Poetry Classes for Galwegians

All you Galwegians (don't you love that word!) starting mid September, you have a plethora of choices for creative writing classes.

10 weekly classes with Kevin Higgins in the Galway Arts Centrestarting September 16th.
Chose between Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm and Wednesday afternoons, 2-3.30pm for beginners and improvers.
Or Thursday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class September 25th) for Advanced Poetry (but presumably poets who do not have day jobs or small children - seems a little unthunk out to me, only for retirees?)

Susan Millar DuMars teaches Creative Writing for beginners and improvers Monday afternoons 2-3:30pm (again the dodgy timeslot)

The cost is a very affordable 100 Euro or 90 for concessions.
To reserve a place contact Victoria at reception at Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886 or email victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

At the GTI:
Kevin also teaches Creative Writing for beginners for 10 weeks starting Monday 22nd September 7-9pm. 120 Euro.

Susan Millar DuMars teaches Intermediate creative writing every Tuesday evening 7-9pm starting 23rd September. Also 120 Euro.

To book a place in either class contact GTI, Father Griffin Road, Galway Telephone 091-581342 or go to GTI Website

At GMIT:
Susan Millar DuMars teaches Creative Writing for Beginners every Wednesday 7:30 to 9:30pm for 8 weeks starting 24th September. Cost 120 Euro.
For further details or to book a place contact GMIT, Dublin Road, Galway. Telephone 091 753161 or see the GMIT website

Penniless Author Sells Shares In Forthcoming Novel

I wonder whether this will work?

Investors can apparently pay $2,000 (£1,000) in return for a 10 per cent share of the royalties of New York-based author Tao Lin’s as-yet-unfinished second novel.

Does that mean he has a first, finished and more importantly published novel?

He claims that the novel will sell at least 13,000 copies in the US within two years, and that investors should be able to turn a profit within 40 months, but he has very little supporting evidence to back this up.

Of course the publicity may boost his sales anyway, but that's a short term blip. Sounds a bit mad to me. And also to this blogger who met him twice. (Read this, it's hilarious!)

Or is he just very clever?

Here's a link to his blog.

One Off Project Arts Council Decisions

OK, the last one now. The ones for one-off projects. None, count them, NONE for literature. And look at the amounts involved. Why is literature so badly funded? Actually, not so much literature as writers.

Ursula Mawson-Raffalt Dance Leitrim County Council 59,723

Victoria O'Brien Dance South Dublin County Council 25,027

Brendan Culleton Film Dublin City Council 28,500

Neasa Hardiman Film Dublin City Council 45,000

Tony Kenny Film Dublin City Council 23,000

Carol O'Keefe Film Cork County Council 11,000

Electro Acoustic Revue Music Fingal County Council 22,500

Una Hunt Music Dublin City Council 30,000

London Irish Camerata Music Dublin City Council 37,000

Jazz on the Terrace Music Dublin city Council 10,315

Louth Contemporary Music Society Music Louth County Council 71,200

Jikijela Project Arts Participation Sligo County Council 45,900

Offaly County Council Arts Participation Offaly County Council 6,340

Kunle Animashaun Theatre Fingal County Council 12,000

City Theatre Dublin Theatre Dublin City Council 55,000

Decadent Theatre Company Theatre Galway City Council 40,000

Alan Gilsenan Theatre Wicklow County Council 83,000

Pageant Wagon Theatre Company Theatre Dublin City Council 40,000

AFTER Visual arts Leitrim County Council 50,000

City Arts Visual arts Dublin City Council 11,000

Karl Grimes Visual arts Dublin City Council 40,669

Books 2008

The Sunday Independent are organising an event called Books 2008 over the weekend of Friday 5th to Sunday 7th September. You can book your tickets online.

MEET THE AUTHOR EVENTS Shaw Room, National Gallery (Friday) and Trinity College (Saturday)

These include readings by Benjamin Black (aka John Banville,) Joseph O'Connor, Hugo Hamilton, Marian Keyes, Rebecca Miller, and Isabel Fonseca. We're particularly excited to present Martin Amis in a rare Dublin appearance and for teenagers, Anthony Horowitz, one of the UK 's hottest children's writers.

