Thanks to the lovely Vanessa from Inkwell writers for this one.
Juno Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster publish fantasy novels with a strong female protagonist set in contemporary or very near contemporary future worlds.
Editor Paula Guran accepts unagented submissions but stresses the importance of following Juno's guidelines .
They want urban fantasy typically crossed with mystery, action/adventure and horror featuring a woman with supernatural power or some paranormal connection. Romance/relationship is usually an element in this mix as is humour.
(Bit of a mixture there. What genre is not included? crime?)
They are looking for originality. Email first 3 chapters, synopsis in an attachment (.doc or rtf) in the body of the email include a short cover letter about yourself which should aim to make Juno want to open the attachment. email: submissions@juno-books.com
The theme for 2008 is: "Lost”- which can be a person, a thing, money, or the plot. Maximum 2,000 words Fee: £6 per story Prizes: 1st prize £400, 2nd £200, 3rd £100 Deadline: 31 July 2009 Judge: Barbara Erskine (final few only) Other rules here and entry form.
The Performance Corporation don't say specifically what kind of artists they expect but why not writers? Last year they had a preponderance of 'performers':
Oisin Byrne, a US based, Irish Visual Artist
Fionnuala Conway, an Irish Multi-Media Artist and Musician
As part of The Performance Corporation’s continued commitment to creating space for professional artists, we have secured additional space at Castletown House for artists to work. This programme will be run throughout the year on a submission basis and based on artists’ needs which may include
- access to office facilities during production of a play or performance - access to office facilities to research the artistic requirements or administrative requirements for a production - access to a rehearsal space for development of work
The Performance Corporation is open to providing access to spaces for various periods, depending on demand. If you wish to be considered for Simply SPACE please submit a two page proposal outlining
1. information about you and/or your group/company
2. the body of work you wish to explore
3. how liaising with The Performance Corporation might be of benefit to you
4. how being at Castletown House would be of benefit to your work
5. what you seek in terms of space and time
In addition, please send links to examples of your work (using youtube, vimeo, photobucket etc) or send small attachments (no bigger than 1MB).
Please forward submissions to info@theperformancecorporation.com
Submissions are particularly welcomed from Kildare based artists.
The Performance Corporation is an Arts Council Regularly Funded Organisation (RFO), and is supported by a grant from Kildare County Council. Space in Castletown House is provided courtesy of the OPW.
I really want tickets (two or three) to the Taste of Dublin (Sunday) but they're really expensive. This post is to win some (or maybe just (just?) some Lindt chocolate) See here via Damien's blog
If anyone wants to give me some tickets, I can blog about something of your choice...just leave a comment.
I have 5 pieces accepted on the Quiet Quarter on Lyric FM on the theme of swimming. I'm recording them and will let you know the week so you can listen in either live or afterwards forever more on your Mp3/iPod or online.
The Bad News: I was rejected by the Stinging Fly again. Both for my fantastic short stories and then for my brilliant poems. It's the same story for years. I have to accept that there are some publications that just gon't 'get' me and my stuff. Move on. Nothing more to see here.
Then, rejected by Poetry Ireland Review, New editor, new criteria.
Then, rejected from Acumen magazine. Very fast response.
I have enjoyed reading them but unfortunately am not able to make an offer for any this time. I found a lot to like here, but unfortunately nothing appealed quite enough for me to shortlist any.
I get around 5,000 poems a year and as I only publish 50 per issue,
And lastly (for now) Southword, a nice rejection
all different, all intriguing, competition is fierce, yadda, yadda, yadda
ROI? Return on Investment. I think most writers would agree that when it comes down to the last shortlisted entries in a competition, it's more of a lottery, down to individual taste, a gamble if you will. So in my opinion, you have to compare the initial investment (entry fee) with the potential prize and if, as in this case, you're looking at 10:1, avoid until the organisers comes to their senses.
