Friday 28 April 2017

Reading At The Edge

I'm delighted to return to Cavan on Tuesday, next week for At The Edge, run by Kate Ennals. Do come and join it, it's a terrific line up and there's an open mic after too.

AT The Edge, Cavan
Cavan Literary Night
Tuesday 2 May 6.30pm Johnston Library

AT The Edge, Cavan returns to the Johnston Library on Tuesday 2 May with a reading from a poet and two fab writers.

Kate Dempsey
Colm Keegan
Helena Mulkerns
Helena Mulkerns writes short stories and her latest collection is Ferenji and Other Stories. She received a bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland to complete her fiction debut, A Child Called Peace, a themed collection of short fiction.
Colm Keegan was shortlisted four times for the Hennessy XO New Irish Writing Award and was all Ireland Poetry Slam Champion 2010. His poetry collection, Don’t Go There, was released in 2012 to critical acclaim.
Kate Dempsey’s poetry is published in many journals in Ireland and the UK. Prizes include The Plough Prize, Hennessy New Irish Writing Award shortlisting. Her debut collection, The Space Between, was published by Doire Press in 2016.

Following the Readings, will be an ‘Open Mic’ session at which everybody is welcome. Please register with Kate on the night.



AT the Edge Cavan is supported by the Cavan County Council Arts Office.

Thursday 27 April 2017

Fiction at the Friary

Fiction at the Friary is a new monthly fiction event in The Friary, North Mall, Cork. This event, run by Danielle McLaughlin and Madeleine D'Arcy, will feature readings by guest authors throughout 2017, along with open mic, optional writing exercises, occasional book reviews and plenty of conversation.

So far they've had Danny Denton, Eimear Ryan and William Wall.

Sunday 30th April  3-6 pm the reader is Susan Lanigan, whose excellent novel, White Feathers, set in WW1, was shortlisted for Romantic Novel of the Year 2015.

Tuesday 25 April 2017

Wine tourism spain short story / Flash competition

Interesting flash fiction competition that's free to enter.

How would aliens react to wine? Would wine play a role in the way that aliens perceive Earth?

Submission guidelines:

  • All stories must be original and should not have been previously published elsewhere.
  • Submissions must be a minimum of 200 words. Maximum word limit is set to 500 words. 
  • Winners will be announced on May 20th
  • Topic: Extraterrestrial life arrives to Earth. They arrive somewhere in Spain. Wine plays an important role in the way their perception of Earth is shaped.
  • Important rule: The stories must first be published on a blog as a precondition to participate. As part of the publication, a link to Winetourismspain.com or any of its sections must be included 
  • Individuals may participate with a maximum of 2 stories.

Prizes: 3 prizes. A first prize of an Amazon voucher valued at $700 and two second prizes of an Amazon voucher valued at $350.

Deadline: April 30th (20:00 CET)

Submission instructions:

An email with the following details needs to be sent to contest@turismodevino.com
Details needed:

  • URL of the blog where the story is published
  • Name of the story
  • Name and surname of the person that is participating

2017 Oliver Goldsmith Literary Festival Poetry Competition

Enter the Goldsmith's festival poetry competition by downloading the PDF below with the competition rules and application form. Winners will be invited to read their work and receive their prize at the Poetry in Pallas event on Sunday the 4th of June 2017. This is in Pallas, Co Longford.

There is also a reading by a guest poet. This year’s guest poet and adjudicator is Michelle O Sullivan, winner of a number of awards she has a new collection, The Flower and The Frozen Sea published by the renowned Gallery Press.

There aren't many guidelines or other details e.g. length or what the prize is or who is judging.

  • All poems must be the original work and must not have been previously published. 
  • Each poem must be accompanied by a fee of €5. 3 Poem entry €10. 


