Authors and Artists Introductory Series 7

Why not go along and support your local writers and artists?

Thursday 8 November @ 8.00pm

Edited by poets Heather Brett and Noel Monaghan, Windows Publications will launch 15 years of the anthology and workshop with an Authors and Artists Introductory Series 7.
The Norman Villa Gallery, Salthill, Galway
T: 091 533594 E: westernwriters@eircom.net
W: www.twwc.ie/

Tuesday 20th November @ 6:30pm

Poetry Ireland in association with Windows Publications presents the Dublin launch of Authors and Artists Introductory Series 7 showcasing the work of emerging (there's that word again!) poets, fiction writers and visual artists with Wendy Mooney, Phil Young, Tom Conaty, Kate Dempsey, Michelle O'Sullivan and Aoife Casby.
Unitarian Church (aka Damer Hall) 112 St Stephen's Green West, Dublin 2

Thursday 22nd November @ 6:30pm
Poetry Ireland and Dedelas Press presents the launch of Snow Negatives the first collection by Enda Coyle-Greene who won the Patrick Kavanagh award in 2006. Introduced by Mary O'Donnell
Damer Hall (aka Unitarian Church) 112 St Stephen's Green West, Dublin 2

Lots more poetry events on the Poetry Ireland link.

Rejected again. Are they trying to tell me something

But let's start with the good news.

Sunday Tribune Irish Writing pages. This Sunday. Check it out. Me! My short story. I heard yesterday and was jumping up and down all day and telling anyone who would listen (and some who wouldn't)
then I got an email from my agent.

Poolbeg turned me down. Said my novel was too English. What does that mean? The main character is too English? Too English for what? Does the Irish readers market want their female protagonists to be Irish? And go for Irish guys? I thought it would be interested for Irish readers to read about Ireland and the Irish as seen through English eyes. Or am I too English? Can't do much about that. What should I do now? Make my characters Irish (it's possible, thinking about it but a lot of work.) Would it be worthwhile? Abandon it, assuming the English publishers who haven't said No yet, will also say No? I'm flummoxed. Gutted. I mean, Paula has to know the market but I really don't understand it.

So as you can understand, the gloss has gone off the Sunday Tribune short story before it's even published.

Do the Write Thing

I have a copy now of the fabulous collection of short stories from the competition on the Seioge and O'Shea show on RTE. It's well worth a dip and all royalties are in aid of the National Breast Cancer Research Institute. All we need now is for everyone with breasts to buy a copy! (It's on Amazon but without a picture at the moment.)

Here's the press release.

Poolbeg Press presents the cream of the newest crop, the very best from hundreds of first-time writers who responded to the call to “Do The ‘Write’ Thing”. Coached through Seoige & O’Shea’s RTÉ ONE talk show by bestselling author Patricia Scanlan, these up-and-coming writers have mined the full range of human experience and given us a fresh and unforgettable view of the diverse and lively society we live in today. All royalties from this publication go to the National Breast Cancer Research Institute.
Do the right thing and treat yourself to this hugely enjoyable collection!

Seioge and O'Shea Short Story Competition

Well here are the 14 names of writers whose stories will be appearing the anthology or RTE's Seioge and O'Shea's short story anthology to be published by Poolbeg this autumn. Do the Write Thing. All royalties go to charity (I wonder which) so only fame for me, no fortune. The show gave no idea what sort of stories were chosen. They should have read some extracts to give people a taster.

Ciara Geraghty, Donabate, Co Dublin "Waiting"
Eileen Keane, Newbridge, CO kildare "Tryst"
Elizabeth Bradley, Coolock, Dublin "Dead Ends and New Beginnings"
Ita Roche, Arklow, Co Wicklow "The Locket"
Jackie Walsh, Navan Rd, Dublin, "The Black Wallet"
Jacqueline Ashmore, Santry, Co Dublin "Eton Road"
Kate Dempsey, Maynooth, Co Kildare "The Essential Ingredient"
Katie Ward, Mayor Street, Dublin "Defying Gravity"
Maura McClean, Glengormley, Co Antrim "Mother, Daughters and Frog Legs"
Patricia McAdoo, Moycullen, Co Galway "Fallow Time"
Patrick Brosnan, Brat, Co Wicklow "Baghdad Days"

The top 3 were in the studio:
Antoinette Mangan "Poles Apart"
Ellen McCarthy
Vanessa O'Loughlin

Publisher in Poolbeg and one of the judges was Paula Campbell. As the weeks went on, the writing received improved. As they always do, she mentioned that they had lots of entries that did not adhere to the requirements, particularly with presentation - double spaced etc. So easy to do and so essential. Only one man in the list. I wonder if that was proportional to the entries.

Do the Write Thing

Well, I was having a very bad day. My mother was over and we had spent some time chasing rabbits out of my garden as they were eating it all. They wait for the tiny green shoots of new plants to emerge and then eat them. They must have eaten hundreds of euros of bushes and flowers. I used to have a herb garden. The rabbits like herbs. The rabbits like eating roses. The rabbits like eating plants that are supposed to be poisonous for rabbits.

Anyway then I convinced myself that I had lost my daughter's mobile phone, probably in tescos. So I was dreading confessing when my phone rang. It was RTE from Seioge and O'Shea to say I was in the top 50 of the short stories selected for this competition and congratulations and was I a real person and aware of the terms and conditions. I was so I'm in the shortlist to be announced tomorrow. Fingers crossed. THe top 14 go in an anthology published by Poolbeg.