IRISH CRIME WRITING SERIES in County Hall, Marine Road, Dun Laoghaire (Friday and Saturday)

Gene Kerrigan, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Brian McGilloway, Arlene Hunt, and Declan Burke will be up on stage discussing "Forty Shades of Grey: Real Fiction, Real Ireland." Full description: "Journalism is the first draft of history. Is crime fiction its second draft? Is it social realism or just another form of myth-making that fosters the illusion of authenticity? This panel explores the extent to which crime fiction gives a writer a licence to investigate the often unpalatable truths of the way we live today."

CREATIVE WRITING SEMINARS on Sunday 7th September
All at Independent Colleges, Dawson Street.

Gerald Dawe's poetry and fiction masterclass is limited to 15 writers selected from submissions. It costs 45 Euro. 11:00 to 14:00. Gerald is more of a poet so I would expect the session to be slanted that way.
Sinead Moriarty and Sarah Webb in This Writing Life will offer helpful advice on critical aspects of the writing life at 11:00 cost 17.50 Euro
Anita Notaro and Julia Kelly in How Ideas Become Books will discuss ways in which you can develop the discipline of writing at 13:00 cost 17.50 Euro
Martina Devlin and Lia Mills in Inside Out will offer advice on how to tell your story at 15:00 cost 17.50 Euro

CHILDREN'S EVENTS Shaw Room, National Gallery (Saturday)

There are children's events on Saturday 6th September with Anthony Horowitz, Derek Landy, Judy Curtin, Marita Conlon-McKenna, P. J. Lynch, and Niamh Sharkey.

FINSCÉAL 2008 – A Writer’s Trail of Fingal

Fingal Libraries do their imaginative readers and writers week.

These events are free and open to all but booking is essential for all events. Booking Line is now open on 01 8905531.
Due to heavy demand tickets for the Murder Mystery Day and the Readers and Writer’s Day will be allocated by a supervised lottery, details at the back of the brochure. Book I think by Friday 28th August.

Among the interesting events are:

Introduction to Screenwriting facilitated by Caroline Earley
Malahide Library Tuesday 16th & Thursday 18th September @ 7.00pm

Writing from Life with Susie Minto
Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre Wednesday 17th September @ 7.30pm

Murder Mystery Day - Shame or Lame
Ardgillan Castle Saturday 20th September 12noon-4.30pm

Writing for Children with storyteller and author Larry O’ Loughlin
Balbriggan Library Wednesday 24th September @ 7.00pm

Author Evening with Anne Enright
Blanchardstown Library Thursday 25th September @ 7.00pm

Brought to Book: A Readers’ and Writers’ Day
Programmed by Sarah Webb and Vanessa O’ Loughlin
Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport Saturday 27th September 10am-4.30pm

Poetry Divas at Electric Picnic

Yes, here is the official announcement. Electric Picnic goes all literary.

You heard it here first. The Poetry Divas will be making unscheduled and opportunistic appearances in the Body and Soul Arena during Saturday and Sunday of Electric Picnic. This weekend so make your way to Stradbally Co Laois and get your fill.

Supporting Literary acts for The Poetry Divas include Booker Prize Winners Roddy Doyle and Anne Enright in the Leviathan Marquee.

The four writers who will take part in The Irish Times/ Amnesty reading on Saturday are Roddy Doyle, Hugo Hamilton, Kevin Barry and Ann Marie Hourihane.
4pm to 5.30pm.
Anne Enright , Claire Keegan, Glenn Patterson, and actor Mark O'Halloran, will read their work on Sunday between 4.30pm and 6pm, Both readings will be followed by a panel discussion on human rights issues hosted by Hugh Linehan of The Irish Times.

The Arts Council's Words and Music Stage mixes and mingles music and literature. Saturday at 4pm and 7:30pm and Sunday at 4pm. Eclectic sets of readers and writers. See the Irish Times article here

Poetry Ireland are sponsoring readings from John Corless, Kevin Higgins and Máighréad Medbh. And there's also a poetry slam session.

All are welcome to enjoy the sensation that is The Poetry Divas.

Small Wonder

If you're anywhere in or near East Sussex, this sounds great. Especially the Small Wonder Slam

The Short Story Festival
18-21 September 2008
Charleston Near Firle East Sussex

Pick and mix between classical, contemporary, poignant, fantastical, surreal, humorous, controversial, experimental and prize-winning short stories in the club-like atmosphere of the Charleston barns, all show-cased by ace writers and performers.

