Burning Bush Submissions call

The well thought of, online mag, Burning bush 2 is looking for submissions of poetry and flash fiction.

Send no more than 4 poems, in the body of an email with “Poetry – Your Name” as the subject heading. A short biographical note should also be included. Please allow up to 8 weeks for a decision. There are no restrictions on style, themes etc. Do not send attachments unless requested.

We prefer new, unpublished work but if something has been published before, let us know where and when. The decision of the editors is final and no discussions will be entered into.

Ideas for reviews, criticism or other articles should be pitched prior to sending the full text to the editors. Miscellaneous articles will appear from time to time on The Burning Bush 2blog as well as in each issue.

We now also consider submissions of flash fiction: please send submissions of short fiction, limit 500 words, in the body of an email to the address below.

Issue # 8 (Guest Editor: Joseph Horgan) – deadline 14th February 2015 / for March 2015 publication

Please send all submissions and correspondence to burningbushrevival@gmail.com Check out the previous issues to see what burns their bush. Link here

From The Well Short Story Competition

Cork County Library and Arts Service invite you to enter the annual “From the Well” short story competition. 

To mark the UN’s International Year of Light 2015, the theme of this year’s competition is Light.

Entrants may interpret the theme broadly. 

Deadline: 20th February 2015. 

All shortlisted stories, as well as the winner, will be published in Cork County Library and Arts Service’s annual short story anthology.

The winner will receive a place on one of the 2015 West Cork Literary Festival workshops in Bantry, as well as €250 towards accommodation.

Link here

pSoken Wrod in Clonakilty

Info on a Spoken word event in one of my favourite pubs, De Barra's Folk Club, Clonakilty, Co Cork.

The pSoken Wrod meets monthly, usually the first Tuesday of each month in De Barra's Folk Club, Clonakilty, Co Cork (Check Facebook for details or contact details below).

We are a forum for writers of prose or poetry, or even song, with an open mic, guest speaker, an opening exercise, a lot of craic and irreverent good humour. There is no cover charge other than a passing pot and meetings kick off around 8.30 p.m.

Molly Keane Creative Writing Award 2015

Entries for the Molly Keane Creative Writing Award 2015 are now being accepted by the Arts Office, Waterford City and County Council.

 Now in its 18th year, the competition honours the late writer who lived, until her death in 1996, in Ardmore, Co. Waterford. Her first ten novels and four plays were published under the pseudonym M.J. Farrell. In 1981 ‘Good Behaviour’ became a publishing sensation for which she was short listed for the prestigious Booker Prize.

Submissions are invited of an unpublished short story to a maximum of 2000 words. There is no entry fee, no age limit and no restriction on the subject matter.

A prize of €500 will be awarded to the winner at a special ceremony during the IMMRAMA Literary Festival in Lismore, Co. Waterford in June 2015.

Deadline: 12 noon on Friday, March 6th 2015.

Link for details and entry forms here..

Writers' Retreat in Iceland

Writers'  retreats are more common in the US and to a lesser extent in the UK. Here's one that may be of interest. Note that there are now direct flights from Belfast to Reykjavík.

There's a competition to win a free delegate spot at the ICELAND WRITERS RETREAT in April 2015. The winner will receive the full retreat package, including a free hotel stay, tours, most meals, and all workshops for the duration of the event, from 8 to 12 April.

Write a short story or essay, no more than 500 words, using this image of Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center as your inspiration.

The four-person judging panel will select one winning entry. Judges will be looking for creativity, originality, and style.

Deadline 23:59 (GMT) on January 25, 2015. 

Link here
More info on the retreat if  you don't win is here

Story House Ireland

This sounds interesting, residential writing courses in Ireland with great writers and tutors inspired by the Arvon Foundation.

The Story House Ireland is a not-for-profit residential writing centre, based in Waterford and inspired by The Arvon Foundation. It is built on a belief in the importance of writing as a vital part of the creative arts and aims to provide real support for developing writers of all ages and backgrounds. As it grows it will provide a focus for the development of a community of writers, teaching opportunities for professional writers, and also work to “ensure anyone can benefit from the transformative power of writing”. Writing can change your life.

Here are the details of the inaugural course. I wouldn't be surprised if this sells well abroad.