Tubbercurry festival. Leyney writers
Fee: 10 Euro Prizes: 100 Euro, 50 Euro
Short Story: up to 1,500 words Free Verse: up to 200 lines (an unusually long one) Rhyming Verse: up to 200 lines Deadline: 13 June 2009
Post to Tubbercurry Literary Festival, Short Story Competition, Leyney Writers, 25 Ballina Road, Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo. Winners will be notified so they will be able to read their winning entries at the evening event on Tuesday July 21, 2009.
A belated hurrah for The lovely Carol Ann Duffy for being appointed Poet Laureate, the first woman in its 341 years history and the first Scot too although she left when she was 6 I think for the south. I heard her read at the Poetry Now festival and she had the audience in the palm of her hand. I wonder what her agenda will be? Andrew Motion (me and Andy, we're like that) made great efforts in getting poetry into UK schools off the exam syllabus and also set up the Poetry Archive. Go and have a poke around there is you've got time to kill.
And then Ruth Padel was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Good on yer. Shame about the controversy about Derek Walcott but it shouldn't reflect on her achievement. Have you ever read her book of columns examining poems? 52 ways to look at a poem? Worth studying.
And now she's gone and resigned...what a shame she felt she had to. What now?
Here's one not heavily advertised. The website is out of date. They had a competition but it's closed now.
The weekend commences on Thursday, May 28, with an art exhibition in Cooney’s Hotel in Ballymahon. The exhibition will be officially opened by well known artist Kevin Flood, and will afford an opportunity for many of the well-known local artists to display their wares.
On Friday, May 29, the official opening by John Murray of RTE takes place at the Rustic Inn, Abbeyshrule.
Doctor Andrew Carpenter, a professor at the English department in UCD, will deliver the keynote address “Goldsmith the Novelist” and Doctor Chris Wheatley, a professor of English at the Catholic University of America in Washington will chair the session. Musical entertainment will follow the formalities.
On Saturday, the programme takes place from the Bog Lane Theatre in Ballymahon. At 11.30am, Athlone native Desmond Egan, well-known and internationally recognised poet, will talk on “Goldsmith the Poet”. At 12.15pm, Doctor Brian Arkins University College Galway will talk on “Goldsmith the Dramatist” while Chris Wheatley will give some insight into Goldsmith’s contribution to Irish and English literature.
At 3.00 pm Dr Fergus O’Ferrall will give a talk on “Goldsmith – politics then and now.” These discussions will be chaired by Ollie Hegarty, Athlone IT and John O’ Donnell, former principal of Ballymahon Vocational School and former secretary and member of the committee.
At 4pm on Saturday, the literary tour of the Goldsmith Country will visit the sites associated with Goldsmith – Ardagh, Forgney Church, Lissoy Parsonage, the Busy Mill, the Hawthorn Bush, Kilkenny West (the decent church that topped the neighbouring hill) and the Three Jolly Pigeons.
On Saturday at 7.30pm the weekend reaches a crescendo at the Three Jolly Pigeons with traditional music and song.
On Sunday, May 31st, all roads lead to Pallas where results of the children’s and adult poetry competitions will be announced and winning entries will be read by the winners. Poets, Noel Monahan, Mary Melvin Geoghegan and Desmond Egan will read from their own collections. Anne Tully will introduce the entertainments.
Weather permitting, this event at Pallas is hosted out-doors; cheese, wine and refreshments will be provided through the generosity of Pallas residents and sponsors, Joe and Chris Farrell.
I must add my blog voice to the many over the blogosphere and twitter to draw your attention to Salt Publishing's cries for help. They've have a (very small) arts council grant of £4,000, compared to Bloodaxe 2009/10 – £96,297, Carcanet (£116,565 this year), Anvil (£89,831 this year) and Enitharmon (£47,492), to name but a few and their stated aim is to get to a position where they need no funding, almost unheard of.
And I would have thought it woulod make a difference whether you buy from Amazon/whatever or Salt directly as surely you have to pay Amazon a fee?
