Kildare Arts Grants and Bursaries

Anyone in Kildare?

This year the Kildare County Council Arts Service have 10 grants / bursary awards.

• Youth Arts Residency Bursary Award
• Artist in Schools Residency Bursary Award
• Recording Bursary @ Leixlip Library
• Emerging Visual Artist Solo Exhibition Bursary Award
• Arts Act Grants Scheme
• Laban Guild Dance Leaders Course Bursary
• Film Bursary Award
• Cecil Day Lewis Literary Bursary Award
• Tyrone Guthrie Residency Bursary Award
• Drama League of Ireland Summer School Bursary Award

All application forms can be downloaded from the Arts Service website
Read the condition carefully.
Snailmail only.

Deadline: FRIDAY 19TH MARCH AT 5PM SHARP.

Creating Characters

Some advice from Anthea Fraser, a thriller writer. Her latest book is called Thicker Than Water.

I have a Faces and Places file, in which I keep photos of men and women torn out of newspapers or magazines – never anyone well known, just people with interesting faces – and when I’m thinking about a new book, I flick through it to see if any of them fit the characters I need. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t, but I find it quite useful to have photos in front of me as I’m writing; I can look at them and think, ‘Now, how would they react in this situation?’

Mannerisms also help to establish a character. Someone could continually drum his fingers on the desk, or doodle. A girl could keep turning the ring on her finger, or twist her hair when upset. A good tip here is people-watching. Study (unobtrusively, of course!) your fellow passengers on buses and trains, the people you sit opposite in the tube. Watch their faces, their body language, and, if they’re with a companion, how they speak, move their hands, their facial expressions. Try to imagine where they live, what their jobs are, where they’re going and why. Then borrow some of those traits to bring life to your own creations.

Remember, too, that your characters don’t spring suddenly into life, like Venus from her shell. They’ve been around for a number of years before we meet them, and what happened to them in the past has made them what they are. Though you might never mention it, you must be aware of at least some of that past. It’s the iceberg theory – writers need to know more about their characters than is ever revealed.

Sligo Arts Grants

Anyone in or from Sligo?

Arts Grants and Bursaries Applications

Deadline: MONDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2010, 4PM

Arts grants and bursaries for individual artists, community and voluntary arts groups involved in the promotion of the arts in County Sligo. These provide funding opportunities for communities and professional artists towards a diverse range of artistic activities covering all artforms including literature, visual arts, music, traditional music and dance, theatre and drama, photography, film and electronic media, festivals and individual arts practice.

A total of €20,000 will be available for Arts Grants to support community-based arts festivals, events and activities and to support amateur and voluntary arts groups improve their expertise and skills by working with professionals.

A fund of €7,000 will be available for Artist Bursaries to support professional artists in their careers and the development of their arts practice.  In allocating grants, Sligo County Council will consider to what extent the grant request accords with the County Council’s policies and priorities on the promotion of the arts.

Further Information and Application Forms are available from Sligo Arts Service 071 911 1826.

Succour Submissions

Succour have an unusual but interesting sounding theme this time around.

For Succour 11, our Spring/Summer 2010 issue

All submissions should be written on Saturday February 6th, 2010.


What you write should not be an attempt to execute an idea – for a story, for a poem, etc – that has previously occurred to you. Rather, we would prefer you to write whatever happens to come into your head at that particular time.

The idea for this issue was inspired by 20 Lines a Day by Harry Mathews, in which the author sets out to follow a rule Stendhal once set himself, to write ‘Twenty lines a day, genius or not’. Mathews undertakes this project in an attempt to overcome ‘the anxiety of the blank page’; it becomes part of his writing practice, his way of starting off, getting in the zone, before going on to whatever his main writing project may be. We would like submissions to February 6th, 2010 to be written in the same spirit.

We will be accepting submissions to February 6th, 2010 from Saturday February 6th 2010 until Monday February 8th 2010 – thereby allowing a couple of days for typing up etc.

Maximum word count: 400

Send all work to: submissions@succour.org

The Lonely Voice: Short Story Introductions

Get down to the Irish Writers Centre this Wednesday night for an innovative project, a set of emerging short stories writers will read their stories.

The Lonely Voice: Short Story Introductions is a new monthly short story event at the Irish Writers' Centre, showcasing emerging talent.

The inaugural event and wine reception will take place on Wednesday 27th January from 7pm at the Irish Writers' Centre. Our featured readers are Aideen Henry, Niamh Bagnell, Mary O' Shea and Annemarie Neary.