• Asham Atelier – Two-day creative writing workshop with a pair of our sharpest authors Sophie Hannah and Toby Litt

• Booker-prize winners’ stories – with Anne Enright, Alan Hollinghurst and Penelope Lively

• Rare stories – William Trevor gives his only public reading in the year of his 80th birthday

• Exclusive stories – Lionel Shriver on cult American author Richard Yates – including a unique preview of Sam Mendes’ forthcoming film, Revolutionary Road, based on Yates’ classic work

• Re-examined stories – Mervyn Peake’s son on his father; John Cooper Clarke on Edgar Allan Poe; Emma Fielding and Alex Jennings on EM Forster

• State of the art stories – with Ali Smith, Claire Keegan, Jane Gardam, Gerard Woodward and Shena Mackay

• Cartoon stories – with satirist Gerald Scarfe

• Small Wonder Slam – open mic session - £100 for the best 4-minute story with Reunion as the title

• Digital stories – authors and publishers confide their love affair with e-books

More from the Arts Council

New Work Award Recipients announced. This time one literature award. Seriously, how's an emerging writer supposed to manage? It's enough to turn one to visual arts (as if!)

Asylum Productions Arts participation Cork City Council €50,000

Bui Bolg Ltd Street art Wexford County Council €25,000

Burke, Karl Visual arts Dublin City Council €5,000

Canell, Nina Visual arts Dublin City Council €21,660

Collins, Pat Film Galway City Council €40,000

Contemporary Music Centre Ltd Music Dublin City Council €22,598

Cranitch, Ellen Music Dublin City Council €27,900

Crazy Dog Audio Theatre Company Theatre Dublin City Council €25,795

Delaney, Anita Film Dublin City Council €23,500

Doyle, Eamonn Music Dublin City Council €30,000

Fuzzy Logic Ensemble Music Dublin City Council €34,930

Junk Ensemble Dance Dublin City Council €46,550

Kids' Own Pblshng P'ship Ltd Young people children and the arts Sligo County Council
€39,000


Kinsale Arts Week Spectacle Cork City Council €15,000

Limerick Youth Theatre Young people children and the arts Limerick City Council €5,000

Lovett, Louis Theatre Dublin City Council €12,900

Lynch, Sean Visual arts Kerry County Council €42,000

Mac Erlaine, Sean Music Dublin City Council €8,095

MacMullan, Philip Music Dublin City Council €10,920

McCormick, Chantal Circus Mayo County Council €50,000

McKeown, John Opera Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council €47,500

O'Brien / DOBZ, David Visual arts Cork City Council €15,100

O'Brien, Regan Theatre Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council €13,316

O'Sullivan, Tadhg Film Dublin City Council €26,500

Playgroup Theatre Cork City Council €17,000

Randolf SD/The Company Theatre Dublin City Council €35,325

Roche, Cathal Music Sligo County Council €9,000

Rossi Anneli, Pia Arts participation Dublin City Council €8,790

Roth, Nick Music Dublin City Council €15,490

Stewart, Mark Literature (English language) Cork County Council
€6,000

thisispopbaby Theatre Dublin City Council €23,465

Turrisi, Francesco Music Dublin City Council €3,000

Upstate Theatre Project Ltd Arts participation Louth County Council €8,000

Whelan, Fiona Young people children and the arts South Dublin County Council €10,000

Whelan, Michael-John Visual arts Germany €9,975

Wright, Daphne Visual arts Longford County Council €45,000

The Crashaw Prize

This prize is by the publishing house Salt, well known for promoting new (dare I say emerging) writers.

The Crashaw Prize is for the publication of debut collections of poetry. It will be awarded to up to six new writers each year. Authors must reside in the UK or Ireland, the USA, or Australia and New Zealand. Winners of the Prize will be published simultaneously in the UK, USA and Australia each summer.

We want to continue to support new writing talent, but more than this, to draw attention to really first rate collections from poets both young and old.
This prize isn't about money, but about global publication in both hardback and paperback, and offering considerable publicity with one of the world's leading poetry lists. We hope it will provide a platform for emerging writers to build their profile internationally and to look towards a long term relationship with Salt. We remain committed to breaking new talent, nurturing it, and finding readers for the best new writing.

