2008 IMPAC shortlist

The 2008 Impact shortlist is announced. This is a very rich prize voted for by libraries.

The shortlist was selected from a total of 137 novels nominated this year. The Award is worth €100,000 and is the world’s most valuable literary prize for a single work of fiction published in English. The eight shortlisted novels are among 137 nominated by 162 public library systems in 122 cities worldwide.

The Speed of Light – Javier Cercas (Spanish) in translation. Bloomsbury
The Sweet and Simple Kind – Yasmine Gooneraratne (Sri Lankan) Perrera Hussein Publishing House
De Niro’s Game – Rawi Hage (Lebanese / Canadian) House of Anansi Press
Dreams of Speaking – Gail Jones (Australian) Harvill Secker / Vintage
Let It Be Morning – Sayed Kashua (Israeli) in translation. Black Cat / Grove Atlantic
The Attack – Yasmina Khadra (Algerian) in translation. Vintage / Nan A. Talese
The Woman Who Waited – Andrei Makine (Russian) in translation. Sceptre
Winterwood – Patrick McCabe (Irish) Bloomsbury

Read any? Me neither.

The themes of the 2008 shortlisted titles are international and include war, love, terrorism, politics, religion, family and murder, says Deirdre Ellis King, Dublin City Librarian. Nominated by public libraries in Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and the USA, they prove that such a high standard of literature can be read and appreciated by anyone. Literature is not just for academics; everybody in Dublin is entitled access to a Dublin City library card and to any of the libraries, free of charge.

A judging panel of five, chaired by non-voting former Chief Judge of a US Court of Appeals, Hon. Eugene R. Sullivan, will select one winner from the eight novels shortlisted. Other judges are: Helon Habila, Patricia Duncker, Aamer Hussein, Eibhlín Evans and José Luis de Juan.

The winner will be announced by The Lord Mayor, Cllr. Paddy Bourke, Patron of the Award, in City Hall on 12th June 2008.

Poetry Now Review

Well a great weekend again. Congratulations to all involved in the running and organising.

I'm sorry I missed the opening address by Ruth Padel. It sounded worth listening too.

The Prize for the best collection was won by Harry Clifton Irish Times/ Poetry Now award for "Secular Eden," a collection only published in the US so hard to get hold of. Books Upstairs who had a stand in the foyer sold out in no time!

The workshops were good and well attended. Could have done perhaps with a little more time. My guys said my poem was "A Tour de force with joyous movement" which is pretty cool. We had a discussion on semi-colons versus dashes and how/whether to pronounce the h in where or Thailand.

Seamus Heaney said Hello to me too in the crowd, which was a thrill. (I know, I know)

And I got my first freebie as a result of this blog (keep 'em coming) a free ticket to the final reading on Sunday. Thanks Belinda. This reading was astonishing. I missed the introduction from Mr Stinging Fly, Declan Meade, which was supposed to be educational. First was Brian Turner, a US poet who was in Iraq so his poems are understandably, suffused with thoughts about the war. Then Sinead Morrisey who read some quite difficult poems which may have been easier to follow if we'd had the text. That's an idea. What about surtitles for poems? There are, in my opinion reading on the page poems and listening poems and you should know which is which. Plus she uses words I know I should know but I don't. Not good in a reading. She read the poem 'Through the Square Window,' which won this year's National Poetry Competition,a great achievement. Then Kei Miller, a Jamaican poet living in England. I could listen to him all day.

Another Blog about Blogs

Keeper of the Snails is Clare Dudman writing about the process of writing (and reading).

Arts Management blogs about, well, the clue's in the name.

John Self on Asylum has good book reviews.

Carrie Etter another poet in the Oxfam Poems for a Better Future leaflet.

Clive James has a website with some good poetry and commentary.

Cousin Ryumi blogs about writing about Japan in Ireland.

David Maybury blogs about Dublin and Writing, mostly about writing.

Exultations and Difficulties has some great poetry reviews. Warning - this site can keep you busy for hours.

Flirty Something is always worth a trip. Life as it is lived.

Guardian Poem of the week chosen by Carol Rumens. Her commentaries are insightful.

L Plate Author blogs about struggles with her novels.

Leigh Forbes blogs wittily about The Art of Subtle Procrastination (aka research)

Lily Sheehan blogs about her writing too.

Minimalist Poet writes about his minimalist lifestyle.

Patrick Chapman, the poet blogs here.

Patrick Daniel Toland posts occasional poetry

PJ Nolan is another online Irish writers/blogger.

Poem of the week does exactly what it says on the tin, with a US bias.

Sarah Dunnakey is looking for the Write Words.

So you want to be a writer is written by a creative writing academic.

Sunrise Sunset is a blog from Donegal (mostly) about novel and play writing.

Vanessa Gebbie, the editor of Cadenza blogs about the writing scene.

The Western Writers Centre has entries not just about the centre, but arts in general.

Women Rule Writer is a short story and poetry fan and creator.

