Competition for a Free Place on Leanne O'Sullivan's week long poetry retreat in Anam Cara

Competition for a Free Place in Leanne's workshop retreat in Anam Cara

Since our workshop will take place on the magical, mythical Beara Peninsula, it is very fitting that our poetry -- which is, after all, a concentrated imaginative and intellectual response to our experiences and contexts -- will seek to possess something of the essence of this very special part of the world.


The poem (max. 40 lines) should be based on or inspired by a mythological narrative. Your narrative may be updated into a modern context if you wish, though the bones of mythology should reside.


Please submit your entry (as an attached word.doc without personal information on the poem) to Sue at anamcararetreat@gmail.com


Deadline for submission: 30th April 2016 (Midnight GMT)


Here's more on the workshop, Lining Our Thoughts - A Poetry Writing Workshop Retreat

Arrival: Saturday, 30th July 2016
Departure: Saturday 6th August 2016


"This workshop is for those who would like to begin to write poetry or those who would like to develop poems they have already started.  The main aim of my workshops is to encourage writers through discussion, exercise based and free writing, while also allowing them to take risks in a supportive environment. Each session will focus on a different topic, such as imagery, perspective, storytelling, rhythm and form. Everything a writer needs is inside of themselves, and it's my goal to help them refine the effectiveness of how they communicate their subject matter.
"Morning sessions will include a reading of poems by established writers (which will be supplied) with discussion of what makes these poems effective, writing exercises and also excursions to some sites in Beara that have given inspiration to my own writing.  In the afternoons, I will be available for one-to-one sessions and this will also be free time during which participants can enjoy the creative peace of the retreat and do some writing."

Pocket Poem competition for Butlers Cafe/ Ireland Poetry Day

Poetry Ireland and Butlers Chocolate Cafés are inviting poets to submit poems for our Poetry Day Ireland 2016 competition. The theme of the competition is open, but poems should mention either chocolate or coffee or give a flavour (!) of the coffeehouse and café.

Poems should be no longer than sixteen lines.

The winning poet will:

• Have their poem printed on a Pocket Poem card, which will be distributed in all 18 Butlers Chocolate Café branches on Poetry Day Ireland, 28 April 2016.
• Win a guaranteed place in an activist poetry masterclass with Rafeef Ziadah in Dublin on 19 May 2016.
• Win a ticket to every poetry event in either the International Literature Festival Dublin (21-29 May 2016), or Cúirt International Festival of Literature (17-24 April), or to West Cork Literary Festival (17-23 July 2016).
• Be invited to read their work as part of a public reading on Poetry Day Ireland (28 April 2016).
• Receive a 2-year subscription to Poetry Ireland Review.
• Win a pass for 4 people to the Butlers Chocolate Experience.

The runner up poet will:

• Have their poem printed on a Pocket Poem card, which will be distributed in all 18 Butlers Chocolate Café branches on Poetry Day Ireland, 28 April 2016.
• Be invited to read their work as part of a public reading on Poetry Day Ireland, 28 April 2016.
• Receive a box of Butlers Chocolates.

Entry procedure and dates

The competition is free to enter, and poets are welcome to submit up to four suitable poems.

The closing date for entries is 5pm on Thursday 14 April 2016.

At this stage it's probably better to submit through the online application form 

Fool For Poetry International Chapbook Competition

The Fool For Poetry International Chapbook Competition run by the hard working Munster Literature Centre is now open for submissions. I've had a read of the books from the last two years and I was very impressed with the standard.

Deadline 31 May

The first and second prize winners will receive a cash prize (1st prize: €1000, 2nd prize: €500*), chapbook publication, 50 free copies of their chapbooks.

The winning poets will be offered a reading and given three nights' accommodation at the 2017 Cork Spring Poetry Festival.

The competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country BUT at least one of the winners will be a debutante (with no chapbook or book published previously).

Up to 25 - 50 other entrants will be publicly listed as "highly commended".

Manuscripts must be sixteen to twenty-four pages in length, in the English language and the sole work of the entrant with no pastiches, translations or 'versions'. The poems can be in verse or prose.

Each chapbook is guaranteed a review in Southword Journal.

Link here

Francis MacManus Short Story Competition 2016

The competition was founded in memory of Francis Mac Manus, the Kilkenny born novelist, biographer and former Head of Talks and Features at Radio Éireann. Since its establishment in 1986, the competition has been a launching pad for several new and emerging writers who have subsequently received national and international acclaim. They include Molly McCloskey, Anthony Glavin, Claire Keegan and Nuala Ní Chonchúir. 

