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