I did a talk and reading in the local's girls' school, for TY students, this morning. I read from the novel, talked about writing as a career/vocation and set them an exercise on language use in writing. They were attentive apart from the odd fit of the giggles (prompted once by me saying I had met people in real-life who I had first met on the internet!) They weren't very forthcoming with the questions so I just yammered on. Their teacher told me they may have been more interested in asking about my son who is also doing TY in the boys' school down the road...
Anyway it was a pleasant morning. On Sunday I'm going to give a talk at a Writers' Conference in Howth. It'll be interesting to see if they are more up for questioning me. Audiences in general tend to be shy, I find. I'm shy myself when it comes to asking questions of writers I go to hear. It's always great though when a group is collectively inquisitive and chatty.
If you want to fling some questions at some fine writers (if they allow it?!), tomorrow, Wednesday 19th May at 7pm, as part of their Summer Series of Prose Readings, the Irish Writers' Centre are holding a free reading with Martin Malone and John MacKenna.
I've read Martin's latest short fiction collection The Mango War and it's really good. John MacKenna's The Space Between Us has just been shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. So you're in good hands and I'd say it will be a good evening's listening.
Today I am guest-blogging over at Writing4all about writing poetry VS fiction.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, writer Elizabeth Baines stops by Women Rule Writer on her virtual tour for her new novel Too Many Magpies. I'd love if you could join us to hear our chat.
2 comments:
I'd never be able to get up in front of a load of secondary students. They must be the toughest crowd of all! Fair play to you!
I don't do schools much - I prefer reading to adults, tbh.
Post a Comment