CURLEW WRITING CONFERENCE - A REPORT

I'm in recovery after a busy week-end, trying to catch up, hoping to put shape on a poem, musing on a story that I need to finish. We had a party for the two youngest on Saturday - sugar heaven. Then Sunday we drove to Howth for my talk on fiction writing to the participants of the Curlew Writing Conference, which is run by writers Annie and Ted Deppe. They are wonderful writers both and really some of the loveliest people I've ever met: they ooze learning and positivity. Other writers who took part during the week included Joan Newmann, Kate Newmann and Claire Keegan.

Howth was a-buzz: wheeling seagulls, a brilliant outdoor food-market, a (over-priced) book fair, a pipe band, an anglers' exhibition, hundreds of couples and babies and sun-worshippers lolling about, greedy seals in the bay, boats and water and sun, sun, sun.

My talk took place in the Howth Yacht Club and focussed on fiction: my approach to the short story VS the novel; what I hope for in fiction as a reader and as a writer; the writer's need to be able to self promote and my frustration with trying to find an agent. I also read an extract from my novel You. My talk turned into a conversation with the participants, who were all experienced writers, here on a week-long writing trip from the States. What a bright, lively, friendly group they were. As always I was nervous going in and, as usual, I came out feeling good - they were inquisitive and intelligent and welcoming people and what more could a speaker ask for from an audience? Three of them (THREE!) gave me the names of their agents to contact. I've rarely come across such generosity. Sadly, for them, they are all gone home today and sadly, for me, I couldn't stay around to hear them read their work as I had to get back to my kids. But what a great day. All thanks to the Deppes for the opportunity.

Now back to that poem...

You coming soon to you

There's a little mention of my novel You in the Sunday Independent today. I've had 'the meeting' with New Island, signed the contracts, I've even seen the cover, but seeing this still made me think, "It's really happening - yay!" It's here along with all the other novels due out in 2010.

Irish Women's Writing: A Feminist Look

Image from the Velvet Banana blog. Unknown artist.

My article Irish Women's Writing: A Feminist Look is now live at Indieoma here.

It would be great if y'all would register** with the site and leave a comment. I know the article is long (I have a lot to say on the subject!) but you could always print it out and relax in your chair to read it.

Here's a taster:

"So what of the literary world? How do women fare there? As a feminist and full-time, female writer in Ireland, perhaps my biggest difficulty is with the wholesale promotion of chick lit. The problem is that, in Ireland – despite Irishwoman Anne Enright winning the Man Booker Prize last year, and despite iconic Irish writers such as Edna O’Brien – chick lit is held aloft as the women’s genre, as if no Irish women writers were writing quality literary fiction."

** I've just been told it's not necessary at the moment to register in order to leave a comment at Indieoma, so that's good.