I’m teaching a class at this cross-border festival.

The Anatomy of a Page. During the session you’ll dissect a page of text and look at the ways the author draws the reader and ensures you want to read more. You’ll look at each line under a microscope to see how each reveals character or furthers the story, You’ll leave with more understanding of the fundaments of writing and more tools in your writers toolkit.

Paul McVeigh’s debut novel, The Good Son, won The Polari First Book Prize, and was shortlisted for many others including The Prix du Roman Cezam. His play, Big Man, premiered at The Lyric Theatre and won an Irish Times Theatre Award in 2023. His short stories have been in anthologies, journals and newspapers, and read on BBC Radio 3, 4 and 5, RTE Radio, as well as, Sky ARTS. His debut collection of short stories, I Hear You, all commissioned by BBC Radio 4, was published in March 2025 and won The McCrea Literary Award. Paul has edited four anthologies and his writing has been translated into eight languages.

Paul was acting Head of Literature for Arts Council of Northern Ireland and has judged many literature prizes including the Royal Society of Literature’s VS Pritchard Award, the International Dylan Thomas Prize and Kerry Group.

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