Hiatus

I will be at the Picnic, picnicing with the Poetry Divas so no posts for a few days.
Enjoy yourselves without me!

Troubadour International Poetry Prize

Prizes: 1st £1000, 2nd £500, 3rd £250
& 20 prizes of £20 each

Deadline: Friday 15th oct 2010

Judges: Gwyneth Lewis, Maurice Riordan

Both judges will read all poems submitted.

Rules: Poems must be in English, must each be no longer than 45 lines, must fit on one page of A4, must be the original work of the entrant and must not have been previously broadcast or published (in print or online);

Fees: All entries must be accompanied by fee of EITHER £5/€6/$8 per poem, if fewer than 4 poems, OR £4/€5/$7 per poem if 4 or more poems submitted; payment by cheque or money order (Sterling/Euro/US-Dollars only) payable to “Coffee-House Poetry” with poet’s name (and/or e-mail Entry Acknowledgement Reference, if appropriate) written on back.

By Post: No entry form required; each poem must be typed on one side of A4 white paper showing title & poem only; do not show author’s name or any other identifying marks on submitted poems; include a separate page showing Name, Address, Phone, E-Mail (opt), Titles and Number of Poems EITHER @ £5/€6/$8 each OR @ £4/€5/$7 each; no staples; no Special Delivery, Recorded Delivery or Registered Post; Troubadour Poetry Prize, Coffee-House Poetry, PO Box 16210, LONDON, W4 1ZP

By E-mail: No entry form required; poems must be submitted in body of e-mail (no attachments) to CoffPoetry@aol.com; entries should be preceded by Name, Address, Phone, Titles and Number of Poems EITHER @ £5/€6/$8 each OR @ £4/€5/$7 each; acknowledgement will be sent to entrant’s e-mail address showing Entry Acknowledgment Reference; send payment by post within 14 days quoting Entry Acknowledgement Reference; e-mail entries will be included only when payment received by post; no Special Delivery, Recorded Delivery or Registered Post.

Prizewinners will be notified individually by Monday 22nd November 2010.

Prizegiving will be on Monday 29th November 2010 at Coffee-House Poetry at the Troubadour in Earls Court, London.

Clifden Arts Festival

Clifden Arts Festival 2010 (16th - 26th September).

The festival programme features an interesting mix of events, set against the background of this beautiful Connemara landscape as the autumn colours are in full bloom. Some highlights

• Poet Carol Ann Duffy; 25th September
• Julie Feeney;
• Celebrating 40 years of the Gallery Press with poets Vona Groarke, Peter Fallon, Michael Coady, Eamon Grennan;

Workshops with Yvonne Cullen

Back in the mists of time, I did a workshop with Yvonne. She's running loads this autumn in Dublin and Inishbofin.

BEGINNERS CLASSES AT WRITING TRAIN:
MONDAY EVENING BEGINNERS: 8 x 2.5 hour sessions from 11 Oct.
For a true kickstart, do a 10‐week course in 8 weeks!
Fabulous venue in the middle of the city centre at CITY ARTS CENTRE 
All the short forms will be looked at: fiction, flash fiction, poetry, short memoir, dramatic monologue and dialogues, first steps towards short screenplays.
€230 with discount to €220 if booked by 7 Sept.

INTERMEDIATE WRITING CLASS and WORKSHOP
Tuesday EVENING INTERMEDIATE WRITING TRAIN.
Class/workshop blend for those looking for
substantial tuition and kick‐starts alongside workshop opportunities. 12 weeks 2.5 hours per
session VENUE: SWENY’s Chemist’s. Start Date 4th October. Will include two sessions in New
Year. €285 with discount to €270 if booked by 7 Sept.

ADVANCED WORKSHOPS WEEKLY OPTION
EVENING
Thursday EVENING ADVANCED WRITING TRAIN
15 meetings, weekly.
A mixed workshop of short and long fiction writers, with some non‐fiction and poetry too. Focus on prose, however.
START DATE: 16 Sept. Runs to Christmas and resumes for 2 final sessions in New Year.
VENUE: CITY ARTS CENTRE.
6 place available.  Fantastic continuing group with 5 spaces for newcomers.
Fee: €345, discount to €330 for bookings before Tues 24th Aug.

INTERMEDIATE – ADVANCING WRITING WORKSHOPS: DAY OPTION
Weds 22 Sept 10.30 a.m – 1 p.m WRITING TRAIN
14 weeks,
€320, discount to €305 for booking by 7 Sept.
Wonderful on‐going Writing Train group of novelists and short story writers plus writers trying different forms and a couple of poets for good measure!
6 SPACES for the right new voices from “developing and experimenting” to “advancing” level! This is a continuing workshop.