Link here 

Closing Date is 28th April 2017

Monday 24 April 2017

Creative Ardagh - the King at the Back of the Hill

Following on from the success of the Midir and Etain anthology two years ago, Creative Ardagh are delighted to be able to put a call out again for submissions. This year in association with Longford Arts Office and Cruthú Arts Festival they are turning our attention to the King at the Back of the Hill:

‘We hope that we will once again receive art, writing (creative or factual, poetry or prose), photography and creative responses of all kinds to the story of King Maine. Submissions last time came from all over the world and from people aged 3 to 100 year old. We would love to have that diversity again.  We will also be announcing details of our new programme for schools based on the archaeology of the site in the next few weeks.The anthology will be launched on Bilberry Sunday 30th July in Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre. Submissions should reach us by 5th May.

Terms and Conditions:

We are accepting poetry and writing (fact or fiction) up to a maximum of 1500 words and artworks of any media. The only restriction is that it is your own original work.

You can enter from wherever you are in the world, by post or by email.

Artworks sent by post should not exceed A4 in size.

Please send all submissions to:

Creative Ardagh,
Ardagh Heritage and Creativity Centre,
Ardagh,
Co. Longford.

Email applications to: creativeardagh@gmail.com

Closing Date for applications: 5th May 2017

Saturday 22 April 2017

Waterford Poetry Prize 2017

One of the newer poetry prizes that's free to enter.
No mention of the judge or whether it's anonymously judged.

The Arts Office, Waterford City & County Council is pleased to announce details of the Waterford Poetry Prize 2017. The Waterford Poetry Prize is open to all writers currently living on the island of Ireland.

The prize will be presented at the Imagine Arts Festival incorporating the Waterford Writers Weekend which runs from October 19th - 29th 2017 in venues throughout Waterford city and county. This prize has emerged from the influence of the late Waterford writer Seán Dunne whose poetry still continues to inspire.  

There is no age limit and no entry fee for the Waterford Poetry Prize 2017.

The first prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2018. 
2nd prize €300.  
3rd prize €200. 

Deadline: 12 noon on 26th June 2017.

The entry form and guidelines can be downloaded from www.waterfordcouncil.ie and www.waterfordarts.com

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Cúirt Festival of International Literature

If you're going to Galway for the Cuirt festival, check out the New Writers showcase.

This year’s Cúirt Over The Edge New Writing Showcase features three participants from the Over the Edge literary series in Galway – Rena Garrett, Eileen P Keane, & Una Mannion – and Paul Bregazzi, the winner of the Cúirt New Writing Poetry Prize 2016. The MC for the event will be regular Over The Edge host Susan Millar DuMars. It takes place on Wednesday, April 26th, 3pm, at The Town Hall Theatre

Entry is free of charge. All welcome.

Rena Garrett is a graduate MA in Writing student in NUIG. She has also participated in poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre. Her poetry has been published in The Moth Magazine, and Spontaneity.org and was shortlisted for the Galway Rape Crisis Centre Short Story Competition 2016. Rena was a Featured Reader at the August 2016 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Eileen P Keane is from North Connemara, Co. Galway. She last year completed an MA in Writing at NUI Galway.  Eileen has written and performed for theatre and stage and her CD Spaces was released in 2014. She writes Poetry, Memoir and non-fiction. She is also a Singer/Songwriter and has performed at the: Electric Picnic, Lunasa Festival Sligo, and at the Clifden Arts Festival. Her songs have featured on RTE Radio and Television. Her poems appear in the latest edition of the Galway Review and her Flash Fiction was shortlisted for Allingham Festival 2015. Eileen was a Featured Reader at the March 2016 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Una Mannion teaches Performing Arts in IT Sligo. In March 2016, her poetry was published in the New Irish Writing page in The Irish Times and her fiction was shortlisted for the Cúirt New Writing Prize. She won the Yeats' Society's Seamus Heaney Prize and came second place in Dromineer Flash Fiction 2015. She has been shortlisted in the Listowel, Bridport, Fish Memoir and other competitions. She recently completed an MA in Writing at NUI Galway. She lives in Sligo with her husband and three children.  Una was a Featured Reader at the May 2016 Over The Edge: Open Reading. Una won the Emerging Poetry Award at this year’s Hennessy Literary Awards and is also the winner of the Fiction section in this year’s Cúirt New Writing Prize.