Short Fiction

Mon March 23rd - Sat March 28th 2015

Tutors: Julian Gough & Susie Maguire

Mid Week Guest: Donal Ryan

Price: As this is the inaugural course, it is being offered for the special price of €595

This price includes:

5 nights accommodation
Full board
All workshops
One-to-one sessions with each of the tutors to discuss your work
Time and space to write

Group meal / discussion with Guest Writer

Link for the course here

Brewery Lane Writers’ Weekend

The Brewery Lane Writers’ Weekend has also been completely revamped for 2015.

It will feature three days of writing with two writers, Ferdia MacAnna and Nessa O’Mahony, in the intimate setting of Brewery Lane Theatre, Carrick-on-Suir.

During the weekend you will expand and develop your range of writing skills and learn how techniques used in screenwriting, poetry and memoir can help to expand your writing toolkit. You will work with Nessa and Ferdia, two experienced writers and teachers of writing exploring the link between real life and imagination and discover new ways of identifying and transforming material. There will be facilitated workshops, one-to-one sessions and time for you to write.

Dates: Fri. 10th – Sun. 12th April 2015.

Fee: €160 early bird if paid by 12th Feb 2015 or €175 if paid later.

Accommodation available in The Carraig Hotel at a special rate to participants.
To book your place or to find out more details please get in touch through the Contact page.

Call for Submissions - the pickled body

Those super artistic, off kilter people who run the pickled body are looking for submissions for issue 2.1 on the theme of quantum.

Deadline: 30th January.

Link here

They say:

In Ian Fleming’s short story, ‘a quantum of solace’ is the least amount of comfort and fellow feeling required for a relationship to survive.

In the classic television series Quantum Leap, Sam Beckett had to jump into other people’s lives, repair them, and move on. 

Quantum physics we all know about – because it’s what makes our world tick/not tick. Remember too that quantum means ‘very small’ not ‘very big’. 

For issue 2.1 of The Pickled Body we’re looking for work on the theme of ‘quantum’. You decide what that means.

Send up to three poems on the theme to thepickledbody@gmail.com. 

Work submitted must not have been published elsewhere, and should be included in your email as an attached document, preferably Word or Pages. 

Poetry & Words at Glastonbury Festival 2015 now open for submissions

Calling all poets, spoken word artists, wordsmiths, lyricists, raconteurs, stand-up poets and slam champs…if you want to perform your work on Glastonbury Festival’s poetry stage, then this is your chance! They’re looking for applications from experienced writers and performers, with something awesome to offer the audience of the world’s biggest greenfield arts festival.

If you think that could be you, then please e-mail poetryandwords@hotmail.co.ukwith a short Bio and 1-3 video and/or audio files of you performing your work. 

You get a ticket and possibly a small fee.

To find out more about applying, take a look at the Poetry&Words blog here.

Deadline for applications: Friday 6th March

Readers Digest 100 word story competition

Write a story exactly 100 words long.

Submissions must be original and not previously published.

Note: Contributions become world copyright of Vivat Direct Ltd (t/a Reader’s Digest).

Entry is open only to residents of the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland. 

Link to website here for online and other forms of submission here.

Free to enter, which is quite rare.

Prize: win £500 and see your work published in the magazine 

Worldwide Online Poetry Workshop with Kevin Higgins starting February 2015

If you can't get to a poetry workshop in English, Kevin has a new initiative that may interest you.
Starting in early February, Over The Edge is offering aspiring poets worldwide a ten week online poetry workshop with poet Kevin Higgins.

Each of the ten weeks Kevin will email participants a poetry writing exercise for the following week and participants will submit one of their poems to Kevin for constructive criticism. Kevin will work with participants on making each of their poems the best possible poem it can be.

The workshop will run for ten weeks, commencing Wednesday February 4th, 2015. The cost to participants is €110.

Link here

Poems For Patience

Poems For Patience is a long running series which over the past decade has featured poems by leading Irish and international poets such as Seamus Heaney, Philip Schultz, Jane Hirschfield, Michael Longley, Vona Groarke, Tess Gallagher and many more. The poems after exhibition on the Arts Corridor are then displayed in waiting areas throughout Galway University Hospitals.

Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust is seeking entries again for its exciting annual poetry competition.

CRITERIA:

• no more than 30 lines long. 
• original work of the entrant.
• Unusually, poems previously published in magazines or poetry collections are eligible. 
• Also do ask yourself if your poem is appropriate for the setting?

PRIZE

• The poem will be published and displayed on the Arts Corridor of University Hospital Galway as part of the 2015 Poems For Patience.
• Invited to read the winning poem at the launch of the 2015 Poems For Patience at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature in April 2015 with accommodation provided  
• Invited to submit six poems for consideration for a Featured Reader at the Over The Edge: Open Reading series in Galway City Library.