The winner of the overall prize will receive €3,000 and prizes of €2,000 and €1,000 will be awarded to the second and third prize winners.

Each of the 25 short-listed stories is recorded being read by a professional reader. The judges listen to these recordings and read the stories to consider their broadcasting and short story qualities before they select the winning entries. The entire shortlist is broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 following the announcement of the competition winners. 

Remember the story should be written for the ear rather than the page. Read it out loud.

Deadline: Friday 27th May 2016.

Stories must be between 1,800 and 2,000 words in length

The judges for this year are Evelyn Conlon, Declan Meade and Mary Morrissy.

To receive an entry form please send a stamped addressed envelope to: 

RTÉ Radio 1 Short Story Competition, RTÉ Radio Centre, Donnybrook, Dublin 4  

or download an entry form here.

Bridport Poetry, Flash, First Novel and Short Story Competition

This is one of the most prestigious writing contests in the British literary calendar.

Do you have a really good poem or short story? Or a few? I mean, really REALLY good?

• poem - no more than 42 lines
• short story - no more than 5,000 words.   
• flash fiction category - stories of up to 250 words 
• First Novel - 5,000 to 8,000 words

This year’s judges are Patience Agababi (poems) Tim Stevenson (flash fiction) and Tessa Hadley (short stories) and Kerry Young (First novel).

    Closing: 31st May (postmarked)

Prizes: 

In each of the main categories (Short Stories, Poems) - £5,000, £1,000, £500.  There are also ten runners-up prizes of £100.  These are called ‘supplementary prizes’ to make you feel less like an also-ran.  The top four poems will be submitted to the Forward Prize. 

Prizes in the Flash Fiction category are £1,000, £500, £250, plus three supplementary awards of £100.


The Peggy Chapman-Andrews first novel award, named after the Prize’s founder, has a first prize is £1,000 plus a up to a year’s mentoring from The Literary Consultancy through their Chapter & Verse scheme. A runner-up prize of £500 is also offered. Three shortlisted writers will receive £100. Note: Novelists have to be resident in Great Britain (which sounds like it excludes Northern Ireland!??)

The top 13 short stories will be entered for the National Short Story Prize worth £15,000, and the Sunday Times Short Story Award worth £30,000.  

The top 4 poems are submitted to the Forward Prize for best single poem. 

There's also a prize for the highest placed piece from a writer in Dorset of £100. 

All winners will be invited to an awards ceremony on October 15th at the Bridport Open Book Festival.
 
The judges have some pointers here on the blog well worth reading.

Note: Entries must never have been published, self-published, published on any website, blog or online forum, broadcast nor winning or placed (as in 2^nd, 3^rd,, runner up etc) in any other competition.

    Entry Fees:Poems - £7.  Short Stories - £8.  Flash Fiction - £6, Novel - £20
 
    Comp Page: Click Here.

Poetry reading by Noel King, Catherine Ann Cullen and Louis Mulcahy

Some terrific Kerry poets are making the trip to Dublin to read some poetry. 

The Swan Bar, Aungier St (corner of York St), Dublin 2

(opposite Whitefriar St Church)

3pm Saturday April 9^th, 2016

Entry free. Fine poetry and great pints on sale.

Further info: cacullen@tcd.ie

Noel King was born and lives in Tralee, Co Kerry. His poetry collections Prophesying the Past (2010), The Stern Wave (2013) and Sons (2015) are published by Salmon. He edited more than fifty books for Doghouse and was poetry editor of Revival Literary Journal in 2012/13. His short story collection, The Key Signature & Other Stories, will be published by Liberties Press in 2017. noelking.ie

Catherine Ann Cullen was born in Drogheda but spent summers in Tralee where her mother’s family were neighbours of Noel King’s family. Her two collections of poetry A Bone in My Throat (2007) and Strange Familiar (2013) were published by Doghouse. She has published two children’s books with Little, Brown in the US. Her third collection, The Other Now, is due from Dedalus in October 2016.

Louis Mulcahy is a potter who writes poetry. His first full collection, Dhá Chlog ag Bualadh (2012) and first collection in English, The Clogher Quartet, Book One (2014) were published by An Sagart Publishing. The Clogher Quartet, Book Two was launched in 2015. He was founder and director of An Fhéile Bheag Filíochta 2007-14. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from the NUI. louismulcahy.com

Launch of Peacekeeper, the debut poetry collection of Michael Whelan

This should be an interesting collection. Michael Whelan is a soldier poet and his first collection is inspired by his work with the UN peacekeeping forces.

Wednesday 13th April 6.30pm in the lovely county library in Tallaght, published by my own publisher, Doire Press.

All welcome.