BANTRY, VIENNA & GALWAY NOW

 
A swift reminder that the Seán Ó Faoláin Prize closes for entries on the 31st July so you still have time to polish that story and send it in. Apart from the fact there are 6 prizes, you get to read at the Cork Short Story Festival which is the best festival EVER. It was announced by Munster Lit and the festival yesterday, btw, that young skin Colin Barrett has won the 2014 Frank O'Connor Award, which is very impressive for a début book. Kudos, Colin.

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I had a lovely time in Bantry, teaching at the West Cork Lit Fest - I met with a fine bunch of aspiring bloggers/Facebookers/Tweeters. The time flew, we had fun. What more could you want? I enjoyed readings too by the wondrous John MacKenna, the sublime Mary Morrissy and the winners of the FISH awards, including Dublin man, David Butler, a fellow New Islander, who took the top prize.

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I'm off to Vienna tomorrow for the International Conference on the Short Story, which I have been attending, in its various locations, since 2006. I'm taking part in a panel on linked short story collections on Weds 16th; reading from Of Dublin and Other Fictions at the Irish Embassy on Thurs 17th; and reading from Mother America, with I-Wei Wu from Taiwan, on Fri 18th. It is a great conference and I am so looking forward to catching up with old friends including Tania Hershman, Billie Travalini and Bob and Kelly Butler. So ta-rah for now. If I get a moment, I will blog from Vienna.

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If you live in the Wesht, I am interviewed in the current issue (Jul./Aug.) of Galway Now magazine about The Closet of Savage Mementos and about what Galway means to me.

10th ANNUAL SEAN Ó FAOLÁIN PRIZE - DEADLINE LOOMS

Judge Joyce Russell

There are just 12 days to go to the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize deadline on July 31st. The prize is ten years in existence this year and is open to all writers. €15 entry fee.

Judged once more by former winner Joyce Russell, first prize consists of €2000 (approx $2600/£1700) in cash, publication in Southword, a reading spot at the Cork International Short Story Festival in September, with hotel accommodation and meals provided AND a week at Anam Cara writers' retreat.

Entry details here. Read last year's winning story here. There are also prizes and publishing opportunities for second place and four runners-up.

THRESHOLDS FEATURE COMP - I WON!

Jane Ray's Happy Prince

Can't quite believe it but I won the Thresholds Feature Writing Comp with my essay on Ó Faoláin, Wilde and Behan's stories. I thought I hadn't a hope, so I am nicely baffled and thrilled. My friend Dan Powell is runner up with his essay on Stig Dagerman’s collection The Games of Night. My essay is up on the Threshold's site here, Dan's will be up on Monday. I really look forward to being sold Stig Dagerman’s work because I have never heard of him before.

The judges made nice comments: ‘A rich, deft piece about the way we are each inhabited by stories’; ‘the piece charms with its wonderfully lively and engaging voice’; ‘she takes a unique approach to the Competition brief’; ‘the writing illuminates not only the stories discussed but, intriguingly and evocatively, the writer herself – showing how stories touch us as people and influence us as writers’; ‘a fluent and stylish analysis of how stories that are read at a certain age stay with us forever’.

I am a-glow ☺

SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN DEADLINE LOOMS

The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists, sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre. The closing date for entries is the 31st July.

If the winner goes to Cork to collect their prize, the organisers say: "We will lavish them with hotel accommodation, meals, drinks and VIP access to the literary stars at the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival (14-18 September 2011)."

First Prize: €1,500 (*approx USD $2000/ GBP £1300), a week at writers' retreat Anam Cara, and publication in the literary journal Southword Journal Online.

Second Prize: €500 and publication in Southword.

Four other shortlisted entries will be selected for publication in Southword and receive a publication fee of €120.

*Currency exchange amounts via XE.com, calculated 11.04.11
 
For more details about how to enter, please visit here.

SOUTHWORD 19 ONLINE

Photo by John Minihan

Southword 19 is now online and the winners of the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Award, as chosen by Tania Hershman, can be read there. There are new poems from the brilliant Tess Gallagher, Vona Groarke and Billy Collins; Matthew Sweeney reviews Thomas Lynch; Jennifer Matthews reviews Dave Lordan; Gerry Murphy is also in review etc. etc.

John Minihan is the Frank O'Connor festival's official photographer each year and there are photos aplenty form this year's events in Southword. The pic above is of me and a terrified looking Juno, with Finbar, my husband. What a privilege to be photographed by John again. Get yourself to the festival next year - it's in my top two, vying for pole position with Cúirt.

SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN DEADLINE LOOMING

It's the last month to send in Seán Ó Faoláin competition submissions. So get those short stories polished up and shipped off. Judge for this year is Tania Hershman.

First prize is 1500 euros (or USD/GBP equivalent) and if the winner comes to Cork to collect their prize, they'll be "lavished with hotel accommodation, meals, drinks and VIP access to the literary stars" at the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival (15-19 September 2010). How could you pass by that opportunity!?!

SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN 2009 SHORTLIST

The 2009 shortlist and commendations for the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story comp have been announced. Here are Philip ó Ceallaigh's choices as judge:

(alphabetical order)

"Snow" by Elaine Barnard, California, USA

"Cold Cut" by Alexa Beattie, CT, USA

"Harm" by Michael Copperman, Oregon, USA

"Southern Hospitality" Alyn Fenn, Co.Cork, Ireland

"My Friend Joe" by David Mohan, Co. Dublin, Ireland

"The Mason's Tale" by Alec Solomita, MA, USA

"Holding On" Sheena Wilkinson, Co. Down, N. Ireland



Commendations

(In order of entry)



“The Shaman Can’t Call the Spirit Home” Benjamin Arda Doty, Mn, USA

“Scattered Teeth” Tabitha Roemish, Seattle, USA

“The Statistician” Richard Scarsbrook,Toronto, Canada

“The Fallen Cone” Sasha Margolis, Ohio, USA

“Nel Mezzo del Camin” James Moynihan, Cork, Ireland

“The Sky at Night” Robert Keaton Mac Donald, California, USA

“Giving Up” Gerry McCullough, Northern Ireland

“The Girl in the Window” Brian Kirk, Dublin, Ireland

“Island Shaman” René J. Navarro, Pennsylvania, USA

“The Girl at the Fair” Howard Petote, North Carolina, USA

“ Italian Lesson” Grace French, Dublin, Ireland

“The Grind” Dónal Moloney, Waterford, Ireland

“Waiting for the Bullet” Madeleine D’Arcy, Cork, Ireland

“The Boys” Emily Firetog, Dublin, Ireland

“Dancers” Andrew Fox, Dublin, Ireland

“Losing Amanda” Andrew Rogers, North Carolina, USA

“Never, Ever bring this Up Again” Luke Woods, New York, USA

“A Smudge of Color” Chris Nicholson, New York, USA

“The Cost of Fuel” Kathryn Hively, New Jersey, USA

"Dilation" Beverly Parayno, California, USA

2009 Sean O'Faoláin Short Story Comp Opens

The Seán O'Faoláin Short Story Competition is an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland’s most accomplished story writers and theorists, sponsored by the Munster Literature Centre.

It offers a first prize of €1,500 (approx US$2000) and second prize of €500 (approx US$650) and publication in Southword. Four other shortlisted entries will be selected for publication in Southword and receive a fee of €100 (approx US$130). The winners will be invited to read their stories at the 2009 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival, Cork, Ireland in September 2009.

Judge: Philip Ó Ceallaigh, author of two short fiction collections: Notes from a Turkish Whorehouse (Penguin, 2006) and The Pleasant Light of Day (Penguin, 2009).

Closing date: 31st July 2009

Competition details and submission guidelines are available here.

SOUTHWORD 15 - OUT NOW

Southword 15 is out now and it contains the winning and shortlisted stories I chose for the 2008 Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize. So if you want to see what type of story made it to the top ten, now's your chance.

As well as a host of great stories by Julia Van Middlesworth, Colm Keegan, Anna May Mangan and others, there is poetry from Gerry Murphy, Ian Wild, Vona Groarke, Susan Connolly, Aideen Henry and more.

Billy Ramsell writes a great review and in this issue he focuses on sensuality in collections by Richard Tillinghast and Frank Golden.

I'm sorry to see that this is the last print edition of Southword. The managing editor, Patrick Cotter, explains in his Foreword that they have decided to make Southword an online journal from the next issue, with no compromise on their 'rigorous editorial standards'. He explains it all in the text but, basically, in these downturny times, it's a financial decision. But, you know, one benefit will be that they will be able to feature more work in an online position. (Though no more lolling in the bath with the journal for me - one of my fave activities whenever I get a new lit mag. Sigh.)

Submissions are being accepted for Southword 16 (poetry and fiction) and 17 (poetry only) until the 15th of March. You have a few days to get your best work in to them!

You can buy Southword 15 online here for €8 including P&P. Bargain.

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.

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.

LONGER SHORTLIST FOR SEÁN Ó FAOLÁIN

News just in from the administrators of the Seán Ó Faoláin Prize at the Munster Literature Centre. As entries almost doubled this year - to 707 - they have generously decided to allow me, as judge, to pick four further runners up!

This means that there will be 1st prize, 2nd prize, and EIGHT prizes of €100, plus publication in the literary journal Southword.

Not only does this take the sting out of choosing a shortlist for me (a task I currently have in hand) but it is further evidence of what a fair-minded and supportive competition this is for new and emerging writers.

Once again the Munster Literature Centre shows how it should be done.

NOTICEBOARD SNIPPET #5

"Writers need a generous atmosphere to grow in." Seán Ó Faoláin

LAST CHANCE - WIN €1500 FOR A STORY

This is my last reminder to you before the 31ST JULY deadline for the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize, run by the Munster Literature Centre, judged this year by me.
See here.

Win €1500 first prize and publication in Southword and get your work read by Lucy Luck, UK Literary Agent to writers such as Catherine O'Flynn and Kevin Barry.

Second Prize is €500 and publication in Southword.

Four other shortlisted entries will be selected for publication in Southword and receive a fee of €100.

I am off to Dublin to talk to some American writing students about the writing life. And for the week-end my best pal and me are going to Sligo to take part in the Strandhill Summer Fest - a week-end long writing workshop. Should be fun!

p.s. The first person to guess the significance of the picture of the seagull accompanying this post wins a signed copy of Tattoo : Tatú!