Laureate for Irish Fiction nomination

I am delighted to have been nominated for The Laureate for Irish Fiction. Big thanks to whoever nominated me! The website for the Laureate, which will be awarded in January 2015, reads:

"The Laureate for Irish Fiction will be awarded by the Arts Council to an Irish writer of national and international distinction. The honour will be used to promote Irish literature nationally and internationally and to encourage the public to engage with high quality Irish fiction. The Laureate will have a three-year term. Over the period, he or she will teach creative writing to students at University College Dublin and New York University, will spend time developing his or her own work, and will participate in a number of major, public events and promotions. The Laureate will receive a total of €150,000 over the three years."

Bring it on, says I. I am in New York as I write and the idea of having a long spell here, to teach writing, is swoon-worthy.

Here is the list of 34 nominees:

Anne Enright	Anne Haverty	Belinda McKeon
Bernard MacLaverty	Catherine Dunne	Christine Dwyer Hickey
Claire Keegan	Colum McCann	Dermot Bolger
Donal Ryan	Edna O'Brien	Eimear McBride
Emma Donoghue	Eoin McNamee	Evelyn Conlon
Hugo Hamilton	Jaki McCarrick	Jennifer Johnston
John Banville	John Boyne	John MacKenna
Joseph O'Connor	Liam Mac Cóil	Michael Coady
Niall Williams	Nuala Ní Chonchuir	Patrick McCabe
Paul Murray	Peter Cunningham	Ré O Laighleis
Roddy Doyle	Sebastian Barry	Tom Kilroy
William Trevor

More here.