The Just One Book Campaign
From Chris Hamilton-Emery:
“As many of you will know, Jen and I have been struggling to keep Salt moving since June last year when the economic downturn began to affect our press. Our three year funding ends this year: we’ve £4,000 due from Arts Council England in a final payment, but cannot apply through Grants for the Arts for further funding for Salt’s operations. Spring sales were down nearly 80% on the previous year, and despite April’s much improved trading, the past twelve months has left us with a budget deficit of over £55,000. It’s proving to be a very big hole and we’re having to take some drastic measures to save our business. Here’s how you can help us to save Salt and all our work with hundreds of authors around the world.
JUST ONE BOOK
1. Please buy just one book, right now. We don’t mind from where, you can buy it from us or from Amazon, your local shop or megastore, online or offline. If you buy just one book now, you’ll help to save Salt. Timing is absolutely everything here. We need cash now to stay afloat. If you love literature, help keep it alive. All it takes is just one book sale. Go to our online store and help us keep going.
2. Share this note on your profile. Tell your friends. If we can spread the word about our cash crisis, we can hopefully find more sales and save our literary publishing. Remember it’s just one book, that’s all it takes to save us. Please do it now.
Prizes: 200 guineas and a two-year subscription to The Frogmore Papers, 75 guineas and 50 guineas and a year's subscription. Shortlisted poets will receive copies of selected Frogmore Press publications. Previous winners of the Prize include Tobias Hill and Mario Petrucci
Judge: Robert Seatter lives in London. He has worked as a teacher, actor, journalist and in publishing, and currently works for the BBC. He has published two collections, On the Beach with Chet Baker (Seren, 2006) and Travelling to the Fish Orchards (Seren, 2002).
Fee: £3 per poem (not guineas?!)
Conditions include:
unpublished, and not accepted for future publication. 40 lines max. Other conditions on their website where you can also read previous winners for a good idea of what they want.
I've always thought this should be called Dublin Readers Festival as the audience are all Dublin readers, and the writers are from all over. Anyway, I digress.
There are too many writers coming to write them all down here but you can download the programme yourself here. It has all the informaion on hwere to get tickets and thelike. Some events are close to sold out already if not actually sold out. If you're in or near Dublin this weekend, you owe it to yourself to get out there.
My edited highlights: Tuesday 2nd June Seamus Heaney - National Concert Hall 8pm. Introduced by Olivia O'Leary
Thursday 4th June Anne Michaels a Canadian poet I've heard good things about. Project Arts 6pm
Friday 5th June Zoe Heller and Geoff Dyer. Zoe has a new book The Believers that sounds well worth reading. Project Arts 6pm Colm Toibin. Don't miss this one. His new book Brooklyn sounds as good as his last Booker shortlisted The Master which I loved. Project Arts 8pm
Saturday 6th June Claire Kilroy, Christine Dwyer Hickey and Julie O'Faolain. Got to read Claire's new book All The Names Have Been Changed. Project Arts 2pm Paula Meehan and Leanne O'Sullivan. Two generations of poet(esse)s, Project Arts 6pm
Sunday 7th June Brendan Kennelly. "An Irish Literary Phenomenon" with broad appeal. Abbey Theatre 3pm Val McDermid and Kate Summerscale. Love Val's clever crime books. Abbey Theatre 6pm Sarah Waters. Super novelist. Abbey Theatre 7:30 pm
The deadline for the prestigious Bridport competitions looms ever closer. I entered last year to a big fat nothing. Not sure I'll enter this year.
Deadline: 30 June 2009 Prizes: £5,000, £1,000, £500, 10 x £50
Short Story Judge: Ali Smith Looking for: A beginning, a middle and an end not necessarily in that order. Nothing spare, a voice you can hear after you've read the story. Fee: £7 per story
Cue lots of stories structured like Pulp Fiction, if at all.