Read the conditions carefully and make sure you send exactly what they want re: table of contents and the like. No points slaving away over a collection and then getting disqualified.

Deadline: 31st October
Fee: £18
Judges: members of the Board of Salt Publishing

The winners will be announced in December and published the following June. Note this is NOT anonymous.

More UK Literary Magazines #2

Here's an interesting website Duotrope, for researching potential markets for your fiction. You can search in terms of genre, country, payment etc. It's American based and some US magazines are confusingly marked as UK but it threw up some UK markets I hadn't heard of.

Aesthetica publishes fiction and poetry and has a competition, deadline 1st September for submissions for their annual. See website for details.

Brand takes material not published before in the UK and pays £30. Short Stories, poetry and more. They are looking for new writing that takes risks; has a strong voice; is challenging.

The First Line accepts stories using the first line shown on the website for the issue. Pays $20 plus a copy

The London Magazine accepts short stories and poetry. They don't pay due to their arts council grant running out. (I bet they don't say 'sorry we can't pay you' to their printers) Bi-monthly.

Poetry Review is the quarterly Poetry Society publication. High Standard. You can read some online. There's a fabulous poem by Thomas Lynch. No information on submissions or payment.

Planet is very Welsh centred.

Pulsar Poetry is produced twice a year. They give a copy of the magazine. Email or snailmail.

Rattle publishes poetry. They say "we are looking for poems that move us, pieces that might make us laugh or cry, or teach us something new. Since our issues include about 80-100 pages of poetry, one of the main things we're looking for is diversity; we have enough room to be eclectic." Payment is 2 copies. Response usually 4-8 weeks.

The Rialto is a mainstream poetry magazine. Response about 10 weeks.

Quattrocentro accepts prose and poetry. Payment is a copy of the magazine only.

Shearsman publishes contemporary poetry twice a year.

Smiths Knoll pay £20. There are some issues available to read online and if you live in the UK, they'll send you a free copy.

South publish twice a year. Snailmail only with form from the website.

Weyfairers publish twice a year. Email or snailmail. Payment is a magazine copy.

Poetry with Pigeons

Check out this story in Australia. 8 poems were commissioned by The Red Room Company, attached to 8 racing pigeons and the fastest poem won. They even had a pigeon with an on board camera but it hasyet to return home. Its two minders, who apparently act as decoys from predators, did return home the next day. There's an alert out for him but it's not looking good.

You can read about the pigeons, the poets and the poems on the site. There's also photos and details on the pigeons forms.

This reminds me of a story about a pigeon fancier who breed pigeons when he was young and sold them through pet shops. Something like 80% flew back to him withina month or two and he sold them on again. Put himself through college, so the story goes.

Tara with Poetry and Music

Surely there's a compromise that politicians and campaigners can meet halfway. I do not doubt that the N3 needs to be upgraded but there has to be a less contentious route. Common sense isn't common practise.

Save Tara campaigners have managed to land a coup for their “Feis Teamhra, a turn at Tara” on the Hill of Tara, Co Meath on Sunday 24th August at 3.30pm.

Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney and Paul Muldoon, Pulitzer prize-winner, will read their poetry to honour Tara and they will be joined by musicians: Grammy award-winner Susan McKeown, Laoise Kelly, Aidan Brennan and others.

The event will celebrate Tara on the first day of Heritage Week and will be free of charge. The music and poetry will be performed to the backdrop of the Mound of the Hostages – veer to the left after entering the site, pass the Churchyard and walk towards the Mound.

Yet More blogs and websites that have interested me

Have a dip into this pool of blogging diversions and why not leave a comment to let them know what you think. Comments are nice.

4 day movie show a movie in Dublin in guess how many days?

10 gnomes, a curiously addictive game.

Asian Writer is a site for Asian Writers in the UK and includes an interview with Sukhraj Kaur Randhawa who won the Orange /Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition 2008.

Baby Got Books is a US group blog sharing book related news.

Caribous Mom blogs book reviews, mainly US based.

Beautiful libraries at Curious Expeditions

The Elegant Variation blogs about books and writers.

Lanes Write writes in Southern England.

Legend Press has a very specific short story competition here.

Literary Minded is where Angela Meyer blogs about the Australian Literary Scene.