FEE:

• one poem €10. 
• two or more poems €7.50 per poem i.e. to enter two poems it costs €15, to enter three poems €22.50 and so on.

Payment should be made by cheque or postal order payable to Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust.

That's a bit old school, no? Cheque?

Entries should be sent by post to
Margaret Flannery,
Arts Director,
Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust,
Galway University Hospitals,
University Hospital,
Newcastle Road,
Galway.

Do not put your name on the poems; please include your contact details on a separate sheet so it should be judged anonymously,

Deadline: Friday, March 13th 2015.

Caring for Carers Poetry Competition

Caring for Carers Ireland in conjunction with Ennis Book Festival are inviting all Family Carers to submit a poem to our nationwide competition.

Caring for Carers Ireland is there to help and support carers. They represent over 160,000 carers who look after family members or friends in their own home. They listen to their unmet needs, provide respite, services and training programmes to assist them and advocate on their behalf with Government Departments, HSE and other organisations. 

They have an annual poetry competition for family carers in Ireland over 18.  

This Year's Theme Is : “THE CARING JOURNEY … WHO KNOWS"

Poems should be no longer than 30 Lines and please include a brief Biographical Note.

1ST Prize is a weekend stay for two.

Runner up Prizes include Respite Breaks and admission to special Events during Ennis Book Club Festival.

Closing Date is Friday 13th  February 2015.

This Competition will be independently judged. Details here

Short Stories for BBC Radio

The BBC Radio Drama Readings Unit welcomes submissions from writers new to radio for their annual series, Opening Lines which is broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

The next window for sending in material is: 5th January – 13th February 2015. 

The three successful writers will have their stories broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and be invited to the BBC in London to see their stories being recorded. As well as broadcasting the three strongest stories we publish transcripts of the best stories submitted within this period on the Opening Lines website.

KEY INFORMATION

• Writers who have previously had a story/stories broadcast on network radio or have substantial writing credits in other areas of radio (e.g. comedy and drama) are not eligible for this series.
• One story per writer.
• Please don’t re-submit stories that have previously been considered for Opening Lines
• Stories must be between 1,900 and 2,000 words in length.

Things to bear in mind:

The original short story must work being read out loud i.e. with a strong emphasis on narrative and avoiding too much dialogue, character description and digression. Pay particular attention to how the story opens and closes, the ending would usually link back to the beginning.

Material which explores particularly dark, harrowing themes is not suited to Opening Lines. 

Stories must not contain defamatory, obscene or any other unsuitable material which is likely to cause offence to a wide audience of all ages. 

Link and more details here

Click here to read stories which have featured in recent series.

Manuscript Transformation

What a Difference a Year Makes

Four residential weekend workshop retreats

paced through 2015,

designed to support writers as they develop and enhance

 a prose manuscript or poetry collection.

What a Difference a Year Makes Prose Dates:

March 13-15th, May 15-17th, September 11-13th, November 13-15th

What a Difference a Year Makes Poetry Dates:

March 27-29th, May 29-31st, September 25-27th, November 27-29th

Retreats are limited to 4 participants.

Each weekend will include

~One-to-One individual mentoring with Grace Wells.

~Group workshops focused toward manuscript development and editorial craft.

~Set Daily Times for Writing in quiet.

~Space for Reflection & Dreaming into your manuscript.

Writers will be asked to submit a suggested minimum of 9000 words of prose, or 10 poems to their mentor, Grace Wells, prior to each weekend workshop. Maximum word counts submitted can be negotiated, depending on the advancement of each individual project.

Total, All-inclusive cost of 4 Workshop Retreats €1200

To secure your place, a non-refundable deposit of €300 is required by January 31^st. 

Full payment is acceptable at any time, or remaining installments of €300 can be paid at the first 3 weekends.

Cost includes: workshops & mentoring, two nights accommodation at The Well-Spring, on the side of Sliabh na mBan, Co Tipperary. All meals, tea, coffee and snacks.

Please note, these are alcohol-free retreats.

For Further Details Please Apply:   gracewells@eircom .net        086-390-6330

Beginners & Intermediate Creative Writing Classes at Galway Technical Institute

There are always some good writing courses to go to in Galway for all levels. Will you start a workshop in January? Kevin and Susan are extremely experienced teachers.