Poetry Judge: Jackie Kay (love her stuff) Looking for: authentic voices. Imagery which might be mundane but still startles. Lines which hook and draw the memory. Up to 42 lines. Fee: £6
Bridge House Publishing LLP is an independent publishing house that specialises in 'fiction which is a little bit different.' After the success of their first anthology, "Making Changes", published in November 2008, they are now looking to build on that success with various other anthologies. The new anthologies will be published through 2009 and 2010.
See their Submissions page for details of the titles for which they are currently accepting submissions.
They say those included also receive a financial reward. Not how much though. The publcity is pretty small so they hope writers will do some of their own.
They are currently accepting submissions for the following working titles.
12 Days of Christmas 2009
Thought-provoking stories between 4 000 - 8 000 words long. There will be 12 stories in the anthology. Anticipated Publication Date - November 2009
Deadline for submissions - 30th June 2009
An Advent Calendar of Stories (Children's Version) 2009
These should be non-religious, though-provoking and life affirming stories between 1 000 - 3 000 words in length. The stories should be suitable for junior school children and make a good 'assembly' read. It will be aimed at an age range of 7 - 11 years. Anticipated Publication Date - November 2009
The Star Trek picture missed out my favourite actor Karl Urban from NZ who plays Doctor Bones McCoy so here's another version.
Strokestown winners are slightly less appealing being as I wasn't one of them. Here they are:
English language poem: Ist prize of €4,000 to Padraig Rooney 2nd prize of €2,000 to John Wedgewood Clarke 3rd prize of €1,000 to Juliet Aykroyd
Irish/Gaelic poem: Ist prize of €4,000 to Pádraig Mac Fhearghusa 2nd prize of €2,000 to Peadar Ó hUallaigh 3rd prize of €1,000 to Seán Ó Curraoin
Percy French Prize: !st: Sean Lyons 2nd: Peter Goulding 3rd: Raymond O'Sullivan Other backhanders went to: Paraig Higgins, Co.Galway; Charles Linenberg, Philadelphia USA; Eamonn McNally, Co. Galway; Damien Muldoon, Dublin; Padraic Neary, Sligo; Martin Parker, Devon, U.K.
Roscommon Schools' competition: Secondary Schools: !st: Emily Cooper, Convent of Mercy, Roscommon 2nd: Catherine James, Scoil Mhuire, Strokestown 3rd: Sarah James, Roscommon Community College National schools: 1st: Amy Curley, Ballyleague NS, Lanesboro 2nd: Saoirse McLaughlin, ballybay NS, Kiltoom 3rd: Jamie McHenry, Croghan NS, Boyle
Yay - I've been tagged by Chicklit Sanctuary to do my version of 8 things!
I hereby swear to be entirely truthful!
Eight things I like: See previous post
Eight things I did yesterday (actually Saturday): Dropped my oversleeping son into Dublin v. early Went shopping in Newry Bought a kitchen bin Went to see the new Star Trek film Read the Guardian Went to IMMA Ate half a bag of honey roasted cashews and felt sick Changed the bed
(What didn't I do? Write! My PC screen broke. Have to postpone writing my a** off for a week)
Eight things I wish I could do: Sing in company Get published in the Stinging Fly the splits cook falafel from scratch Lose some weight Win the Lotto An MA Draw
Eight things I don't like: Bad manners Beetroot Golf Corrupt two-faced politicians (or anyone) Being corraled like sheep for a Ryanair flight Horror Movies Watching Football, rugby, GAA, paint dry, etc Worrying about money
How's this for an idea from Running after my Hat? Name Saturday 16th May as a Write Your A** off day. Devote a day to writing. If you are a habitual procrastinator like me, who knows how much you'll get done? It's like NaNoWriMo except not so scary. The idea started with the NY writers coalition but I suggest we adopt it as our own personal creative and virtual kick up the bum. So I won't be posting Saturday. I'll be writing (and maybe reading a bit too but not blogging)
The Irish Writers Centre is struggling to restablish itself. It's putting on a sort of taster week - not a bad idea considering how expensive the courses can be.
