Sunday 21 September 2008

Castlecomer Writers Festival


Castlecomer first writers festival is imaginatively programmed.

When: September 26th to 28th

Where: Castlecomer, Kilkenny

Who's coming: John W. Sexton, Mark Roper, Neville Thompson, Anne Notario, Martina Reilly, Sheila Flanagan and more.

Workshops, Talks

Friday
8pm Launch of Festival by local celebrity followed by a firework display.

Saturday
10:30- 12:30 Workshops
Mark Roper: Poetry
John W Sexton: Writing for Children
Anita Notaro: Book Signing
Martina Reilly. Writing Believable Characters.

11:45 Book Signing: Sheila Flanagan
11:45- 1:00 Workshops
Local History: James Lawless
Fictional Crime: Declan Burke
Political Satire: Garbhan Downey
Creative Writing: Eileen Sheehan
Contemporary Novel Writing: Neville Thompson

2:30- 4:00 Wine and Cheese Reading with Sheila Flanagan
2:30- 4:00 Workshops
Eileen Sheehan: Writing Poetry
James Lawless: Writing a Memoir
Garbhan Downey: Journalism
Martina Reilly. Book Signing
Mark Roper: Poetry for Teenagers
Anita Notaro: Writing a Novel
Declan Burke: Crime Always Pays

“Write Off”. An X Factor style competition with great prizes
Judges John W Sexton, Maurice Shortall, V

and more of the same on Sunday.

P.S. Check out this week's specials in the Guardian/Observer on how to write. Not sure I agree with everything (1,000 words a day max? Why?) but there's words of wisdom in there that do bear repeating.

P.P.S. I hope everyone with a collection-worth of poems is brushing them off for the Patrick Kavanagh competition. I am. At this rate, by the time I win, I'll have paid enough in entry fees to get my money back. But I have to admit, my collection gets better every year. I look at last year's entry and shiver. Deadline 26th September but they often extend it.

4 comments:

Susan at Stony River said...

That festival sounds wonderful, but alas it's too far and I'll be home from the hospital instead. A writing competition like Pop Idol, with prizes? I'd LOVE to watch it at least, participate, well, maaaaybe...

Loved your PPS.

Unknown said...

First the annual Weily Race and now a Writers' Festival - 'Comer, as we call it locally, has definitely come a long way. Shame I can't make it but I DO wonder who the local celebrity might be:-)

Emerging Writer said...

Hope you'll be on the mend, Susan. Wonder if they'll webcam the X factor thingy. It could catch on.

What's a Weily race?

Unknown said...

A Wellie (sorry, need to increase the text size on my screen AND improve my spelling) Race is a race for which one wears wellies and other odd garments. It's held on New Year's Day, I think, to raise money for charity and run off seasonal excess.