LONELY CROWD LIT MAG - DUBLIN EVENT

EDINBURGH PICS

Tins of shortbread in a shop window

I had a lovely Miss Emily event, with chairperson/interviewer Sasha de Buyl-Pisco, at the Central Library in Edinburgh on Thursday. Had a warm welcome from Bronwen at the library, the event was well attended, and the audience were very lively and engaged.

Edinburgh is such a fantastic city, so ancient and beautifully laid out and designed; I always love going there. Our trip basically consisted of walking, rummaging for glass, books and ceramics in charity shops, and eating cake. (We had Earl Grey Cake!) Heaven for me, pretty much.

We were midly cultural: we went to an exhib about diseases in the National Library, called 'Plague!', and another about famous Scottish people (mostly men, it must be said.) And we explored some churches. But it was mainly cake. And walking.

A few pics:

St Cuthbert's graveyard with the castle above

Swedish pastry in Peter's Yard, Stockbridge - yum...

Burns Night goodies, Stockbridge

This had us in stitches - the Ladybird Book of the Hipster - in a hipster café

Greyfriars Bobby - sat by his master's grave for 14 years. Patient dog.

Patisserie Valerie goodies - we had brekky here one morning

Sunlight on Bow Street

The Bow Bar - pub we adjourned to after the event, cosy and small

We stayed in the Grassmarket so were up and down Bow Street,
and in and out of its fab shops, a lot

Deacon Brodie's on the Royal Mile

Sasha and me, at the Miss Emily event in the Central Library

Smiling Sasha :)

It rained a bit, but when you are somewhere so lovely, it doesn't matter.

Crescent Arts with Miss Emily

Cathy McNally will interview me this Thursday at Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast, about Miss Emily. I will also read from the book and sign copies. Let your Belfast mates know! Bookings here.

Cathy's blog, 746 Books - Confessions of a Book Buying Addict is well worth a peruse. See here.

The 4 Best Ways to Fuck-up Your Poetry Reading

Patrick Cotter, IMO the best arts administrator in Ireland (he's director of Munster Lit) is also a poet, writer and blogger. He has a brilliant new post on his blog for poets. His advice also applies to fiction writers. Below is the first bit, to whet your appetite. Go here for the rest.

1        Make like it's 1983

Strange to think it, but there are still poets out there who deliver their poems in a monotonous monotone. Most of them tend to be over fifty years of age. Last century (literally) it was de rigeur to give a poetry reading in a monotone – I guess it was a reaction against the way many actors can mangle a poem as they declaim it. Most poets hate the way most actors read poetry. Somebody wise once observed that most poets, when saying a poem aloud, do so by moving from consonant to consonant whereas most actors move from vowel to vowel. Jeremy Irons is a lovely man but he is the stereotypical example of an actor who knows how to destroy a poem, especially one by Yeats, by stretching out every vowel like a dog’s yowl. Anyhow last century the way most poets mitigated against this particular trauma was to put no feeling at all or variation of tone into the public reading of a poem. To inject feeling into a poem was believed to get between the audience and the poem; to impose an interpretation. It was believed by many that if you delivered a poem in a monotone the audience could concentrate specifically on the words and react in their own chosen way as they might by absorbing words straight off the page. 

Famously Paul Celan met with sneering disapproval when he read his poems in the traditional Eastern European shamanistic style (with feeling) to a group of German poets in Hamburg in 1952. One observer said Celan had sounded just like Goebbels, another said he sounded like he was singing in the synagogue. Amazingly, this attitude to reading poetry was not confined by the borders of Germany – it was fairly common throughout the English-speaking world too and was the most dominant reading style right up to the beginning of this century.

Slam and performance poetry shook the whole scene up – demonstrating how large audiences would react better to a bit of life in your voice as you declaimed your poem. Sadly there are still older poets who make it like it’s 1983 – often brilliant, insightful, exciting poets on the page who destroy their own reputations as soon as they open their mouths in a crowded auditorium – these days even frequent readers of poetry, even gifted, sophisticated younger ‘page’ poets no longer possess the ability to ‘read’ a poem aurally in a monotone. Monotone poets rarely receive repeat invitations to read and curators elsewhere get to hear how boring they sound and drop them from their thoughts too.

See points 2, 3 and 4 here.

ENSFR reading at the IWC

I am delighted to be reading a short story at the European Network for Short Fiction Research conference which takes place in TCD and UCD this Friday and Saturday, 17th and 18th April. The reading is on Friday the 17th from 7pm - 9pm at the Irish Writers' Centre.

