Writing Home

'Writing Home', a series of readings by writers of, and about, Diaspora is hosted by the John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies, University College Dublin, 2009. All readings to take place at 1pm at the Q014 Lecture theatre, Quinn Building.

Not much use to those among us who work...maybe people who are interested in the Diaspora don't.

2nd April Tess Gallagher
23rd April John O’Donoghue
7th May Joseph O’Connor

Trinity Workshop

The School of English at Trinity College Dublin is offering a free six-week creative writing workshop with its current Arts Council of Ireland Writer Fellow, Michael O’Loughlin, to start in April.

This workshop is run every year.

Though primarily a poet, Michael O’Loughlin has also published a collection of short stories, The Inside Story, and has written many screenplays, including Snapshots.

If you write both poetry and prose, I would submit poetry.

Submissions are currently being invited for places on the weekly two-hour workshop. Samples of work of 1,500-2,500 words of prose are being sought, or four to six poems.

As Writer in Residence in Galway City in 2007, Michael edited an anthology of writing by immigrants, called Galway: City of Strangers. He is particularly interested in receiving submissions for this workshop from immigrants of any background.

does that mean me?

All submissions should be sent by post to Writer Fellow’s Workshop, Oscar Wilde Centre, School of English, Trinity College Dublin, 21 Westland Row, Dublin 2, by Friday 17 April.

The workshops will be held on Wednesday evenings between 7pm-9pm.

Orange Prize longlist

Read any of these longlisted for the Orange Prize?

Debra Adelaide's The Household Guide to Dying;
Lissa Evans's Their Finest Hour and a Half;
Bernadine Evaristo's Blonde Roots;
Ellen Feldman's Scottsboro;
Laura Fish's Strange Music;
VV Ganeshananthan's Love Marriage;
Allegra Goodman's Intuition;
Samantha Harvey's The Wilderness;
Samantha Hunt's The Invention of Everything Else;
Michelle de Kretser's The Lost Dog;
Gina Ochsner's The Russian Dreambook of Colour and Flight;
Preeta Samarasan's Evening is the Whole Day;
Curtis Sittenfeld's American Wife;
Miriam Toews's The Flying Troutmans;
Ann Weisgarber's The Personal History of Rachel DuPree.
Gaynor Arnold's Girl in a Blue Dress was longlisted for the Booker and is a first novel
Toni Morrison's A Mercy
Deirdre Madden's Molly Fox's Birthday,
Marilynne Robinson's Home,
Kamila Shamsie's Burnt Shadows.

The judging panel - which also includes entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox, journalist and academic Sarah Churchwell, writer Bidisha and the Guardian women's editor, Kira Cochrane - will name a six-novel shortlist 7th April 2009. The £30,000 winner will be announced in June.

Cúirt International Festival of Literature 2009

21st – 26th April 2009

Here are some of the highlights of this wonderful sounding festival. I wish I knew someone in Galway so I could crash on their couch and go to some of these.

PROSE READINGS

Joseph O’Neill and Timothy O’Grady
Tues 21 April 8.30pm Town Hall Theatre
Admission €12/€10

Colm TóibÍn and D.R. MacDonald
Wed 22 April 8.30pm Town Hall Theatre
Admission €12/€10

Petina Gappah and Helen Simpson
Exploration of the short story form.
Thurs 23 April 1pm Town Hall Studio
Admission €8/€6

Blake Morrison and Janice Galloway
The memoir has experienced a renaissance in recent times and both these writers have painted unsparing portraits of family life in Britain.
Fri 24 April 1pm Town Hall Theatre
Admission €10/€8

Louis de Bernières and Tim Parks
This lunchtime event promises a feast of contemporary prose writing from the UK.
Sat 25 April 1pm Town Hall Theatre
Admission €10/€8

Claire Keegan and Gerard Woodward
Two of the most exciting short story writers will read from recent collections.
Sat 25 April 6.30pm Town Hall Theatre
Admission €10/€8

—————————————————————————————————————————————

POETRY READINGS
Thomas Lynch and Leanne O’Sullivan
Wed 22 April 3pm Town Hall Studio
Admission €8/€6

Ingrid de Kok and Maura Dooley
Wed 22 April 6.30pm Town Hall Studio
Admission €10/€8

Pete Mullineaux and Colette Bryce
Thurs 23 April 3pm Town Hall Studio
Admission €8/€6

Patrick Deeley and Leontia Flynn
Sat 25 April 11am Town Hall Theatre
Admission €5

