldn’t make it, so we had more of Anne. She spoke frankly and honestly about her writing life, as always, and she read two stories from Taking Pictures, the one about organic farming (title escapes me & I'm too agitated with computers/the net just now to go and check) and 'Shaft'.

Anne said ‘The short story is an instinctive form’. I agree with that and I’d also say that non-short fiction writers (pure novelists) often don’t ‘get’ that. She also called it ‘a modest, unassuming form’. She said she doesn’t do plot (yay!) as life is plotless and more of a story. She said that her narrators are always unsure about what happens in the same way she herself is unsure about what will happen in life or a given situation.
‘You’re just writing sentences,’ Anne said. ‘See where it goes.’
At the Q&A someone mentioned that she often writes in the first person and she said that she’s just not very good at the third person; that when she writes it, she writes a ‘close’ third person.

Again, feeling that it’s nice for a writer to be asked a few questions, I asked if she ever writes historical short stories. ‘Not so far,’ she said, but she’d like to try it. She also said she is writing a new novel but refused to say what it’s about. She kind of cheekily told Declan it was ‘an impertinent question’ when he asked. It’s a good policy. I have a sign on my notice board that says: ‘The story you’re writing is a secret’, to stop me talking the good out of it. I’m guessing it’s the same for most writers. They want to keep the thing to themselves until it reaches a point where it seems to be going OK.

All in all, she’s a very good interviewee: funny and honest and irreverent. It was a great event.

ELECTRIC PICNIC - LIT EVENTS 1

DAN DEACON AND JOSH RITTER, ELECTRIC PICNIC

We got back, weary, from the Electric Picnic last night, legs and backs stiff from camping and walking, walking, walking. It seemed bigger than ever with more to see and do and experience. Music wise I loved Cathy Davey, Joan As Policewoman and Josh Ritter. Food wise, the Farmer’s Market and the Hurly Burly Veg Café. Apart from music, there were drag queens, sand sculptures, a circus, art exhibitions, comedy, a ferris wheel, pretty iced buns (or cupcakes as we all now very Americanly call them), horrible toilets, an Oxfam shop, thousands of drunk people and beautiful people and friendly people. And literature!

The first literary event I attended was in the Arts Council tent, where various artists were interviewed about their favourite books and literary influences. We saw Dan Deacon – very witty and dry and contrary – and the ever lovely, ever smiling, Josh Ritter. They both lamented the lack of time to read on the road. Josh mentioned, as an aside, he never could get into Jack Kerouac’s On The Road. (A man after my own heart – I thought it was a very postured story.) They also both said being on the road touring is far from glamorous. More exhausting. From the little festival hopping and touring I’ve done, I’d have to agree. Having been on the other end of a silent audience at Q&A time, I almost always feel obliged to ask a question when it’s thrown to the audience. So I asked Josh if he reads poetry and if so, which American poets he likes. He said he would like to read more poets and that he likes Billy Collins. ‘I like my poetry accessible,’ he said. Then he asked me if I was a poet and who I liked. I said Sharon Olds (my current favourite). So there we were, me and Josh Ritter, shooting the breeze about poetry! Swoon.

I don’t even know the name of the group we went to as our next literary event: they were three Irish actors and a singer. They had a wheel of fortune, with writers’ names on it. I was called up to spin the wheel, hoping it would land on Kavanagh, and lo and behold, it did! The four immediately jumped into a revue style performance of recitations from Kavanagh’s poetry; an extract from Tarry Flynn and singing. All very well executed with energy and humour. Sometimes the events you enjoy the most are the ones you just happen upon.