Monday May 18th @ 6.30 p.m. The Irish Writers' Centre Presents Juliet Bressan Admission free
Reading by author and Creative Writing tutor Juliet Bressan.
Juliet Bressan is a graduate of UCG and the bestselling author of Snow White Turtle Doves and Entanglement. She studied for a degree in Creative Writing and Literature with the Open University before writing her first book in a workshop at the Irish Writers Centre – she then went on to sign a four book contract with Poolbeg.
Tuesday May 19th @ 1.15 p.m. The Irish Writers' Centre Presents Jean O'Brien Admission free
Reading by leading poet and Fish Poetry Prize 2008 winner Jean O'Brien.
Tuesday May 19th @ 6.30 p.m. The Irish Writers' Centre Presents Helen Dwyer & Brendan Nolan Admission free
Joint reading by author and Chair of the Irish Writers' Union Helen Dwyer and author, Journalist, Editor of askaboutwriting.net and Final Draft and Executive Committee Member of the Irish Writers' Union Brendan Nolan
Wednesday May 20th @ 6.30 p.m. Poetry Ireland in association with the Irish Writers’ Centre presents a reading by Mark Baker, Olive Broderick, Jane Clarke & Miceál Kearney Admission free
Togra na Bealtaine in Áras na Scríbhneóiri / Bealtaine Project at The Writer’s Centre Weeklong Workshop at The Writer’s Centre in creative writing in Irish, in both Prose and Poetry.
Location: The Writers’ Centre, 19 Parnell Square. Dublin 1.
These workshops will be directed by Jack Harte (prose) and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill (poetry)
Time;---Monday , May 18 th to Friday , May 22 nd (inclusive) 10.30----1.30.
These workshops will be free and filled on a first-come first-in basis. So hurry up because places are limited,
The workshops are being funded by Foras na Gaeilge.
The lovely and hugely talented Barbara gave me an award. The meme is to list 7 things you love. That's a bit vague. Not people?
Mountains with snow snowdrops shafts of sunlight through grey clouds the smell outside the doors of a hot foreign airport 70% dark chocolate Gene Kelly movies Star Trek
BBC Radio 4 will be broadcasting a second series of Poetry Slam programmes in 2009. New Belfast Community Arts Initiative is hosting the All Ireland Regional Heat taking place on Thursday 18th June.
Radio 4 ran its first Poetry Slam in 2007, and this will be the second. There will be three broadcast programmes, comprising two semi-finals and a final anticipated to transmit in late September and early October 2009.
These will not be for broadcast, but out of them two winners from each heat will go forward to the broadcast semi-finals, making a total of nine participants in each semi-final. Three winners from each semi-final will go forward to the final. These qualifying rounds will be run in accordance with the same slam rules which will govern the broadcast semi-finals and final, so that all performers around the country will be taking part under the same conditions. Rules for performance and judging in the Radio 4 slam follow as closely as possible the generally accepted slam conventions, with a few specific points included in order to create a competition suitable for broadcast.
If you have won a slam in the past three years and feel that you meet all other criteria as laid out in the rules above then please complete an application form available here on their website and return it by Monday 1st June.
Update extended to 11th June and opened to all slammers, not just previous winners. Guess they didn't get so many takers.
Yay! I went grant application mad and applied everywhere. One came up trumps. Money for a trip to Annaghmakkerig and some tickets for writing events but mostly money for time to write. And I will. Oh the bliss.
Following the success of “Writing from Within: Haiku and the Spiritual Dimension” in the summers of 2007 and 2008, Kim Richardson and Maeve O'Sullivan are giving this weeklong workshop again at Anam Cara Writers' and Artists' Retreat in Ireland, in July 2009.
This residential workshop is designed to help you develop paths to your inner inspiration - the path within. Toward this goal, we work with the ancient medium of haiku poetry and its related forms, with their links to Zen and its emphasis on mindfulness. Combining the haiku work with meditation, breath and light practices, the outstanding natural beauty of the Beara Peninsula and the peace and quiet of Anam Cara, our aim is to heighten levels of awareness and to open creative channels.