Tickets: €5, available from Eventbrite.

Chaired by Philip Coleman, the readings and discussion will focus on Reading Short Fiction in Transnational Contexts, with guests:

- Evelyn Conlon

- Ailsa Cox

- Dave Lordan

- Tom Morris                                                                               

- Nuala Ní Chonchúir

- Mary O’Donnell

Doors open from 6.30pm, event starts at 7pm.

TALLAGHT, NEW YORK & BEYOND

I'm reading from my latest novel The Closet of Savage Mementos this Saturday at 2.30pm, at the Civic Theatre in Tallaght, as part of the Red Line Book Festival. I'm reading with Dónal Ryan, Dermot Bolger and John Sheahan. Blessed amongst men.

The festival is on all this week and my friend Shauna Gilligan is giving a free writing workshop on Saturday in Lucan Library, 10am to 1pm, Bookings: 01 621 6422.

After Red Line I am off to New York to meet my agent and my new editor at Penguin USA for lunch, then a meet-n-greet at the Penguin office. And after that I head to New Mexico where I am giving a talk on historical fiction, and my first reading from Miss Emily, at the Uni. of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Excited doesn't even come close!!

CORK AFTERS - PHOTOS

I'm in recovery mode after Cork and the short story festival. My favourite festival of them all. I taught a four day novel course to an enthused group of nine writers; I read and took part in a panel; I heard Richard Ford say the short story was a lesser form (than the novel) - ouch!; I listened to writers read, discuss, argue and laugh into the early hours.

I met lovely Canadian writers (again!) - like my fellow reader Matt Rader and also Lynn Coady, who read brilliantly with the sublime Alison MacLeod. We ate, we drank, we pub-crawled, we talked. It was exhausting and exhilarating, as ever. Kudos and gratefulness to Pat Cotter, Jen Matthews and all at Munster Literature Centre and Triskel for making it so good and for welcoming us all in.

My photos are pretty uniformly rubbish - I didn't bring my camera, for some reason, so it was phone snaps all the way. So, if you are not pictured here, it's because the photo I took of you is terrible. Here are a small few pics of the festival and of spots around Cork itself:

Jaki McCarrick reading at the library

Paul McVeigh reading at Culture Night in Waterstone's

Shane Vaughan reading at Culture Night in Waterstone's

Valerie Sirr reading at the library

Declan Meade introducing Sara Baume, Davy Byrnes 2014 winner, & Danielle McLaughlin, runner-up

Tofu gorgeousness at Café Paradiso

Juno sending a postcard to her brothers

The butter churn obsession continues apace - this one at The Butter Museum

Retro butter packets at The Butter Museum

Juno at The Butter Museum

Kay O'Mahony's, Shandon

Every time I go to Cork, I think, This is really a great place to visit. My top tips for visitors to Cork: eat at the Quay Co-op, the Farmgate Restaurant in the English Market, and Café Paradiso, Visit the Butter Museum and Mutton Lane Inn. Go to the Crawford Gallery and Vibes 'n' Scribes Book Shop. Enjoy, enjoy. I'm already looking forward to next year's Cork Short Story Festival.

EASONS CELEBRATES 25 YEARS WITH GALWAY WRITERS

Here's the full text of Kernan Andrews's article about the 25 year celebrations at Easons, Galway, from The Galway Advertiser:

ELEVEN GALWAY short story writers and poets will be reading from their work in Easons on Mondays and Tuesdays in September.

The readings, which begin at 4.30pm, have been programmed by Galway publishing company Arlen House, and are part of a series of events to mark the 25th anniversary of Easons’ opening in Shop Street in September 1989.

The first reading takes place on Monday September 22 at 4.30pm and will feature Geraldine Curtin giving a short talk entitled Life Stories of Women Prisoners in Galway Jail; Orfhlaith Foyle will read poems of war and conflict as well as reading poems by Ballinasloe writer Nuala Ní Chonchúir which were inspired by the book The Women of Galway Jail; and the Galway Advertiser arts editor Kernan Andrews will read from his short story, Im Niemansland, set in the trenches of WWI.

Tuesday 23 will feature two of Galway’s most respected short story writers, as Geraldine Mills will read from her new collection, Hellkite, and Mike McCormack will reading from Forensic Songs.

On Monday 29, there will be poetry from Alice Lyons, Peggie Gallagher, and Geraldine Mitchell, while Nuala Ní Chonchúir will read from The Closet of Savage Mementos. Tuesday 30 will see Alan McMonagle and Des Kenny read from the Arlen House short story anthology Noir by Noir West.

