CLARE READING & WORKSHOP

I'm teaching a fiction and poetry workshop, at the Iniscealtra Festival, Mountshannon, County Clare, this week-end.

It's a two day creative writing workshop and bookings are limited to 10.
Contact Jim on 087 6968577; E: jgrady@iol.ie

I will also read at The Snug Winebar, Mountshannon, at 4.30pm Saturday 31st May.
Reading sponsored by POETRY IRELAND

See their site here

BOOKS IRELAND'S BOYS CLUB

My summer copy of Books Ireland magazine arrived this morning. And once again there are no reviews of female poets’ books. My subscription is due for renewal. Will I bother? I ask myself. The male bias in the reviewers and books chosen for review irritates me.
I would rather like if they reviewed my book. Why not? But it seems the reviewers get to choose what books they review (as in most publications) and the poetry reviewers choose their fellow men. How predictable.

Workshops!

Well, my two-day short story workshop in Mitchelstown went well; there was great enthusiasm among the group and we had some good discussions on writing in general and topics including language use and style, in particular.

Alyn Fenn from Schull, County Cork – the winner of this year’s William Trevor Short Story Award – joined us on the Sunday and it was great to hear about her writing experiences. It took her four years to complete her winning story, The Wire Road, a story based on inter-racial marriage, set in America. Four years! Patience is one of the great virtues a writer must learn to succeed.

I also read one of my own stories Juno Out of Yellow on the Saturday night, standing in for one festival participant who failed to show up. So that was a bonus. For me at least!
We attended the unveiling of a plaque on the house where William Trevor was born on Upper Cork Street also and helped to drink the bar in the hotel dry. I’m officially in recovery since. God, these lit fests take it out of you.

Onward to Mountshannon on Friday where I’m teaching another two day workshop. And, I’m told, there are discounts available on the advertised price.

See previous post below & their site: Iniscealtra Festival

WORKSHOP IN CORK - REMINDER

The workshop I'm facilitating on the short story, at the Trevor Bowen Summer School in Mitchelstown, County Cork, is this week-end.

Saturday 24th
10.30 – 1pm C.B.S. Assembly Hall, Mitchelstown

Sunday 25th of May
10.30 – 1pm Firgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown

Fee: €60 for both sessions

To sign up contact Liam Cusack
Tel: 025-84918 OR 086-8248736
Email: cusackliam@eircom.net

Their site is Trevor Bowen Summer School

Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize

This year, I am the judge for the Seán O Faoláin Short Story Prize, for a story of up to 3000 words. Closing date 31st July. First prize €1,500.

For entry details see Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize.

Get your entries in early. This is a very honest and open competition: there is no team of first readers, the judge reads EVERY story. That is rare, and it means your story has an equal chance with every other story submitted. You are only going to be subject to one person’s taste (mine) so here’s a helping hand. These are some of the things that I’ll be looking for in entries:

• A distinctive tone or voice to the story. I often dislike straightforward narratives unless the language is beautiful.

• I have a weakness for stylish, first person narratives.

• Innovative, considered writing. The language used is equally as important to my enjoyment of a story as the ‘what happens’.

• Stories where something happens – however small the incident.

• Stories that make me squirm a bit. Avoid safe happenings to safe characters.

• Humour – the blacker the better.

• Concrete detail: name your places and objects, use your senses. I hate vagueness.

• I have a particular fondness for short shorts, flash fiction – whatever you like to call them. I love concision.

• Here are some of my favourite short stories, to give you an idea of the type of story that does it for me:

Lucky Girls – Nell Freudenberger

Breaking the Pig – Etgar Keret

Something that Needs Nothing – Miranda July

Angelo’s Passion – Christopher Burns

The Wake – Stuart Dybek

Blown from the Bridge – David Means

Pillow – Anne Enright

The Ceiling – Kevin Brockmeier

Helping – Robert Stone

Irrigation – Vanessa Gebbie

Zigzagger – Manuel Muñoz

Please do try to get your stories in early; people often rush to meet the deadline at the end (I'm guilty of it myself). But as I will be reading every entry, I’ll have a deadline too. And if I get sent piles and piles of stories near the end, they may not get as careful and leisurely a reading as the ones submitted earlier. Good luck!

Best of the Booker Shortlist

The Best of the Booker, a one-off celebratory award to mark the 40th anniversary of the Booker Prize, announced its shortlist today.

The six shortlisted books, chosen from the list of 41 Booker Prize and Man Booker Prize winners, are:

Pat Barker's The Ghost Road (1995, Viking)

Peter Carey's Oscar and Lucinda (1988, Faber & Faber)

JM Coetzee's Disgrace (1999, Secker & Warburg)

JG Farrell's The Siege of Krishnapur (1973, Weidenfeld & Nicolson)

Nadine Gordimer's The Conservationist (1974, Cape)

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children (1981, Cape)

The shortlist was selected by a panel of judges - Victoria Glendinning, Mariella Frostrup and John Mullan.