Poetry Grand Slam
The year-round activity of slamming culminates in the 7th Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam in which up to 20 performers have just three minutes to impress the judges under the gaze of MC Pete Mullineaux. The overall winner goes on to perform in Slovenia. Guest performer this year is Andrej Khadovich from Belarus, known for his lively performances.
Open submissions are invited for the Grand Slam and entry is open to all. Enter one poem, on any subject, in any style - lasting up to 3 minutes - on paper or on tape.
Please submit to Poetry Grand Slam, Galway Arts Centre,
47 Dominick Street by Friday 27 March.
Sat 25 April 3pm Róisín Dubh
Admission €5

Carol Ann Duffy, Don Paterson and Sean O’Brien
Sat 25 April 8.30pm Town Hall Theatre
Admission €15

SPECIAL EVENTS: THEATRE & DANCE
Mephisto Theatre
The World’s Wife
Adapted from the poetry of Carol Ann Duffy
With Caroline Lynch, Zita Monahan and Emma O’Grady
Sat 25 April 10.30 pm Town Hall Studio
Admission €8

SPECIAL EVENTS: SHOWCASE
Over The Edge
Co-organisers Kevin Higgins and Susan Millar DuMars (host) introduce five featured authors this year are Noel Harrington, Orla Higgins, Noelle Lynskey, Jenny McCudden and Val Nolan.

If you, or a writers’ group you belong to, would be interested in taking part in the Over The Edge Cúirt Showcase in the future, please contact: Over The Edge, c/o Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, Galway or see www.overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com for submission details.
Thurs 23 April 11am Town Hall Theatre
Admission Free

Poetry workshop
Renowned US poet Jane Hirshfield (see page 18 for more details) will lead participants in a discussion of their submissions. Please send two sample poems together with your contact details to:
Please email submissions to siobhan@galwayartscentre.ie by Friday 27 March.

Prose Workshop: Wed 22 April 10.30am - 12.30pm
Poetry Workshop: Fri 24 April 10.30am - 12.30pm
Galway Arts Centre, Dominick Street
Admission €15

Day by day

Mon 20 April
8pm Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
8pm Dance: The Word is Moving

Tues 21 April
11am Reading: Derek Landy
4.30pm Music: John Spillane
5.30pm Festival Opening
8pm Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
8pm Play Reading: Brian Friel at 80 - Faith Healer
8.30pm Prose: Joseph O’Neill and Timothy O’Grady

Wed 22 April
10.30am Workshop: Prose
11am Reading: Tim Bowler
11am Writers in the Community: Launch
1pm Prose: Sana Krasikov and Gerard Donovan
3pm Poetry: Thomas Lynch and Leanne O’Sullivan
5pm Launch: Anthology of Poetry from Canada
6.30pm Poetry: Ingrid de Kok and Maura Dooley
8pm Poetry: Lemn Sissay and Gearóid Mac Lochlainn
8pm Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
8.30pm Prose: Colm Tóibín and D.R. MacDonald

Thurs 23 April
11am Music/Storytelling/Live Art: An Rón Dall (as Gaeilge)
11am Showcase: Over The Edge
1pm Prose: Petina Gappah and Helen Simpson
3pm Poetry: Pete Mullineaux and Colette Bryce
4pm Film: John McGahern: A Private World
5pm Launch: Ropes 2009, Issue 17
5.30pm Music/Storytelling/Live Art: The Blind Seal (in English)
6pm Poetry: Peter Wessel and his Polyfonías Poetry Project
6.30pm Prose: Nadeem Aslam and Ma Jian
8pm Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
8pm Play Reading: Brian Friel at 80 - Molly Sweeney
8.30pm Poetry: Jane Hirshfield and Philip Schultz

Fri 24 April
10.30am Workshop: Poetry
11am Multimedia Event: An Táin
11am Poetry Slam: All-Ireland School Slam
1pm Prose: Blake Morrison and Janice Galloway
3pm Poetry: Micheál Ó Conghaile and Juan Carlos Mestre
5pm Film: Michael Hartnett – A Necklace of Wrens
6.30pm Prose: Gene Kerrigan and Bateman
7pm Theatre: Stories of a Yellow Town
7.30pm Launch: The Atlantis Collective
8pm Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
8.30pm Discussion: Joseph O’Connor in conversation with Philip King
9pm Theatre: Stories of a Yellow Town
9.30pm Music: Buck 65
10.30pm Theatre: Stand-up Theatre

