The Short Story Form

Date: Thursday 4th April 2013
Location: Mill Theatre Dundrum
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: €5/€3

Katy Hayes, dlr Co Council Writer in Residence 2012/2013, hosts special guests in a close encounter with the short story form in the Mill Theatre.

Katy’s guests will be: Martina Devlin author and journalist, Hennessy Award winner, NNI Columnist of the Year 2011, co-author of Banisters, won the VS Pritchett Memorial Prize 2012 for her short story “Singing Dumb”; Declan Meade, editor and publisher, founder of The Stinging Fly magazine and The Stinging Fly Press, publisher of exciting Irish new short fiction; and Ellis Ni Dhuibhne novelist and short story writer who teaches on the MA in Creative Writing in UCD, former Orange Prize shortlisted for The Dancers Dancing, and former judge on the Francis MacManus Short Story Competition.

Katy, Martina, Declan and Éilís will kick the short story round the auditorium for an entertaining evening of reading, probing and analysis.

Bookings can be made with the Mill Theatre Box Office at 01-2969340 or on the website: www.milltheatre.ie

Galway Film Centre / RTÉ Short Film Awards

Galway Film Centre, in association with RTÉ, is delighted to announce two cash awards of €9,500 each under their 2013 Short Film Awards. The awards will be given to the two best scripts submitted to Galway Film Centre.

Deadline is 12 noon on Friday, April 12th. 

The best scripts will be short-listed for interview and two winners will be awarded the prize money to produce a short film, as well as the use of equipment and facilities from Galway Film Centre, and a commitment from RTÉ to screen the finished film. Application forms are available on request from info@galwayfilmcentre.ie .

The submitted script should be as close to a final draft as possible. The winning script-writer will work with the assistance of a professional script editor to finalise and polish the script before shooting. €9,000.00 will be awarded towards the production costs and €500 will be used to hire the services of a script editor to work with the writer.

The Short Script Award competition, established in 1998, looks to provide an opportunity for new talent to emerge and gain exposure. Galway Film Centre Manager, Declan Gibbons adds “We’re delighted that RTÉ are supporting the Short Film Award again this year as it is a vital fund for aspiring film-makers and provides many with their first opportunity to make a short film. We work very closely with Jane Gogan, the Commissioning Editor, Drama in RTÉ, in selecting and supporting the final films which provide an essential platform to showcase the talent of upcoming writers, directors and producers.”

Recent short films have enjoyed much success on the film festival circuit both nationally and internationally. One of last year’s winner’s Scratch, directed by Philip Kelly was premiered last weekend at the Jameson Dublin International Festival. The 2010 winner, ‘Switch’ directed by Thomas Hefferon, was screened at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (USA) and was one of only a handful of shorts to be screened at last year’s Jameson Dublin International Film Festival. The 2009 winner, ‘Passing’ by David Freyne won the 2010 Kerry Film Festival Best Short Film / Best Director Awards and the Audience Award for Best Irish Short at the Cork Film Festival. This short was also screened at the 2010 Palm Springs International ShortFest and the 2010 Galway Film Fleadh.

Full details at www.galwayfilmcentre.ie

Nessa O’Mahony for The Forge at Gort Literary Festival

Poetry Ireland in association with the Western Writers’ Centre presents a reading by Nessa O’Mahony for The Forge at Gort Literary Festival

When: Saturday 30 March at 4pm. 

Nessa O’Mahony was one of the first writers in Ireland to complete a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing in 2007. She has published two collections of poems, Bar Talk (iTaLicS Press, 1999) and Trapping a Ghost (Bluechrome, 2005). Her verse novel In Sight of Home was published by Salmon in 2009.  She was winner of the National Woman’s Poetry Competition in 1997 and short-listed for the Hennessy and Kavanagh Awards in 1998. She was a recipient of an Arts Council of Ireland literature bursary in 2005 and an artists’ bursary from South Dublin County Council in 2007.  She teaches creative writing with the Open University and is a regular facilitator of creative writing workshops in Ireland and the UK.

Where: O’Sullivan’s Royal Hotel, Gort, Co Galway.

Admission: €4/€2
 

Poets to Check Out - Naomi Shihab Nye

The Palestinian poet, Naomi Shihab Nye with a found poem.
When did you stop being a poet?