FORTNIGHTLY ADVANCED WORKSHOP OPTION ( WEDNESDAYS)
Wednesday night Fortnightly Writing Train Start Date WEDS 15 Sept 16 Workshop Meetings till end April 2011 with 4 weeks off at Christmas to write. Each meeting 2.75 hours.
Only fortnightly Advanced workshop in Dublin.
The long ‘loop’ of these classes makes them extra suitable for fiction writers though we have room for nonfiction writers and poets too! Benefit: more time between sessions to write, if this suits your schedule! €400 with discount to €385 if booked by 30 Aug.
6 Places remaining.
VENUE: SWENY’s CHEMIST Class time: 6.30 – 9.15 This is a continuing workshop.

FORTNIGHTLY FRIDAY EVENING CLASS OPTION
Brand new Fortnightly Friday class and workshop blend for beginners and writers with a little experience, in all forms.
Starts 15 OCT
CITY CENTRE VENUE
€240 for 8 Friday evenings over 18 weeks from 15 Oct, via 5 Nov, 19 Nov, 3 Dec, to 7 Jan, 21 Jan 4 Feb, 18 Feb.
Support and online writing community for 4 months, and a chance to do something creative with your Fridays without losing touch with your social life!

DEVELOPING POET, WORKSHOP and CLASS
12 weeks, 2.5 hours per week, starting 8th October
UNITED ARTS CLUB, FITZWILIAM STREET.
6 places available.
€285 fee, discount to €275 if booked by 7 Sept.

UPCOMING “WRITING JAUNT” RETREATS
Inishbofin Poetry Jaunt 25 and 26 Sept, €220 tuition.
Inis Mor prose and poetry Writing Jaunt 30 Oct – 1 Nov, €240 tuition.

For more info on retreats and to book all above classes, email yvonnesworkshops@gmail.com or
phone 086 1701418

More Links

Bookshelf porn (we can but dream)

The lovely Dermot Bolger on writing a novel

Crap at my parents' house.com

Slushpile Hell or what not to say to an agent.

Poetry T-Shirts from silkwormsink. These could take off (!)

And this discussion on how magazines view taking poetry that has been previously published online or specifically on the blogosphere from Very Much Like a Whale, Anne Carson, a Canadian poet. And here's a more up-to-date US biases list from Lynne Hudson.

I do occasionally put poems up, particularly for the Poetry Bus, but take them down again after a while for this very reason. Plus there are some nefarious people out there ...

...
That's the kind of thing that's being done all the time by poets,
from Homer to Tennyson;
They're always comparing ladies to lilies and veal to venison,
And they always say things like that the snow is a white blanket
after a winter storm.
Oh it is, is it, all right then, you sleep under a six-inch blanket of
snow and I'll sleep under a half-inch blanket of unpoetical
blanket material and we'll see which one keeps warm,
And after that maybe you'll begin to comprehend dimly
What I mean by too much metaphor and simile.


From Very Like a Whale by
Ogden Nash

Poets to Check Out - Billy Collins

How does this little chap do this? I find it hard to remember my own poems.

Spoken Word recommendations at Electric Picnic

There is a fabulous line up yet again at Electric Picnic this year. How do they do it?

Obviously you WILL come and see the Poetry Divas Collective on Friday 3rd September at 7pm on the The Word Stage at Mindfield. Getting your picnic off to a diva-licious start.


Other highlights at The Word


THE WORD: POETRY AND SLAM
The Word stage returns with the best of Irish, British and international poets and slam artists The Cuirt Literary Festival Slam Showcase, Poetry Ireland Presents, The Glor Sessions, The Gonzo Cabaret Club , The Big Smoke Writers Workshop, Poetry Smackdown, The Poetry Chicks, Stinging Fly Publications,  Dave Lordan, Stephen J Smith, Colm Keegan plus more to be announced

Literary Stage

Paul Muldoon with Philip King as well as Roddy Doyle, Dermot Bolger, Leanne O’Sullivan, Mary O’Malley, Gerard Smyth, Pat Boran, Rita Ann Higgins, Carlo Gebler, Chris Binchy and Claire Kilroy.  Declan Burke hosts a discussion on crime novels with Arlene Hunt, Declan Lynch and Gene Kerrigan.

Personally I want to see Novelist Julian Gough take part in an incendiary debate about Irish literature with fellow writers and critics.

Timings not yet announced.


Science Gallery Tent - Saturday 4th September
IGNITE
15:00-17:00
If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together IGNITE events to show their answers on science, technology, art and society. Fast-paced, fun, thought-provoking, social, local, global-Ignite is all of these and more. Talk titles include: 'Incest and Bestiality' by geneticist Aoife McLysaght, 'Mr Whippy Soundsystem' with Dermot McCabe and lots more!

** My son is doing a talk here. Should be fascinating

THEATRE STAGE
Expect drama, Obama, comedy, improv, DIY theatre, puppets, and theatre live where we will attempt to make a play in under an hour.
Acts so far include: Split Gin present Andy Warhol’s Nothing Special; Choke Comedy Improv; Obama Mia!; Wildebeest Theatre presents The Real World; Moonfish theatre present The Secret Garden; NUIG Players present The Last Days of Judas Iscariot; MOUTH PIECE Productions present Not I by Samuel Beckett. There’s also a dramatisation of Trevor White’s book about founding The Dubliner magazine at the height of the boom.

OK so