Sat 25 April page
11am Poetry: Patrick Deeley and Leontia Flynn
12 noon Reading: Joe O’Brien and Brianóg Brady Dawson
1pm Prose: Louis de Bernières and Tim Parks
2pm Film: Frank O’Connor – The Lonely Voice
3pm Discussion: Aidan Higgins in conversation with Neil Donnelly
3pm Poetry: Poetry Grand Slam
3pm Exhibition & Publication Launch: Mervue Portraits
3.30pm Film: Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill – Taibhsí i mBéal Na Gaoithe
4pm Theatre: The Science of Flann O’Brien
5pm Discussion: Anne Kennedy Memorial Lecture
5pm Film: Keeping Time
5pm Launch: Keith Hopper
6.30pm Prose: Claire Keegan and Gerard Woodward
7pm Theatre: Stories of a Yellow Town
8pm Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
8pm Play Reading: Brian Friel at 80 - Dancing at Lughnasa
8.30pm Poetry: Carol Ann Duffy, Don Paterson and Sean O’Brien
9pm Theatre: Stories of a Yellow Town
10.30pm Theatre: The World’s Wife

Sun 26 April
12 noon Poetry & Food: The Bardic Brunch
5pm Theatre: Stories of a Yellow Town
7pm Debate: Leviathan
8pm Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
8pm Theatre: Stories of a Yellow Town
9pm Music: Scullion


Writers in the Community
20 - 26 April Poems for Patience
The Cat’s Cradle

Visual Exhibitions
16 April - 23 May Lee Welch
20 - 26 April FABER 80
Jim Clancy
Poetry Manuscripts

Franco Irish Literary Festival

This year's Franco Irish Festival is 03-05 April 2009.

Friday 03 April
14:00 Opening of the festival by H.E. Mr Yvon Roé D'Albert, Ambassador of France to Ireland
14:15-16:15 Panel discussion "Passion" with Moderator: Jean-Michel Picard and Colette Fellous, Alain Fleischer, Joseph O'Connor, Beatriz Preciado
16:30-17:45 Café Littéraire with Moderator: Joe Woods and Presentation of their latest work by: Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Dennis O'Driscoll, Álvaro Uribe
18:00-19:30 Readings - Introduced by Sinéad Mac Aodha and with: Noëlle Châtelet, Olga Flor, Joseph O'Connor, Maike Wetzel

Saturday 4th April
10:30 - 12:00 Panel discussion First Love Moderator: Dominique Le Meur With: Olga Flor, Deirdre Madden, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Lucy Vincent
12.15 to 1.15pm An hour with… Moderator: Frédéric Ferney Interview with: Assia Djebar
3.15 to 4.30pm Panel discussion Forbidden Love Moderator: Johnnie Gratton With: Nicole Brossard, Noëlle Châtelet, Alain Fleischer, Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin
4.45 to 6.00pm Café Littéraire Moderator: Jean-Philippe Imbert Presentation of their latest work by: Hugo Hamilton, Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, Maike Wetzel
6.15 to 7.30pm Readings Introduced by Éamon Ó Ciosáin With: Colette Fellous, Claire Keegan, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Álvaro Uribe

Sunday 5th April
12.00 to 2.00pm Literary brunch The End of Love Moderator: Lara Marlowe
With: Nicole Brossard, Assia Djebar, Frédéric Ferney, Claire Keegan, Dennis O'Driscoll

All free.
Simultaneous translation in English and French.
I went last year and the simultaneous translation was awesome!

Handy Hints on how not to handle an agent

Read 'em and weep. Sure fire ways to get ignored/rejected/laughed at by an agent.

- I know that I have attached a file, but please have a read even though it’s against your policy.
- I’M TYPING MY QUERY IN ALL CAPS SO YOU WILL BE SURE TO NOTICE IT.
- Including a creepy photo of you clearly taken about 20 years ago? You have just taken your first step on the road to QueryFail.
- Dear Agent, here are 25 books I’ve written, do you want any of them?
- It is not necessary to include a glossy 8×10 headshot. No, really.

(Which contradicts another piece of advice I read)

- My credentials for writing this book include: A divine mandate to speak the word of God.
- The best credentials I can share are the comments from my family and friends after they read my book.
- This is not representative of my best work.
- This is my first attempt at writing a fictional novel.
- Tragically initiated into a secret panther-worshipping society…
- It’s about unicorns. They’re the protagonists.
- My name is Maya and I’m an elf.
- I’ve been rejected by three other publishers who said my work was interesting.
- I’ve queried more than 50 agents and have gotten nowhere and now I’m querying you.

Grumptown Kildare

Had a grumpy day at work in a stuffy office. Came home with a headache and turned into this!