Orange Long List

This is the prize for women writing in English. The list is a mix of established names and debut writers. How many have I read? None (though Ann Enright is under my bed (the book, not the author)) How many have I heard of? Five. Looks like a bit of reading to be done.

Anita Amirrezvani The Blood of Flowers
Stella Duffy The Room of Lost Things
Jennifer Egan The Keep
Anne Enright The Gathering
Linda Grant The Clothes on Their Backs
Tessa Hadley The Master Bedroom
Nancy Huston Fault Lines
Gail Jones Sorry
Sadie Jones The Outcast
Lauren Liebenberg The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam
Charlotte Mendelson When We Were Bad
Deborah Moggach In The Dark
Anita Nair Mistress
Heather O'Neill Lullabies for Little Criminals
Elif Shafak The Bastard of Istanbul
Dalia Sofer The Septembers of Shiraz
Scarlett Thomas The End of Mr Y
Carol Topolski Monster Love
Rose Tremain The Road Home
Patricia Wood Lottery

Festivals this weekend

There are a lot of festivals this weekend. The venerable Poetry Now Festival in DunLaoghaire (Never remember how to spell that...) with Ruth Padel, Famous Seamus, Jamie McKendrick, Daljit Nagra, George Szirtes, Henri Cole, Mimi Khalvati, Sinead Morrissey and many more.

The Sean Dunne Festival in Waterford inlluding Colin Bateman, Peter Fallon, Gabriel Rosenstock, Carlo Gébler, Christopher Fitz-Simon ans Robert Curley, to name but a few and the combined talents of the Waterford Youth Arts creative writing class. The festival will include launches by Richard Tillinghast, John Ennis, Alan Garvey and Grace Wells.

John Hewitt Literary Festival in Carnlough, Antrim with David Park, Frank Ormsby, Mary O'Donnell, Ian Sansom, Peter Wyton, Miriam Gamble, Iggy McGovern, Maureen Boyle, Kevin Higgins, Anne-Marie Fyfe, Richard Irvine, Paul Maddern, and C L Dallat.

so you've no excuse. Get your bottom down and support your poetry festival.

One City One Book - Dublin

One Book, One City.Bakersfield, California has Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Carlsbad, California has The No. 1 Ladies' Dectective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Marin, California has Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan (highly recommended)
South Bend, Indiana has An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen
Westport, Conneticut has The Wonderful World of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Gainesville, Florida has Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Highland Park, Illinois has Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
Kansas has Indiana Cold Blood by Truman Capote (terrific read)
Bangor, Maine has Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (Is this the Welsh connection?)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana has Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
North Attleborough, Massachusetts has To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
North Reading, Massachusetts has A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (Love his stuff, especially audiobooks)
Kalamazoo, Michigan has Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver (another great)
Las Vegas, Nevada has The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Rockingham County, North Carolina has The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Lynchburg, Virginia has Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum

and loads more. These books read like they are chosen (mainly) by people who love books and want to share the love. Long may it last.

Dublin has Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. A host of free events is planned. But aren't we supposed to read it too? Are there subsidised books? Free books? Bookcrossing? Also I think it would be a better idea to have one adult and one children's as it's hard to find a book to be all things to all readers.

Title: Gulliver Comes to Dublin
Venue: Jeanie Johnston, Custom House Quay, Dublin’s Docklands
Date & Time: Tuesday April 1st – 11.00 am
Description: Special opening event featuring Capt. Lemuel Gulliver himself!
Booking Details: Admission free, booking not necessary

Title: Sand sculptures inspired by Gulliver’s Travels
Venue: chq Building, IFSC, Dublin’s Docklands
Date & Time: Tuesday 1st – Tues 15th April
Description: Built by sculptors Duthain Dealbh, these sculptures will emerge from the ground in and around the chq building – a fascinating spectacle to watch!
Free

Title: Little and Large
Venue: Docklands, Wolfe Tone Park & South King St
Date & Time: Every Saturday & Sunday in April
Description: Watch out for ‘Little’ and ‘Large’ each weekend in April. These characters will be asking questions based on the four chapters of Gulliver’s Travels. Answer correctly and you will be entered into a draw for a family weekend break.
Free

Title: ‘No horse is a rational being’: Swift’s studies at Trinity College Dublin and the writing of Gulliver’s Travels
Venue: Farmleigh, Phoenix Park, Dublin
Date & Time: a talk by Professor Ian Campbell Ross, School of English, TCD.
Date & Time: Sunday 6th April 3pm
Free

Title: Gulliver - 21st Century Writers’ View
Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse Sreet, D2
Date & Time: Monday 7th April at 7.00 pm
Description: Man Booker Prize winning author Anne Enright and best selling author Joe O’Connor share their views on Gulliver’s Travels with Niall MacMonagle.
Booking details: Admission free but booking essential: Tel: 01 674 4873
Email: dublinpubliclibraries@dublincity.ie