Men With Pens multi-blog

The poet Heidi Lynn Staples blogs at Mildred's Umbrella.

Julia Cohen blogs on the messier side of neat.

Miss Write lots of writing secrets and tips. Worth a dip.

David King blogs at the recommended Pics and poems.

Poet Casting has lots of poets reading their own work.

Poets on Fire notes live poetry performances in UK and Ireland.

Quire and Quill is a really good blog about the Canadian Literary scene. Sounds tremendously busy.

Salon.com Literary Guide to the World is an eclectic tour.

Scottish Poetry Library Reading Room has some favourite poems by well known and discerning poets.

Stony River Farm is a good blog about writing.

Photos from the Streets of Dublin

Storytellersunplugged

The poet Rob Mack blogs at Surroundings

Write Out Loud is dedicated to participation and performance poetry.

The Times Literary Supplement Poetry Competition 2008

Here's one that could be interesting.

First prize: £2,000
Runners-up prizes: £750, £500 and £250
Deadline: September 12th 2008.

Mick Imlah, Poetry Editor of the TLS, and Alice Quinn, Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America and formerly Poetry Editor of the New Yorker, will prepare a shortlist of the best poems entered, which will be printed in the TLS on October 24th. Readers may then vote for the poem of their choice. The winners of the poll will be announced in the TLS on November 28th 2008.

Poems may be in any style, on any subject, and printed on one side of A4 paper. The competition is open to all.

Entry fee: £5 for first poem, £3 for each additional poem, to a maximum of five per entrant.

Click here for more details and to download the form.

Take pity on the book tour writer

Have you ever been to a reading where the audience is composed of the reader(s), the organiser (who pops out to take a call on her mobile phone and never comes back), people related to the reader(s) and some old guy with a dog who mistook it for some other event and now can't get out?

Read this article in The Atlantic from Anne Patchett (Bel Canto - absolutely brilliant slow burn book) and next time you see a poster in your local bookshop or library, make a point of going along.

Public Art in Kildare

Here's an interesting project which sounds worth checking out if you're anywhere near Naas next week. This is where your taxes are going. Certainly very experimental but hey, no plays, no poetry, no literature of any kind. Come on now.

Parking Meter Arts and Kildare County Council Arts Service presents TRANSITOPIA, a contemporary public art project created specifically for Naas, Co Kildare.

It is a contemporary art project examining the negotiation between people and place and how the development of one directly influences the transformation of the other. The project engages with social infrastructure, architectural planning and the historical trajectory of industrial, commercial and public space.’

PREVIEW NIGHT/LAUNCH: Áras Chill Dara 6.30pm, Wed 20th Aug 2008
SILENT-FILM SCREENING A classic Silent Film screened, with a musical accompaniment.
Booking Essential Naas Town Hall 8.00pm, Sat 23rd Aug

Michelle Browne - Border-Border will transport commuters from Sallins/Naas Train Station to their destination in Naas via a lift on the back of a bicycle. In exploring the IN-BETWEEN SPACES that exist in our lives, the performance references an informal transportation system in Africa and borders of neighbouring countries. A unique sound piece created from commuters in New York, London, Galway and Belfast will accompany each participant’s journey.
16.45–19.30, Wed 20th, Thurs 21st, Fri 22nd Aug

Dominic Thorpe – Terrain worked closely with a local commuter Chris O’Neill and presents his own mimicry of O’Neill’s HABITUAL JOURNEY to work. The work is presented as a video installation.
Kildare County Council Offices/Áras Chill Dara. Thurs 21st – Sat 23rd Aug

Elaine Reynolds investigates the SECRET LIFE of street lamps and how they relate to the commuting population of Naas. The work is sited beside Donnelly Mirrors forecourt. The artist creates a heightened experience of an everyday transient moment through a poetic mirrored video projection.
Access from 20.00 – 00.00, Wed 20th – Sun 24th Aug

(Poetic but no poetry?)