All are welcome to the readings. Easons will be hosting a number of other in-shop events, including literature and music and events for children.

CORK SHORT STORY FEST READING

Matt Rader

Corkonians!! Cork-bound-people!! I'll be reading at the short story festival there next week with Canadian writer Matt Rader. Weds. 17th, 7pm. Triskel Arts. Please come and cheer us on. Bookings here.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AND READINGS

I have so many things coming up, that I thought I'd make a list here, in case any of you want to come to classes/workshops/readings, or you know people who might. Here's the schedule for Scotland, Cork, Tipperary, Wexford, Tallaght, Dublin city...

I'm doing a reading from The Closet of Savage Mementos and a Q&A with Peter Ross
Where: Nairn Book and Arts Festival, Scotland
When: Friday 5th September
More here

I'm teaching a 4-day course in The Novel
Where: Cork Short Story Festival
When: 17 - 20 September, daily 9.30am - 12.30pm
More here

I'm doing a short story reading with Matt Rader
Where: Cork Short Story Festival
When: 17th September,7pm
More here

I'm yapping on a panel with Patrick Chapman and Ladette Randolph, chair Jennifer Matthews
Where: Cork Short Story Festival
When: 20th September, 2.15pm
More here

I'm teaching a morning course in Flash Fiction and yapping on a panel
Where: Dromineer Literary Festival
When: Saturday 4th October
More here

I'm doing a reading from The Closet of Savage Mementos
Where: Wexford County Library
When: Sat. 11th October, 3pm

I'm doing a reading from The Closet of Savage Mementos at the Red Line Book Festival, with Donal Ryan, Dermot Bolger and John Sheahan
Where: Civic Theatre, Tallaght
When: Sat. 18th October, 2.30pm
More here

I'm teaching a 1 day course in Writing Effective Fiction
Where: The Irish Writers' Centre
When: Saturday 8th November
More here

And that's quite enough for now - I feel exhausted just looking at that list.

GLASGOW AFTERS - A FEW PICS

Cloutie Dumpling - a gingery, light fruit cake

 I took a flying visit to Glasgow this week to read from The Closet of Savage Mementos at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) on Sauchiehall Street. My husband and youngest child came with me and we had a lovely time at the Kelvingrove Gallery and wandering the book shops, stationery shops, charity shops etc. We enjoyed tea and cloutie dumpling and shortbread in the Rennie Mackintosh designed Willow Tearooms.

What a great venue the CCA is - it's an old building and it houses the Saramago Café, a vegan bar and eaterie ( we were very happy veggies), where we enjoyed wine and food after my reading.

Writer Dónal McLaughlin

I received a very warm welcome from writer Dónal McLaughlin of the Scottish Writers' Centre, a Derry native who moved to Scotland as a child. (I will interview him here shortly about his latest short story collection, Beheading the Virgin Mary.) Another Scotland-based Irish writer, Orla McDonald, took us to lunch. And the Director of the Scottish Writers' Centre, writer Douglas Thompson was a lovely, relaxed host in the evening at the CCA.

Juno & Daddy wrapping a mummy

Juno at Kelvingrove

I love meeting readers (and potential ones) and there was a lovely mix of Irish and Scottish people at the event and they weren't shy at the Q&A. The nature of this book means I end up talking a lot about my personal life, which feels strange, but I'm getting used to it. Several people came up to my afterwards to tell me of their own, or their folks', experiences as unmarried parents in the 60s, 70s and 80s.

We adjourned to the Saramago Café afterwards and ate and drank and nattered, and it was all very friendly, as you would expect in Glasgow. I've loved Scotland since my first visit to the Isle of Skye as a student and I can't wait to go back in September to read at the Nairn Book and Arts Festival.

Verity in the novel is a taxidermist

The hanging heads at Kelvingrove

Tea & cake pit-stop at the gallery - Ju and Nu

GLASGOW READING - 29th APRIL

I am reading from my Scotland-set novel The Closet of Savage Mementos at the CCA, Glasgow, this Tuesday the 29th April at 7pm. More details here.

CRANNÓG EVENT - READING THIS EVENING!

I'll be reading one poem and a short extract from The Closet of Savage Mementos at this Crannóg lit mag event at the Cúirt Festival this evening. All welcome!

DUBLIN BOOK FESTIVAL INTERVIEW & MASSACHUSETTS

I'm interviewed at the Dublin Book Festival site ahead of my appearance on the Anti Room panel on women’s writing, which will also feature arts journalist and broadcaster Sinéad Gleeson, journalists Anna Carey and Jennifer Ridyard, and author Christine Dwyer Hickey.