It is free and open to all, so come along for what promises to be a fantastic night of fiction!

The next deadline for submission is the 5th February and the competition is ongoing. Please send the short story you would like to read (max 3,000 words and limited to one entry per person per month) and a short bio to: thelonelyvoice@gmail.com.

Complete Lounge Lizard Tour Dates

I am proud to announce my Lizard tour. I'll be popping up in many places in Ireland.

If anyone runs poetry readings and wants to talk to me about putting your town on the map (tongue in cheek here), contact me. Email is top of the sidebar. I'd love to add somewhere in the North, Donegal, Kilkenny, Waterford, Ennis, West Cork, Kildare and Sligo, amongst others.

And please, please come along. I'll be ever-so grateful. There's nothing worse than reading to a room of people who consist of the organisers, the barstaff and other readers.

Monday 25th January 9pm
Glór at the International Bar, Suffolk St, Dublin
This is a Haiti Fundraiser
The wonderful weekly mix of Spoken word and music, not to be missed. If you can't make my date, do check it out another Monday night. Recommended. Run by Stephen James Smith

Thursday 4th February 8pm
On The Nail, The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick.
Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre. Also featuring Fergus Costelloe, a performance poet from Tipperary. Followed by an open mic and music. Free. I don't think I know anyone in Limerick, do I?

Monday 15th February 9pm
Glór at the International Bar, Suffolk St, Dublin
with the Poetry Divas

Thursday 25th February 7pm
Litjam, Centre for Creative Practices, 15 Pembroke St, Dublin
Poetry Divas are featured readers at the inaugural Litjam night. €5 includes tea and coffee. Spoken word and music. Open Mic.

Monday 8th March 8.30 for 9.00pm
Ó Bhéal Upstairs at The Long Valley, Winthrop Street, Cork.
Original poetry, storytelling and unplugged ceol. Includes an open mic. Looking forward to this. All the out-laws should be there.

Thursday 11th March 6:30pm
Ignite, Science Gallery, Pearse Street, Dublin
16 five minute talks or performances with a mix of scientists, arts people and people from business, and the first reading I've sourced from Twitter! Admission: €10 (€5 concession with student ID)

Friday 12th March 8pm
Over the Edge, Sheridan's Wine Bar, Galway
The ever popular and innovative poets in Over the Edge. Followed by an open mic. Should be a great night.

Thursday 15th April 8pm
Boyne Reading, Knightsbridge Village Hall, Trim, Co Meath
A bit closer to home, an increasingly popular night for Meath based audiences. Free. Tea and Coffee and an open mic.

Friday 14th May 8:30pm
Cáca Milis Cabaret, Wexford Arts Centre
The Poetry Divas will read at this new, monthly mix of writers, poets, dancers, film makers, musicians, clowns, comedians, singer songwriters and animators. Admission: €8

Wednesday 28th July 9pm
Whitehouse Poets, The White House, 2/3 Glentworth Street Limerick
Weekly Poetry night with a great rep. All this and finger food too.

This sounds good - Poetry Trust

But you can't apply as I want to and I don't want any competition from you lot. OK?

The Poetry Trust has run an Advanced Seminar (with  funding from Jerwood 2006-2009), aimed at poets working towards a first or second collection. These intensive, five-day seminars all took place at Bruisyard Hall, near Saxmundham, Suffolk and were tutored by Michael Laskey and Peter Sansom and saw poets work in depth on their manuscripts, looking at other poets exemplary first collections in the process, and also create new work. The success of these seminars is evident by the calibre and ensuing success of many the poets who have taken part - e.g. Allison McVety, Katrina Naomi, Ed Reiss, Philip Rush and Kathryn Simmonds.

The Poetry Trust has run an Advanced Seminar (with  funding from Jerwood 2006-2009), aimed at poets working towards a first or second collection. These intensive, five-day seminars all took place at Bruisyard Hall, near Saxmundham, Suffolk and were tutored by Michael Laskey and Peter Sansom and saw poets work in depth on their manuscripts, looking at other poets exemplary first collections in the process, and also create new work. The success of these seminars is evident by the calibre and ensuing success of many the poets who have taken part - e.g. Allison McVety, Katrina Naomi, Ed Reiss, Philip Rush and Kathryn Simmonds.

More on applying here.

• Full contact details (including email)
• A selection of poems (no more than six, published or unpublished)
• Publication history
• A brief biography
• A short statement of suitability for the course, likely contribution to the group and anticipated benefits (no more than 100 words)

Deadline: Friday 12 February 2010