Joanne Butler – The Folly is a witty intervention in the Civic Garden in Naas. Her scale model housing estate sets up a DELIBERATE TENSION with the oblique lines of the celebrated Áras buildings that is at once both playful and inquisitive.
Civic Garden, Kildare Co. Co. Offices/ Áras Chill Dara Wed 20th – Sun 24th Aug

Carl Giffney is undertaking a mobile research project on the commuter lines N6, M4, N7 for the Academy of FUTURE HISTORY in conjunction with Parking Meter Arts, focusing on the N7 Naas-Dublin road for Transitopia.
Áras Cill Dara. 6.30pm, Wed 20th Aug

Dara McGrath is producing site-specific photographic research in conjunction with Parking Meter Arts, focusing on the documentation of a DISUSED INDUSTRIAL SPACE. His work will be featured in the forthcoming Transitopia publication.

Crannog Magazine Submissions sought

Crannog Magazine based in Galway, has been going a while. Here's one I really ought to enter. There's time to get something out there.

Deadline: autumn issue, 1 September. Due out mid October 2008.

Poems should be under 50 lines.
Fiction should be under 2000 words.
You can look at old issues online to get an idea of what they prefer.
If you submitted for the last issue, don't submit for this issue. That's quite a good idea. More magazines should take up that condition.

Arts Council Decisions

The Funding for the first round of Commissions have announced. These are designed to promote creative partnerships between a diverse range of commissioners and artists. The Arts Council received 65 applications and has offered a total of 33 awards in response, none of them for literature. Why did no one commission a book? Or a poetry collection?

There are some interesting sounding partnerships though.

Burke, Karl /Model Arts and Niland Gallery
Arts participation
Dublin City Council
5,000

Bertrand, Frederique / Fidget Feet
Circus
France
5,500


Clarke, Ella /Project Arts Centre
Dance
Dublin City Council
5,000

Ó Conchuir, Fearghus /Dublin City Council- Intercultural Relations Unit
Dance
United Kingdom
7,500

Simpson, Jurgen/ Andrew Legge
Film
Clare County Council
10,000

Farrell, Ciaran /Craig Ogden
Music
Fingal County Council
10,000

O Maolain, Aengus /St Patrick's Cathedral
Music
Dublin City Council
1050

Hamilton, Andrew /Crash Ensemble
Music
Germany
8,500

Dwyer, Benjamin /Susan Doyle
Music
South Dublin County Council
4,070

Carpio, Sean /Project Arts Centre
Music
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
8,000

Gardner, Stephen /Prey Trio
Music
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
4,200

Volans, Kevin /Wigmore Hall
Music
Fingal County Council
10,000

Nangle, Jonathan /Ergodos
Music
Kildare County Council
3150

Harker, Alex / Ergodos
Music
United Kingdom
3150

Roche, Cathal / Sligo Jazz Project
Music
Sligo County Council
4000

McLachlan, John /Miso Music
Music
Donegal County Council
5000


Cleary, Siobhan /Ian Wilson
Music
Sligo County Council
4000

Mulvey, Grainne /Martin Johnson
Music
Carlow County Council
4000

O'Leary, Jane /Martin Johnson
Music
Galway City Council
4000

McDermott, Dermot/ Martin Johnson
Music
South Dublin County Council
2000

Flynn, David / Kerry International Chamber Music Festival
Music
Galway County Council
8,750

Amharclann na nÓg Corca Dhuibhne / Kerry International Chamber Music Festival
Music
Kerry County Council
2000

Cawley, Jack /The Performance Corporation
Theatre
Dublin City Council
4000

Agnew, Elaine /Tall Tales Theatre
Theatre
United Kingdom
5,500

O'Neill, Rory /Project Arts Centre
Theatre
Dublin City Council
7000

Quinn, Conall /Upstate Theatre
Theatre
Dublin City Council
7000

O'Neill, Jody /Asylum Productions
Theatre
Cork City Council
4000

Meade, Paul /Guna Nua Theatre
Theatre
Dublin City Council
8000

Kostick, Gavin /Kabosh
Theatre
Dublin City Council
8000

Winters, Carmel /Louis Lovett
Theatre
Cork County Council
7000

Hallinan, Fiona /Ian Russell
Visual arts
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council
2000

O'Toole, Daragh /CityArts Tower Songs
Young people,
children and the arts
Dublin City Council
7000

Morrison, Leighton /Youth Ballet West
Young people,
children and the arts
Galway County Council
3000

Booker Long List

OK, you're a well read lot. How many have you read? How many have you heard of? How many are you going to buy?