The winner will be chosen by the public and voting begins today.

See The Voting Page here

I tried and failed to read the Rushdie. I loved the Carey, and embarrassingly, I haven't read the others...So, I think, rather undemocratically, Oscar and Lucinda gets my vote!

Writing Workshop, Mountshannon, Co. Clare

Nuala Ní Chonchúir will give a fiction and poetry workshop, as well as a reading, at the Iniscealtra Festival, Mountshannon, County Clare, on the June Bank Holiday week-end.

Nuala will offer a two day creative writing workshop to writers of both fiction and poetry. There is an opportunity to submit work in advance to Nuala for guidance over the weekend. Bookings limited to 10, so book early: 087 6968577; E: jgrady@iol.ie
Cost €100

She will read at The Snug Winebar, Mountshannon, at 4.30pm Saturday 31st May.

See their site here

Poetic Collaboration

I’m taking part in two collaborations at the moment; one of my own invention, with a fellow writer and good friend. The project is loosely called ‘Postcards’. We each randomly buy a postcard that appeals to us (2 copies of it), send the postcard to the other, and we both have to write a poem based on the image on the card. It’s an odd way to work but we are both pleased with the results so far. Website and chapbook to follow, when we reach some sort of end. Possibly early 2009.

My second collaborative project is trickier: an artist and I have been put together by an art mag and a lit mag respectively. We’ve chosen our ‘topic’ (under wraps, so far) and now we have to devise a way of turning that topic into art. Art that is art mag and lit mag friendly. It is intriguing and a tad daunting. The artist and I met for the first time yesterday; we get on well and had an interesting and lofty field trip in Dublin.

I will report further on both these collaborations as they develop.

Short story workshop, Trevor Bowen Week-end

More short story workshops!
This time a two-parter at the Trevor Bowen Summer School in Mitchelstown, County Cork.

Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th of May
10.30 – 1pm C.B.S. Assembly Hall, Mitchelstown

Short story – Creative writing workshop
Directed by: Nuala Ní Chonchúir
Fee: €60 for both sessions

See: Trevor Bowen Summer School

LONGLIST FOR THE 2008 FRANK O'CONNOR SHORT STORY PRIZE

The longlist for the 2008 Frank O'Connor Award, for a collection of short stories, is published today.
See Munster Literature Centre for more, where they speculate on possible shortlistees and winners. Unlike many longlists, any collection that is eligible (according to the rules set out by Munster Lit) gets on the longlist, it's just up to the publishers to get them in. Which is a good thing for writers and publishers as it exposes their book and their press to media attention.
The shortlist of 6 books will appear in July and the winner of the €35,000 prize will be announced at the annual Frank O'Connor Short Story Festival in September. Good luck all!!

IRELAND (5 authors)

1. Mary Rochford (IRELAND)
Gilded Shadows
Tia Publishing, Birmingham, UK
2. Mary O’Donnell (IRELAND)
Storm over Belfast
New Island, Dublin, Ireland
3. Gerard Donovan (IRELAND)
Country of the Grand
Faber & Faber Ltd, London, UK
4. Anne Enright (IRELAND)
Taking Pictures
Jonathan Cape – The Random House Group, London, UK
5. Roddy Doyle (IRELAND)
The Deportees and other stories
Jonathan Cape – The Random House Group, London, UK

BRITAIN (14 authors including 8 authors from Salt Publishing)

6. James Waddington (BRITAIN)
Torc
Ogo Press, Honley, Holmfirth, UK
7. Clare Wigfall (BRITAIN)
The Loudest Sound and Nothing
Faber & Faber Ltd, London, UK
8. Niki Aguirre (BRITAIN)
29 Ways to Drown
Flipped Eye Publishing, Manchester, UK
9. Wendy Perriam (BRITAIN)
Little Marvel and Other Stories
Robert Hale Limited, London, UK
10. David Gaffney (BRITAIN)
Aroma Bingo
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
11. Carys Davies (BRITAIN)
Some New Ambush
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
12. Elizabeth Baines (BRITAIN)
Balancing on the Edge of the World
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
13. Padrika Tarrant (BRITAIN)
Broken Things
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
14. Linda Cracknell (BRITAIN)
The Searching Glance
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
15. William Guy (BRITAIN)
The I Love You Book
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
16. Vanessa Gebbie (BRITAIN)
Words From a Glass Bubble
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
17. Richard Bardsley (BRITAIN)
Body Parts – The Anatomy of Love
Salt Publishing Ltd, Cambridge, Uk
18. Robert Shearman (BRITAIN)
(Writer of the Dr Who series and a contemporary of David Walliams at Reigate Grammar School, has worked with Alan Ayckbourn and had a play produced by Francis Ford Coppola)
Tiny Deaths
Comma Press, Manchester, Uk
19. Adam Marek (BRITAIN)
Instruction Manual for Swallowing
Comma Press, Manchester, Uk