Title: Gulliver Fun
Venue: Finglas Library, D 11
Description: with children's author Fiona Tierney and illustrator Úna Healy for children aged 3 – 5
Date & Time: Tuesday 8th April at 11.30am
Booking details: Admission free but booking essential: Tel: 01 8344906

Venue: Ballsbridge Library, D 4
Date & Time: Wednesday 16th April 11.30am
Booking details: Admission free but booking essential: Tel: 01 6689575

Venue: Walkinstown Library, D 12
Date & Time: Thurs 24th April 11.30am
Booking details: Admission free but booking essential: Tel: 01 4558159

Title: Jonathan Swift and Dublin
Description: a talk by Professor Ian Campbell Ross, School of English, TCD
Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse Sreet, D2
Date & Time: Thursday 10th April, 7.00 pm
Booking details: Admission free but booking essential: Tel: 01 674 4873
Email: dublinpubliclibraries@dublincity.ie

Title: Gulliver’s Travels Film Screenings
Venue: IFI Cinema, 6 Eustace St., Temple Bar, D2
Date & Time: Saturday April 12th – 12.30 pm
Description: Screening of classic children’s animated feature Gulliver's Travels by the makers of Popeye & Betty Boop. Bring all the family!

Title: Gulliver’s Travels Film Screenings
Date & Time: Sunday April 13th – 12.30 pm
Description: Words Upon The Window Pane – feature length film based on a play by W.B.Yeats, featuring Jonathan Swift & starring Geraldine Chaplin, Jim Sheridan, Brid Brennan and Donal Donnelly
Booking details: Tickets available free from IFI Box Office
Tel: 01 679 3477

Title: Gulliver’s Dublin
Venue: City Hall, Dame St.,D2 - for four nights only
Date & Time: Tuesday 15th – Friday 18th April at 8.00pm
Description: Eamon Morrissey’s acclaimed one-man show
Booking details: Tickets: €10. To book : Tel: 01 2225434

Title: Swift and Gulliver’s Travels
Venue: National Library, Kildare St., D2
Date & Time: Thursday 17th April 7pm
Description: A talk by Prof. Andrew Carpenter, School of English, UCD
Free

Title: Jonathan Swift- a documentary
Venue: Cabra Library, D 7
Date & Time: Thursday 17th April, 7.00 pm
Description: Screening of Jonathan Swift – a Kieran Hickey documentary
Free

Venue: Central Library, Ilac Centre, Henry St., D1
Date & Time: Monday 21st April – Saturday 26th April each day at 1.00 pm
Free

Title: Interactive fun for children: Michael Moylan brings Swift and Gulliver to life!
Date & Time: Tuesday 22nd: Cabra Library 10.00am Tel: 01 8691414
Raheny Library 12.00pm Tel: 01 8315521
Wednesday 23rd: Rathmines Library 10.00am Tel: 01 4973539
Ballyfermot Library 12.00pm Tel: 01 6269324/5
Booking details: Admission free but booking essential – contact each library

Title: Organ Recital
Venue: St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Date & Time: Wednesday 23rd April at 6.30pm
Description: An organ recital of works composed or in common usage around the time of Jonathan Swift, given by Peter Barley, Organist and Master of the Choristers
Free

The Dublin Writers’ Festival - 11th – 15th June, will feature a panel discussion on Swift and his place in Irish literature. Panellists will include biographer Victoria Glendinning and critic John Mullan.

EXHIBITIONS
Title: ‘SEVERAL REMOTE NATIONS’ - Illustrations from Gulliver’s Travels
Venue: City Hall, Dame Street, D2
Date & Time: From Thursday 3rd April -
Description: An exhibition of illustrations from the collections of Dublin City Libraries
Free

Title: Gulliver – 20 years on!
Venue: Dublin City Library and Archive, 138-144 Pearse Sreet, D2
Date & Time: From Tuesday 1st April,
Description: Photographs of Dublin’s 1988 Millennium celebrations, featuring the giant Gulliver
Free

Title: Exhibition of material on Swift from the holdings of the National Library
Venue: National Library, Kildare St, D2
Date & Time: Throughout April during library opening hours
Free

International Women's Day

OK, it's late notice but Poetry Ireland is doing a reading for International Women's Day in Dublin (now there's a surprise, anywhere else in the country doing anything?) Unitarian Church, St Stephen's Green

Wednesday 2 April @ 7.00pm

Poetry Ireland in association with Dublin City Arts Office presents a reading 'In The Spirit of International Women's Day'.

Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Medbh McGuckian, Julia Piera (poet and Director of the Cervantes Institute), Ileana Malancioiu (Romanian poet and philosopher), Leland Bardwell and Jennifer Johnston, with sean-nós singers (and sisters) Róisín, Naisrín and Zarah Elsafty.

TICKETED EVENT - PLEASE CALL TO BOOK YOUR PLACE

Unitarian Church, 112 St Stephen's Green West, D2

T: 01 4789974 E: info@poetryireland.ie