Creative Writing for Beginners with Kevin Higgins takes place one evening per week (Monday) from 7-9.30pm (9 weeks) with a mid term break.
Commences on Monday, January 12th, 2015.
Kevin Higgins will provide writing exercises for, and give gentle critical feedback to, those interested in trying their hand at writing poems, stories or memoir.
Places cost €120.

To book a place, go to http://www.gti.ie/aeapply/course/detail/t/69/c/201501-003713 

Intermediate Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars takes place one evening per week (Tuesday) from 7-9.30pm (9 weeks) with a mid term break.
Commences on Tuesday, January 13th, 2015.
Places cost €120. This class is suitable for those who’ve participated in creative writing classes before or begun to have work published in magazines. Flexible exercises and work-shopping of assignments, together with the study of the works of published writers, will help each class member to find their own writing voice.

To book a place, go to http://www.gti.ie/aeapply/course/detail/t/69/c/201501-003752

YOU CAN ALSO BOOK in person at Galway Technical Institute, Monday to Friday (10am-4.30pm).

For further information contact Galway Technical Institute, Father Griffin Road, Galway, phone 091-581342 or email info@gti.ie or see http://www.gti.ie

ArtLinks Bursary Awards 2015.

The ArtLinks Partners in Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford are pleased to announce that they are accepting applications for the ArtLinks Bursary Awards 2015.  Now in its 9^th year, the programme supports artists who are members of ArtLinks with three separate awards:

Emerging Artist Award (for those commencing a career in the arts sector)

Professional Development Award (for professional artists)

Collaborative Award (for collaborative projects between ArtLinks members)

Artists interested in applying for an ArtLinks Bursary can download the application forms and guidelines here 

Deadline: Thursday 5th February 4pm

You have to join Artlinks but it's free. Details on the link.

Honest Ulsterman Submissions

The HU is inviting you to submit poetry, prose and critical writing and art to its February issue. Up to 3 poems can be submitted and prose can be up to approx. 3000 words. Art can be any medium. There is no theme.
Deadline: 31st Jan 2015.
Please note HU is an online publication. Link here 

Send submissions to hueditor@theverbal.co
The editor is Gregory McCartney, also the editor of Abridged, a stonkingly good poetry and art magazine based in Northern Ireland.

Writing workshops starting in January - Brewery Lane Theatre

Do you want to start writing or spend time with other writers? A workshop is a good way to start. Here's one in Brewery Lane Theatre,Carrick-on-Suir.

Spring Writing Workshops with Margaret O'Brien

Start date Sat 24th Jan 2015 for 8 weeks.
Time: 10.30am to 1pm

You can get 2015 off to a creative start by joining me for an 8-week series of writing workshops on Saturday mornings in Brewery Lane Theatre. Margaret says

All you will need to bring is a pen, a notebook and a desire to write.

Fee: €150 (if that is honestly a difficulty let her know)

For further details please email: margaretwriting@gmail.com and check out www.margaretaobrien.com

Basil Bunting Award poetry competition

The Basil Bunting Award poetry competition is open internationally to any poet writing in English.

Each poem should be no longer than 40 lines.  The title is not included in the line count, nor are any blank spaces to indicate stanza or section breaks.

All entries are judged anonymously: do not include your name on the document.

Fee: £6 for one poem, £10 for two poems, and and extra £5 per poem beyond that. The maximum number of entries per poet is 10.

Deadline: 15th January 2015.

Entries will be judged by W. N. Herbert.

First prize: £1000

Second prize: £750

Third prize: £250

Entry online or by post.

Link here

Cúirt New Writing Prize 2015

The Cúirt New Writing Prize, in memory of Lena Maguire, is now open for submissions. Entries should be sent via email to: info@cuirt.ie

Submissions are welcome in poetry and fiction.

There is a €500 cash prize for the winner in each category and an opportunity to read at the Cúirt/Over the Edge Showcase event at Cúirt 2015.

The judges are Martin Dyar (poetry) and Declan Meade (fiction).

Young Cúirt:

Young Cúirt is for ages 12-17. Entries are welcome in poetry and fiction. The winner will receive €100 cash prize and they will have the opportunity to read at the 2015 Cúirt labs event in April.

Submission Guidelines

Poetry entries must consist of 3 poems under 50 lines each. 

Fiction pieces may be up to 2000 words. Entries in both English and Irish are welcome.

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 A €10 entry fee applies for each separate entry which can be paid via the Paypal button. Link here

The closing date for submissions is Monday 02 February 2015 at 5pm. Winners will be announced on Wednesday 25 February.