UPCOMING GIGS

John MacKenna and I are at Writers Week in Listowel on Friday 3rd June at 1pm, reading from our historical novels based on poets (John Clare and Emily Dickinson) and discussing historical fiction. Details here.

I am in conversation with Adam Wyeth at Howth Literary and Arts Festival on Saturday 11th June at 12 midday. We are talking myth, poetry and historical fiction. More here.

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.

LISTOWEL AFTERS & PICS

Between preparing for the Italy trip (more of which on the Italo-Irish Literature Exchange blog), and a final, final edit for Penguin, I have been distractedly busy. I hardly took any photos in Listowel - I was too busy teaching, eating and attending events. But, for what it's worth, here are my pictures. Most taken on my phone, so not great quality...

It was a great few days of short story blather at my workshop with a lovely group of 13 people (mostly men, unusually). I went to two launches - firstly Mary O'Donnell's novel Where They Lie was launched by John Mac Kenna in the library. The book is fab - I have started it and it's beautifully well written and intriguing.

Me and Jim Crace

I interviewed English writer Jim Crace, author of Man Booker shortlisted novel, Harvest, in St John's. He was fluent, interesting, honest and friendly. The book is brilliant - flawless in language and tension.

Authors John Mac Kenna and Mary O'Donnell

John Mac Kenna's novel Clare, was launched by Mary O'Donnell (synchronicity!) in the Boys' School on Friday afternoon. John read beautifully and spoke movingly about the life of John Clare, the 19th C poet.

John B. Keane and me

Otherwise, we bumped into friends, real and virtual - Paul Durcan was the first person I met when we arrived at the hotel (lovely Paul!). I had delicious rhubarb and orange crumble in John R's café. Juno refused to chat with Anne Enright (of all people...). I went to hear Douglas Kennedy discuss narrative in life and fiction. And Juno very much enjoyed Sarah Webb's morning of children's games.

And, because I was teaching, I didn't stay up for the all night sessions of music and drink, so I may have missed out a bit on the night-time conviviality. But, no matter, I had a fabulous time; the sun shone and the town was packed with enthusiastic readers and writers, making for a sweet atmosphere. All thanks to Eilish Wren, Máire Logue and the Listowel committee.

Juno in front of a little house - Listowel is chock full of interesting, native architecture

The view from the back of The Listowel Arms, the hotel where we stayed

Mary O'Donnell signing at her launch

O'Connor's in Foynes

Dromineer Lit Fest Writing Comps - poetry & flash

The Dromineer Literary Festival Writing Competition is open for entries. There are two categories: Poetry and Flash Fiction. The Judges are Jean O'Brien for Poetry and John MacKenna for Flash Fiction.

Entry fee for poems is €5 for the first poem, plus €3 per additional title. Entry fee for flash fiction is €10 for each entry.

Prizes (in each comp.): 1st: €500, 2nd: €350 and 3rd: €150.

Deadline: 30th August 2013.

Further details: Dromineer Literary Festival

LEAVES LITERARY FESTIVAL

I'm taking part in the Leaves Literary Festival on Saturday 10th November in lovely Laois. My event is on in Stradbally, where I read with Christine Dwyer Hickey and Niamh Boyce, chaired by Seamus Hosey, with music by harpist Claire O'Donnell. Arthouse @ the Library, Stradbally at 8.00pm

John MacKenna is leading a workshop. It costs €40. I've done a workshop with him - he's very good. Worth doing.

Details of the rest of the festival here:

  

OFFICIAL OPENING & LAUNCH

The festivities commence on Friday 9^th November with the official launch in Áras an Chontae at 7.30pm. The event will also incorporate the launch of exciting new poetry collections by Ann Egan, Kathy D’Arcy, Jamie O’Connell and Pat Boran with James Ryan chairing the readings.  Readings by all the authors will be interspersed by music from guitarist, Conal Rae from Laois School of Music. Admission is free and books will be on sale on the night.

CHILDREN'S EVENTS

The Festival also includes a Children’s Programme.  On Friday 9^th November award-winning author and illustrator, Niamh Sharkey, Laureate na nÓg, will visit schools in the county to create a Monster Doodle and then on to Abbeyleix Library for a reading at 3.30pm.  Children’s author Roisín Meaney will also pay a visit to some lucky schools in Laois and give a reading in Portlaoise Library at 3.30pm. Admission to the children’s events is free of charge.

WORKSHOPS

Adult writers workshops will also take place in the Dunamaise Arts Centre. Hennessy award winner Niamh Boyce will hold a workshop entitled, “Poems Beget Poems” on the 9^th November running from 10am to 4pm.  This workshop would suit writers who have begun to write poetry and would like to explore it further. 

Also for adults, well-known writer John MacKenna will hold a workshop entitled, “Seasons of the Heart”, exploring the ways in which we can draw on nature and our own life experiences to create fiction and memoir. This workshop runs from 10am to 4pm on the 10^th November in the Dunamaise Arts Centre.   

READING

The final event on Saturday evening is an exciting mix of readings and music featuring Christine Dwyer Hickey, Niamh Boyce and Nuala Ní Chonchúir, chaired by Seamus Hosey,

with music by  harpist Claire O Donnell. This will take place in the Arthouse & Library, Stradbally at 8.00pm on the 10^th November.

Bookings for all events can be made at the Dunamaise Arts Centre Tel:  057 8663355. www.dunamaise.ie

BURNING BUSH - the revival

Burning Bush is back! When I first started sending work out for publication, it was the local magazine here in Galway - it was always interesting, lively and, sometimes, a little controversial. One of its editors, poet Michael S. Begnal, has revived the magazine online, under the editorship of poet Alan Jude Moore. Alan's editorial contains a little of the history of the magazine.

The first issue sees poetry from many poets who were Bush regulars way back when (the late nineties, early noughties). I have two poems in there and there is work from wonderful writers such as Patrick Chapman, John MacKenna, Gerard Smyth, Emily Cullen, Dave Lordan, Peadar O'Donoghue and C. Murray, not to forget Michael S. Begnal himself.

It looks like they need more subs from women writers so, ladies, get submitting here for future issues. The next deadline is the 1st March for April publication.

OF PAPERWEIGHTS AND SYNCHRONICITY

There is often a strange synchronicity that can happen when you are writing a book - 'relevant' things occur and minor coincidences seem to crop up all the time in the world around you. I did a workshop recently with John MacKenna and he talked about this very thing - how elements from your life appear in your books and vice versa, as you are writing them.

I had one of those synchronised moments today and it made me extraordinarily happy. One of the main characters in my NIP collects glass paperweights of a particular brand. These things are stunning works of art that can cost up to €500. The narrator in the novel says that her favourite of these paperweights is a blue and white egg-shaped one "that seems to suspend the sea in its core".

This afternoon I dropped four big bags of spring cleaned clothes and toys to my favourite charity shop. I had a quick goo around to see if there was anything nice when I spied a paperweight in the window. Yes, you know it, it was a blue and white egg-shaped one that seemed to "suspend the sea in its core". For €3. I'm not saying it's an example of the posh brand collected by my character but, God, it was weird and wonderful to find it. It somehow makes me feel that I am on the right path with the novel; it's like an injection of confidence, or a small 'yes' from the universe.

The paperweight sits on my desk in front of me, making me extraordinarilyhappy still :)