The event is on Saturday 16th November at 4.30pm in The Main Space at Smock Alley Theatre.

*

And with that I am off to Massachusetts for a short stint at Bay Path College to take part in their Writers' Day, give a reading and visit some classes. I will also be doing final research for my American novel.

It will be hard to be aways from my kids and husband for 10 days (my eldest turns 20 today - 20!!!) but I am very much looking forward to the New England autumnal colours, seeing Emily Dickinson's house and catching up with old friends. I'll talk to you, no doubt, on the other side.

Reading with Gerard Stembridge & Kevin Curran - IWC

Gerry Stembridge by Anto Kane

Gerry Stembridge and Kevin Curran will read at the Irish Writers' Centre tomorrow,  Saturday 7th September at 1.00pm

Gerard Stembridge’s work as screenwriter and novelist is well known to Irish audiences. His scripting of ‘Ordinary Decent Criminal’ (starring Kevin Spacey) set the bar for Irish screenwriters. Although Gerry is perhaps even more renowned for his broadcast work, in particular for much-loved Scrap Saturday, co-written with the late Dermot Morgan. His fourth novel The Effect of Her (Old Street Publishing) has been met with much acclaim. In it he relates, in nonfictionalised detail, the social and political events that rocked Ireland in the 1970s.

 Kevin's debut novel Beatsploitation which explores a changed Dublin powerfully captures the energy, wit and pathos of contemporary Dublin society, giving voice to a cynical, disillusioned generation, caught between the tired values of the old and the uncertainty of the new.

Both men will read and talk about the novel as a document of a generation and how writing can shine a light on society's values.

GALWAY READING TONIGHT, BELFAST PICS, MOTHER AMERICA MOBI

Namoredeira from Brazil

I am reading tonight with Seamus Scanlon at the Dominican Hall, The Claddagh, Galway as part of the Artistic Atlas celebrations. I don't read often in Galway so that's kind of fun. 6pm, admission free. Please come!

Marisol Morales Ladrón

Belfast was fab, I must say. Again, I took very few pics (too busy walking, eating and enjoying the sights and shops.) I loved Marisol Morales Ladrón's eco-critical look at my novel YOU, at the IASIL Conference at Queen's University. She was spot-on in her assessment of the importance of the river in the book. It is fascinating to hear your work talked about by academics - they go to the heart of it so much more than critics. Gracias, Marisol :)

Queen's Uni, Belfast

This particular conference is like the queen of Irish Studies conferences so there were lots of the lovely people there whom I met in Brazil last August, including Laura Izarra who brought me the namoredeira above, the statue you see in so many windows in the north of Brazil. Sweet :)

In other news my short story collection Mother America is now available as a mobi file at New Island's page on Small Epic for £4.99 (about €5.80) for all you e-reader readers.

ARTISTIC ATLAS LAUNCH, READINGS AND TRIPS

Atlas inventor Liam Duffy - pages from the book behind him

Sometimes I get lazy and refuse to carry my proper camera to events. I bring my little camera which is light but fairly mediocre, it has to be said. Anyhoo, I was lazy yesterday so herewith a few mediocre pics from the Artistic Atlas of Galway launch last night in the Dominican Hall in the Claddagh. It was great - Sarah Clancy gave a rousing speech on the importance of the arts to Galway. She reminded me of why I first came to live in in Galway by saying it has always been one of those places where it feels like anything might happen and often does.

The Atlas itself is a thing of beauty - my poem is accompanied by a stunning photo of train tracks from John Lawless. All the writers I spoke to were thrilled with the quality of the production.

There were readings, Mexican food, wine and shots. There were writers and a hall chockful of beautiful art (exhib runs all week). All this week writers featured in the Atlas will read at 6pm. Myself and New York based Irish writer Seamus Scanlon read together on Friday at 6pm. The Atlas is for sale at the hall and also online here.

In the meantime I am off to Belfast to hear a paper on my novel YOU from Spanish academic Marisol Morales Ladrón at an Irish Studies Conference. Accompanying me on my trip will be Gerard Stembridge's new novel, The Effect of Her, which I will review on Arena next Monday. I can't wait to get stuck in.

Helen Freeburn and Mary Mullen at the launch

Artwork on exhib by Sylvia Gryczuk

Jimi McDonnell reading

Sarah Clancy launching the Atlas

Artwork 'The Chase' by Aran Young

BVM candle