Writing.ie Anam Cara Poetry Competition

From writing.ie competition page

Anam Cara Writer’s and Artist’s Retreat and writing.ie are once again joining forces to sponsor a writing competition, this time for poets.  The winning poet will receive a place in the one-week residential retreat “Lining Our Thoughts: A Poetry Writing Workshop,” led by Leanne O’Sullivan, scheduled at Anam Cara for 20-27 July 2013.

In honour of Bloomsday, this competition is for previously unpublished journey poems, no longer than 30 lines.

To submit, send your entry as an attachment (without identifying information in the document) with an email message containing your name, postal address, e-mail address, and telephone number. Send to Sue Booth-Forbes: anamcararetreat@gmail.com.  Include in your email message the answer to the following question:  What is the name of the river that runs at the bottom of the hill on which Anam Cara rests? (www.anamcararetreat.com)

The deadline is midnight in Ireland, 1 May 2013.

The winner will be announced on Bloomsday, 16 June 2013.  An all-poet panel of judges will select the short list, from which Leanne will select the winning poem.

Poolbeg Write a Best Seller & The Virginia Prize for Fiction 2013

From writing.ie competition page

At a wild guess, I think they wouldn't say no to an Irish Fifty Shades, no?

Poolbeg Press are again running their Write a Best Seller competition in conjunction with TV3′s The Morning Show, and this year they are open to non-fiction as well as any genre of adult fiction.

‘The Morning Show with Sybil & Martin’ have teamed up once again with Poolbeg Press, Ireland’s leading publishing house, to offer aspiring writers the chance of a lifetime – to see your novel published and on bookshelves around the country.

Entrants must submit a previously unpublished work that is original to the author. This can be adult fiction or non-fiction.

Submissions must be between 100,000 – 120,000 words in length and must be accompanied by a 1 page synopsis of the novel and a completed application form.

Click here to download the Application form.

Only completed, printed manuscripts will be accepted. Please also submit a copy of the manuscript on CD in Word format.
Manuscripts must be unbound and typewritten.
Printed on one side of the page only, double line spaced and all pages must be numbered.
Do NOT send the original manuscript of your work as manuscripts will NOT be returned or acknowledged
Applicants can enter only once.

Deadline: Friday the 26^th of April 2013

The winner will be selected by Poolbeg Press and The Morning Show with Sybil & Martin.
The prize is a one-book publishing contract with Poolbeg Press
Winner will be announced on The Morning Show with Sybil & Martin in June 2013 and published by Poolbeg Press in Autumn 2013.
Click here for terms and conditions.

Publication - how it works

There are frequently presentations on how publishing works. They do tend to say the same thing over and over again but as there are always writers who are new to the scene, it must bear repeating.

This is what they will say:

• Publishing is a really hard business
• Check the publishers submission guidelines and follow them to the letter
• Don't expect any response quickly
• Don't call asking why you haven't heard anything
• Don't say your mother/husband/kids love it in your cover letter
• Don't expect to earn much
• Children's books: Don't send illustrations or stories in rhyme
• Develop a thick skin: Just because on publisher rejects your writing, doesn't mean another won't love it
• Send your writing out to develop a CV of publishing and/or competitions accomplishments
• Don't expect feedback from publishers

 I'm not sure what they will say on self-publishing but I doubt it will be encouraging.

If you haven't been to one before, I recommend you go before you start sending out. It may help to ease heartache.

Meath County Council Arts Office is delighted to host this informative and instructive Writer’s Clinic, From Inspiration to Publication, in partnership with the Irish Writers Centre as part of its Professional Development Programme FEACH.

This practical and helpful clinic is an opportunity for both aspiring and professional writers to meet with industry experts and to gain a greater understanding of how the industry works. Writers of all backgrounds are invited to attend.

The clinic will be facilitated by Patricia Deevy of Penguin Ireland, Faith O’Grady, literary agent, and acclaimed writer Dermot Bolger (right).

This event will run from 6pm – 9pm on Tuesday 26 March in Ashbourne Cultural Centre, Killegland Street, Ashbourne, Co. Meath.

During this clinic writers will:

• Gain a greater understanding of the creative writing industry in Ireland
• Become informed of how the industry works
• Get advice on the next steps for their own projects
• Develop a greater understanding of their own practice
• Develop invaluable contacts and network opportunities

Places are free but booking is essential at Meath County Council Arts Office on 046 9097414 or artsoffice@meathcoco.ie