Aravind Adiga The White Tiger
Gaynor Arnold Girl in a Blue Dress
Sebastian Barry The Secret Scripture (Irish)
John Berger From A to X
Michelle de Kretser The Lost Dog (Sri Lankan/America)
Amitav Ghosh Sea of Poppies
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs
Mohammed Hanif A Case of Exploding Mangoes
Philip Hensher The Northern Clemency (English)
Joseph O'Neill Netherland (Irish)
Salman Rushdie The Enchantress of Florence
Tom Rob Smith Child 44 (a thriller)
Steve Toltz A Fraction of the Whole

Here is an article from the Guardian which talks about how many are first novels (I wish!) and another with more information.

The chair is Michael Portillo. How do you get chosen as a chair for the Booker? I hereby volunteer.

Electric Picnic Film

If you're stuck for something to do in Dublin Wednesday evening, why not stop at the lovely IFI in Temple Bar and see this documentary. Wednesday August 13th at 10:45pm.

It distills 100 acres and 3 days of Picnicers into an hour and a half. A flavour if you weren't there.

It was filmed on nine hand-held cameras with a small crew and directed by Nick Ryan from Image Now Films. It includes the Manic Street Preachers, Polyphonic Spree, Mixmaster Mike and the Beastie Boys, The Magic Numbers, Soul II Soul, The Undertones, Iggy & The Stooges and many more ...

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Park

More Free Arts from the imaginative and generous Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Take inspiration from other art forms for your writing. Enrich your life.

On Sunday 17 August, Marlay Park becomes the biggest classical venue of the year as up to 20,000 people flock to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Park with exciting entertainment for all the family presented by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Park features family events from 14:00-16:00, movies on big screen and in the evening the 48 piece Slovak Festival Orchestra and a guest
appearance by award winning Irish Tenor Sean Costello and internationally acclaimed Soprano, Celine Byrne.

The event ends on a high note with a magnificent fireworks display. Tickets are FREE and will be available from local libraries in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County. Simple application forms can be downloaded here: printed off and presented at local libraries for free tickets. Tickets are available in advance only and will not be available at the entrance to the event.

Call for Submissions on birds

Submission call for poetry on the theme of birds:

Adele Nozedar is a published author currently working on my 3rd book, called Birds of the Celtic Otherworld. It's a look at bird symbolism in Celtic myths, legends and folktales, and Adele is keen to use poetry in the book. Adele will send a copy of the book to anyone who gets a poem chosen. If you have a suitable poem please email directly to Adele at adelenozedar@btconnect.com

Deadline:August 21st 2008

Forward Prize(s) for Poetry

The shortlist for the annual Forward Prize for Poetry has been announced.

Best Collection:
Jamie McKendrick - Crocodiles & Obelisks (Faber)(Previous winner and the only one I've read)
Sujata Bhatt - Pure Lizard (Carcanet)
Mick Imlah - The Lost Leader (Faber)
Jane Griffiths- Another Country (Bloodaxe)
Jen Hadfield - Nigh-No-Place (Bloodaxe)
Catherine Smith - Lip (Smith Doorstop)

Best first collection has a prize of £5,000:
Simon Barraclough - Los Alamos Mon Amour (Salt)
Andrew Forster - Fear of Thunder (Flambard)
Frances Leviston - Public Dream (Picador)
Allison McVety - The Night Trotsky Came to Stay (Smith Doorstop)
Stephanie Norgate - Hidden River (Bloodaxe)
Kathryn Simmonds - Sunday at the Skin Launderette (Seren)

And there are six nominees for the £1,000 award for best single poem (often poems that have already won a prize, fairly dominated by Bridport):
Seamus Heaney for Cutaways (published in Irish pages)
Christopher Buehlman for Wanton (Bridport)
Catherine Ormell for Campaign Desk, December 1812 (Bridport)
Love Poem for Natalie 'Tusja' Beridze for Don Paterson (Poetry Review)
Kate Rhodes for Wells-next-the-Sea (Bridport)
Tim Turnbull for Ode on a Grayson Perry Urn (Magma)

Winners to be announced in London on 8 October.

London Poetry Festival

They are still some slots for readers, if you're interested

When: August 8, 9, 10 & 11: Friday to Monday.
Where: Waterloo St John's Church, Waterloo Road, London SE1

The 4th London Poetry Festival starts about 7:30 p.m and finish by 11:00 p.m each evening.