AUSTRALIA (4 authors)

20. John Clancy (AUSTRALIA)
Her Father’s Daughter
University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia Queensland, Australia
21. Susan Midalia (AUSTRALIA)
A History of the Beanbag
Uwa Press, Crawley, Australia
22. Kathryn Lomer (AUSTRALIA)
Camera Obscura
University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia Queensland, Australia
23. Nam Le (VIETNAM-AUSTRALIA)
The Boat
Canongate Books Limited, Edinburgh, UK

NEW ZEALAND (4 authors)

24. Tim Jones (NEW ZEALAND)
Transported
Random House New Zealand Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
25. Sue Orr (NEW ZEALAND)
Etiquette for a Dinner Party
Random House New Zealand Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
26. Elizabeth Smither (NEW ZEALAND)
The Girl Who Proposed
Cape Catley Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand
27. Witi Ihimaera (NEW ZEALAND)
Often regarded as the most prominent Māori writer alive today, his novel, The Whale Rider, was made into the very successful film of the same name.
Ask The Posts Of The House
Raupo Publishing Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand

USA (8 authors)

28. Jhumpa Lahiri (USA)
Unaccustomed Earth
Alfred A. Knopf Inc., Random House Inc., New York, Usa
29. Wanda Coleman (USA)
Jazz and Twelve O’Clock Tales
Black Sparrow Books, Boston, Massachusetts, Usa
30. Benjamin Percy (USA)
Refresh, Refresh
Jonathan Cape – The Random House Group, London, Uk
31. Janet Kauffman (USA)
Trespassing – Dirt Stories and Field Notes
Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Usa
32. Jim Shepard (USA)
Like you’d understand, anyway
Alfred A. Knopf Inc., Random House Inc., New York, Usa
33. Marianne Herrmann (USA)
Signaling For Rescue
New Rivers Press, Moorhead, MN, Usa
34. Don Waters (USA)
Desert Gothic
University of Iowa Press, Iowa City, Usa
35. Donald Ray Pollock (USA)
Knockemstiff
Harvill Secker Editorial – The Random House Group Ltd, London, UK

CANADA

36. Alison MacLeod (CANADA)
Fifteen Modern Tales of Attraction
Hamish Hamilton, London, UK

SINGAPORE

37. Wena Poon (SINGAPORE)
Lions in Winter: stories
MPH Group Publishing, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

TAIWAN

38. Egoyan Zheng (Qian-Ci Zheng) (TAIWAN)
Urn’s Bottom Village Stories
Press Store Publishing Co., Taichung City, Taiwan

NIGERIA

39. Tubal R. Cain (NIGERIA)
Dandaula and Other African Tales
Precious Styles Nigeria Limited, Jebba, Kwara State, Nigeria

SHORT STORY WORKSHOPS

As part of the 10th International Conference on the Short Story, in Cork in June this year several workshops, with top-notch writers, are being offered. The workshops cost €100 each, and they all take place on Wednesday the 18th of June. Workshops 1 to 4 are in the morning, while 5 and 6 take place in the afternoon.
See Triskel for registration details.


Workshop 1 CLARK BLAISE

“What the short story tells us about Art, about Life”.

This workshop will look at the ways classic and contemporary stories generate their desired effects.

Workshop 2 BHARATI MUKHERJEE

“The Stated and the Implied”.

This workshop will concentrate on the form, theory and practice of short fiction.

Workshop 3 MARY MORRISY

“Re-vision: Seeing your work with a fresh eye...”

This workshop will concentrate on rewriting. Attendees are asked to submit a draft short story that they are not happy with by June 1st and bring same story to the workshop.

Workshop 4 KIRPHAL SINGH

“Writing the Short Story across cultures/borders”.

By using specific examples and illustrations, participants can benefit from the mutual exchange of ideas and sharing which will, invariably, make the workshop exciting, interesting and instructive.

Workshop 5 ANA CASTILLO

“Unfinished Pieces: Keep or Trash?”.

In some stories the trouble is at the very beginning. Other stories challenge us in the middle. Finally, how to finish may well be where you are stuck. We'll discuss and try exercises that may help us breathe new life into the story.

Workshop 6 ROBERT OLEN BUTLER

“Creating Fictional Art”.

This workshop will focus on the fundamentals of the creative process for fiction writers, beginning or advanced, who aspire to create enduring literature. And, think about the essential characteristics of fiction as an art form.

THE SHORT REVIEW, MAY ISSUE

Tania Hershman's superb Short Review is online once again with a new issue.

Reviews this month include Italo Calvino and Sophie Hannah, to name just two. Get over there for great reviews and interviews. How is a woman ever supposed to get around to reading all the brilliant books in the world. Just how?!