Paul Bregazzi is a Special Needs Teacher in West Dublin. His poetry has appeared widely and been anthologised on both sides of the Atlantic in Crannóg, The Stony Thursday Book, Skylight 47, Southword, The Stinging Fly, Magma (U.K),  Fields Magazine (Univ of Texas at Austin), The French Literary Review (Fr),  Thema (U.S.), The Ofi Press (Mexico). He has been shortlisted for the Bridport prize, the RSPB/Rialto Nature Poetry Competition and The Haiku Foundation U.S. Touchstone Awards. He won 2nd place in Magma (U.K.) Editors’ Short Poetry Prize and the Oliver Goldsmith International Poetry Competition. He is co-founder of the Dublin poetry group Listeners and was selected for Poetry Ireland’s Introduction Series 2015. Paul is the winner of the poetry section in this year’s Cúirt New Writing Prize

Saturday 15 April 2017

Bread and Roses Poetry Competition

This Award is a bit different from the usual - might spark some interesting poetry. And it appears to be free. And it's anonymised, which is always a good thing.

Culture Matters is pleased to announce a new poetry award, sponsored by Unite the Union.
Bread and Roses Poetry Award, and is now open for submissions.
The purpose of the new award is to encourage poets to focus on themes which are meaningful to working class people and communities, and to enable those communities to engage more with poetry. 

Prizes: 1st £500; 2nd: £250; 3rd: £100.

The judges will be Andy Croft from Smokestack Books, and Mary Sayer from Unite.

Entry is free, and open to everyone regardless of trade union membership.
  • Entries should consist of three poems, each no more than 50 lines long.
  • Poems must be the original work of the entrant, in English, and not have been previously published in print or online. 
  • Entries should broadly deal with any aspect of working class life, communities and culture and show commitment to the common people, the common good and the common music of poetry.
Poems should be sent via email to info@culturematters.org.uk
or by post to Culture Matters, c/o 8 Moore Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE15 8QE.
The deadline for receipt of submissions is midnight on 31st May 2017.
Entries will be anonymised before judging, and the winners will be invited to an awards ceremony at a Unite conference in Durham in July.
When emailing or posting submissions please provide your name, email or postal address, and phone number.
All entries remain the copyright of the author but Culture Matters and Unite will have the right to publish and/or broadcast them online and in other media.

Thursday 13 April 2017

Residency in Florence

It may be worthwhile becoming a professional member of the Irish Writers Centre if you'd like to apply for a residency in Florence.

The Irish Writers Centre is continuing to develop its links with Italy and we are delighted to announce a one-week residency with St Mark's in Florence this autumn from 29 September – 6 October 2017. 
While the successful applicant must cover their own transport and living expenses, they will have the chance to reside in the beautiful hospitality apartment adjoining St Mark's English Church in the heart of Florence. During their stay they will be expected take part in a public reading, as well as meeting with the local writing community. 
To apply, send the following to Valerie Bistany, director@writerscentre.ie with St Mark's Florence Residency in the subject line:
  1. A cover letter including your personal details concisely outlining the project you would like to focus on during the residency
  2. An updated Curriculum Vitae (max. two A4 pages) including publications with ISBNs.
  3. Clearly labelled samples of recent work (up to three short samples of up to 300 words or between 4- 6 poems).
  4. Any relevant information on your proposed project such as written excerpts, photos, research information, etc.
Collate all documents into one attachment, either Word or PDF.  
At present, this residency is open only to professional members of the Irish Writers Centre. To become a professional member, please see the Professional Member section of their website
Deadline for applications is Friday 28 Apriat 5pm.  If places are still available after this date, we will advertise the call publicly.
The successful applicants will be notified by Friday 1 June 2017.
 St Mark's Florence

Tuesday 11 April 2017

Books Upstairs - poetry competition

Books Upstairs, that lovely Dublin bookshop have announced their first poetry competition. The theme is something close to their hearth/heart, the Dublin Luas works which has created havoc on the streets for many many months now.