As its signature presentation The 4th London Poetry Festival will present this year's Five Poets in Residence in all the four of the evening events. The Residence Poets are:

Anjan Saha, Claire Askew, Helen Long, Nnorom Azuonye and Sharon Harriot. You may read their works on Poet's Letter website or on the Festival website.

Please note there is an open invite to all of you who are poets - please contact us for reading at the Festival (We could still accommodate some more readers) either on facebook or to contact@poetryfestival.com

We need some volunteers to help us run the festival's four evening events (from (6-11 p.m). If you can spare the time and effort please send us an email.

The Festival is run on a not for profit basis so it is here because of the support and energy everyone involves offers it for free, for the love of word.

Tickets are kept at a very low level: £6 full price and cons £4.

CULTURE NIGHT VOLUNTEERS WANTED

I've never been to culture night but it's a great idea.

Temple Bar Cultural Trust is currently looking for volunteers. On Friday 19 September 2008 over 100 of the city’s museums, galleries, theatres, historic houses, cathedrals, artists studios and cultural centres will open their doors so visitors can join them for a FREE night of entertainment and discovery. Tours, talks, exhibitions and a wide range of events can be experienced until 11pm.

For more information or to express interest please contact Lorraine Maye, Cultural Projects Manager, at: T: 01 6772255

Performance Poets

This sounds really interesting on BBC Radio 4, Wednesday nights 23:00. Some recorded at the Latitude festival in Suffolk. Includes Aoife Mannix, a Dublin poet living in London, Cat Francois, Byron Vincent.

Deconstructive Wasteland has some good articles on poetry at Latitude.

I'm a little daunted by performance poetry though I will be performing myself soon, so I have to get over it. Come and see me at Electric Picnic. And be kind. I need to do some memorising too, I think.

Are they always humourous? Often rhyme too, probably easier to memorise.

Free Arts around Dublin

Why not drop by the Civic Offices this summer, Thursday lunchtimes.

OPERA IN THE OPEN - AMPHITHEATRE, CIVIC OFFICES
From Thurs 07 August until Thurs 04 Sept., every Thursday Dublin City
Council is presenting an open-air opera performance at the
amphitheatre at Civic Offices (behind Christchurch Cathedral).
Performance this week will be "Cosi fan Tutte" by Mozart and it will
start at 13:00. Great lunch time entertainment if you are interested
in a bit of opera.

Reading by Marian Keyes

Marian supports the charity Focus Ireland, the homeless charity - that is charity for the homeless, not charity without home). She gives good girly read, I saw her at the Dublin Writers' Festival, and she's doing one on Sunday August 17th in The Sugar Club, Leeson Street Dublin to raise funds.

It's 20 Euro in but it's in a great cause She says:

I'll read and tell stories and answer questions and there will be chocolate and spot prizes and a prize for nicest handbag, so will you come? It'll be a right laugh and we'll all feel good for having done an altruistic act. How about it? I'd LOVE if you'd come.

Details here.

Dún Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures

Graffiti In Dunlaoghaire
Originally uploaded by infomatique

If you're near Dún Laoghaire from Friday 22nd to 24th August, why not volunteer to help at the Festival of World Cultures

They are looking for people to do a wide variety of tasks ranging from, artist liaison, production and technical assistants, photographers, volunteer supervisors, performance supervisors, hospitality facilitators and much more.

They say:

All volunteers will receive a specialised health and safety training session prior to the Festival weekend. Not to mention meeting new and interesting friends as well as gaining automatic access to the members only Festival Volunteers Club.

There was a poetry slam too but I didn't hear about it. Deadline was July 25th

The Festival is looking for contenders to take part in an exciting new addition to the Festival's programme. If you think you have what it takes to twist a tale in two minutes and battle it out with 15 other poets, then this is the event for you.

Did anyone enter?

Books of Fury from the Crockett and Powell blog

So I'm not the only one who doesn't like bent spines, folded down corners, notes in the margin etc. Which I suppose is a bit silly if the book in question cost 5 Euro from Tesco...

And am I the only one with a thing about stationary? I can't walk by a stationary shop. And the stationary cupboard at work is like a little temple - pens, pencils (I always write in pencil) rubbers, sharpeners and most of all, notebooks. Yum.