Enter Online only. Files with entries must be in Word format (Word 97 - 2003) and submitted via online entry form. 40 lines or fewer. Other usual conditions.
A special category is the iYeats Emerging Talent Award is open to all 16 - 25 year olds.
Entry fee: €5 per poem.
Prizes: First general prize of €300, Emerging Talent award of €300. Ten highly commended awards.
All Prize winners will have their poems published on the Hawkswell Website and will be invited to read their work at an informal ceremony during the 2009 Annual Yeats Summer School.
Write a short story up to 1,000 words with the title
There's no community like my community.
age categories 5-7, 8-10, 11-12, 13-18
There will be one semi finalist for each age group from each county.
Deadline: 28 May 2009
Prize is publication in a book. One overall primary school winner will get a 5,000 Euro voucher for books for their school and a visit by Sarah Webb.
The top 5 stories in the 13-18 category will win a Sony Net Book (cool!)
More information on how to enter on the website along with tips.
I was sending an email the other day, a fairly formal email but I was making a small joke so I dithered a little then used an exclamation mark to show the sentence was intended as a joke and not to take it seriously. In my writing, I really don't like them (unless I'm writing in the style of an overexcited teenager!!! a girl usually it has to be said!!!) What do you think? Unnecessary? Is it like laughing at your own jokes?
And what about semi-colons? I used to take all mine out as I was concerned about coming over as a smart alec who knew how to use them and putting off less pedantic readers. Then I realised that many editors/competition judges were pedantic readers/ex-English teachers so I let them lie.
I also, while I'm on the subject, had a conversation about punctuation in poetry. Should we punctuate punctiliously or leave well alone unless it changes the meaning of the phrase?
Come and support this year's chosen emerging poets as part of Poetry Ireland Introductions. This year it's hosted at the Writers’ Centre.
Wednesday May 20th @ 6.30 p.m. Poetry Ireland in association with the Irish Writers’ Centre presents a reading by Mark Baker, Olive Broderick, Jane Clarke & Miceál Kearney
Wednesday May 27th @ 6.30 p.m. Poetry Ireland in association with the Irish Writers’ Centre presents a reading by Carolyn Jess-Cooke, Liz Gallagher, Jessica Traynor & Shirley Mc Clure
Thursday May 28th @ 6.30 p.m. Poetry Ireland in association with the Irish Writers’ Centre presents a reading by David Rowell, Ruth Thompson, Jaki McCarrick & Nerys Williams
Abridged, the Northern poetry/art periodical requires submissions for its latest issue, Abridged 0 - 17. The theme is Time and submissions should be of a contemporary/experimental nature. Artwork (which should be roughly A3 sized and at least 600 dpi), poems and prose are accepted.
Deadline: 30 May.
Post submissions to Abridged c/o the Verbal Arts Centre, Stable Lane and Mall Wall, Bishop Street Within, Derry BT48 6PU, Northern Ireland. Work and queries can also be emailed here.
The Verb on BBC Radio 3 is marking Radio 3's Composers of the Year celebrations by inviting (UK) listeners to send a short story of no more than 1000 words which use the names of all four composers- Mendelssohn, Haydn, Purcell and Handel in the most inventive, imaginative and cunning ways possible, from a detective called Mendelssohn to an intergalactic starship called the USS Handel. Sounds like a challenge.
Deadline: May 11th. Judges: Ian McMillan and Rob Cowan, presenter of Radio 3’s Breakfast will judge a shortlist of entries. (Who'll judge the longlist?)
The winning story will be read out on The Verb on 29th May. See here for details.
Download your copy of my new ebook for only $2.99 at Amazon
for your Kindle or at Smashwords (25% sample to read for free) Review: I was instantly drawn into this book...
Tweet or Email me if you're want to talk about a reading/gig/festival/workshop, a review on my blog or basically anything you want to give me for free (money works too) at