WORK IN PROGRESS was the name Joyce gave toFinnegan’s Wake when - for a very long time - he was beavering away on that great Dublin book. It was a complicated business, his friends didn't know what to make of it. Opinion was divided. Some thought the project was a complete muddle which would never make sense, but others were sure it would all work out well in the end.
The great Work in Progress in Dublin today is the Luas works. Will it all be grand in the end or will it ever end? Citizens have undoubtedly found themselves mulling on this in recent months, especially when making their way through the city’s maze of cages.
To celebrate National Poetry Day we’re putting the call out for your poems on the Luas construction works.

See your name in lights! Enter our first ever Books Upstairs Poetry competition! First prize is a Books Upstairs gift token to the value of €100.

The competition closes at midnight on 24th April 2017. The winner and runners up will be announced on the morning of Poetry Day, and their poems displayed in Books Upstairs on that day and for the following week. The competition will be judged by the Books Upstairs team who will stay up as late as necessary to arrive at the right decision!

How to enter
  • Entry is free and by email only.
  • Poems should be in English or Irish and no longer than 40 lines.
  • Attach your poem in a Word document, using font Times New Roman, point size 12, single spaced.
  • Make sure this document contains no identifying details. It should not include your name or email, to ensure that the entries are judged anonymously.
  • Include your name, address and contact information in the body of your email, along with the poem title(s) and with the Word document attached, and send it with subject line 'Poetry Comp' to shop@booksupstairs.ie
  • And oh! For the sake of sanity, the judges’ decision is final.

Sunday 9 April 2017

Abridged 0 - 1979 Submission Call/News

 
Human beings are multifarious and moody – never purely one thing, never completely sure of things, always fluctuating, no matter what’s being said at one time or another. In the pulse of the absolute present, the world of what we know and experience, ‘everything that is the case’, remains mutable under the simultaneous pressures of all thought and activity. The clay stuff of what-is remains wet, in a perma-flux of reformation.


Such recognition is the fire that fixes the clay of tiny moments, complex instants of colliding moods and actions, into recorded time, the having-happened. And so in this way moments become monuments on the landscape of what-we-have-come-to-know-and-be: the landscape of our history. Isolated, named, these monuments are flocked to by pilgrims from the present seeking answers to the question of now.

There is always a reason, but never simply so. No action sits alone in the world but is surrounded by causes and reactions. Everything is reactive. Every instant is a universe. To pin-point feels like power. Pushing them away from the complexities of ourselves, we can turn definitive moments into the monsters of our time. It is much easier to point and say ‘that is the monster and that is when it arrived’ than try to explain, to unpick the make-up of the primordial soup of feelings and happenings in which a monstrosity was engendered. It is easier for there to be a monster than for there to be monstrosity: one can be boxed up, stuck with pins, framed, blamed and separated; the other must be swum through and breathed in. There are always reasons, but never one in isolation, never one that is complete. Every definitive moment is deeply involved, a knot of the present’s pressures, in which more might be complicit than will ever be comprehended. These moments erupt out of the surface of world as we know it, cracking it open and leaving us swarming in the gaps, around the fragments, trying with every change to conjure a glue for piecing some sort of whole world together again.

Abridged in 0-1979 explores those moments, big and small when our world shattered and changed and our attempts to make sense of it all. When there’s nothing here for me and you…

Abridged is looking for poetry for its 0 – 1979 issue. Up to four poems can be submitted. 

Submissions should be sent to abridged@ymail.com

Deadline: 5th May 2017.


Abridged is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Surviving Anne by Gustavo Dessal

ICLO-NLS invites you to the Irish Book Launch of Surviving Anne by Gustavo Dessal

“A brilliantly constructed psychological thriller and unique peek into the world of madness, guided by the psychoanalytical teachings of Jacques Lacan” - Maria Cristina Aguirre, Lacanian Compass

The author will be in conversation with Poet Katie  Donovan - Recipient of the 2017 O’Shaughnessy Award for Poetry

DATE:  Friday 7 April 2017
TIME:   6.30pm to 8pm
VENUE: Gutter Bookshop, Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 

Free event - booking is essential