Judging: Stockholm Writers Festival First Pages Prize. Deadline: Feb 3
Check out the details here.
Blog
My Christmas Story in The Irish Times
A very short story from me for Christmas in The Irish Times today – ‘Malibu Barbie Christmas’. I hope you enjoy it.
“Síofra wiggles, which is not a good sign as she’s started to wet the bed since the night she told them all to call her Baby Síofra again. Fintain sticks his hand under her bum. Dry as a bone.
“Good girl,” he says, like he’s proper Daddy.
“I’m holding it in for Santa,” says she.”
Head over for a 5 minute read.
My Interview with Booker Prize Winner Anna Burns
Anna Burns: The Booker winner on why she is unable to write
She went from poverty to bestseller status with ‘Milkman’. Now, chronic pain prevents her from writing.
My interview with The Man Booker Prize-winner Anna Burns is up on Irish Times Books today.
In it, she reveals to me her struggle with constant pain and her fears about ever being able to write again.
Proofs of ‘Being Various’
Well, it’s getting close. You can get your hands on this in May 2019.
Lucy Caldwell has edited an anthology of Irish short stories, Being Various, and I was commisioned to take part.
Just look at the line-up!
Mine is the second story and I’ve been sent it to proof. Now, I’ve got a couple of little changes – a word here and there – time can bring to the surface some stumbling sentences or words that stand out and tenses that shifted. But I’ve also had second thoughts about the title. Not sure if I can change but I’ll find out soon enough.
I’m excited because I think it’s one of the best stories I’ve written. I would need to feel that being alongside – Darren Anderson, Kevin Barry, Jan Carson, Jill Crawford, Wendy Erskin, Nicole Flattery, Yan Ge, Sinead Gleeson, David Hayden, Arja Kajermo, Eimear McBride, Lisa McInerney, Belinda McKeon, Adrian McKinty, Danielle McLaughlin, Peter Murphy, Stuart Neville, Louise O’Neill, Sheila Purdy, Elske Rahill, Sally Rooney and Kit de Waal.
I’ll let you know more news as I find out.
My Xmas Books in Irish Times
I wrote about the books I’ll be giving and hoping to get this Xmas over in The Irish Times if you fancy having a look.
What are yours?
“I devoured it in a day, but I’ve thought about it for many, many more. ”
Bailey’s Prize-winner Lisa McInerney
“A triumph of storytelling. An absolute gem.”
Donal Ryan
Spotlight in Reading Ireland
Literary journal Reading Ireland is a shining a spotlight on me in its next issue and is available to subscribers December 2018. Looking forward to seeing it, to find out about all these wonderful writing neighbours but mostly to see what they’ve written about ME! I love a spotlight from back in my theatre days 😉
To subscribe to Reading Ireland visit www.readingireland.net.
Speaking at Stockholm Writers Festival 2019
Stockholm Writers Festival 2019
Find your path to published
Join us May 3–5, 2019, for the Stockholm Writers Festival (#SWF19), an English-language gathering of writers, authors, and industry professionals. Our aim: Give writers the opportunity to hone their craft, learn the business, and join a community of established and emerging authors. Regardless of where you are in your process—just starting out or finishing your twentieth manuscript— #SWF19 helps you find your path to published.
I’ll be speaking and teaching at Stockholm Writers Festival next year. You can check out the schedule here.
Attending Jaipur Book Mark
I’ll be heading over to India to speak at Jaipur Book Mark before attending ZEE Jaipur Literature Festival in January. Looking forward to working with Namita Ghokhale again.
Thanks to Arts Council Northern Ireland for their support with this trip.
Interviewing Anne Enright
Anne Enright in Conversation
I’m excited to interview Man Booker Prize Winner Anne Enright for the second time, this time on home turf. The first time was in Waterstones Piccadilly for Word Factory earlier this year. We also sat on some panels together whilst at a literature festival in Morges, Switzerland.
Next February 9th, I’ll be interviewing her at the Seamus Heaney Homeplace, here’s the blurb…
‘Booker Prize-winning novelist Anne Enright is one of the most celebrated writers working in Ireland today. Her work is part of a great tradition of Irish writing that explores themes of family life, relationships, love, repression and memory.
Enright won the 2007 Booker Prize for her novel The Gathering, a story about the pull of family and the lure of home. Her first novel was The Wig My Father Wore and subsequent works have included What Are You Like?, The Forgotten Waltz and her most recent The Green Road. Her awards also include the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Encore Award and the Irish Novel of the Year.
From 2015 to 2018 she was the inaugural Laureate for Irish Fiction and we are delighted to welcome her to The Helicon where she will talk about her work and career with Paul McVeigh.’
Come along, it should be a wonderful night.
Podcast: A New Short Story
The Art of Border Living Podcasts
The short story podcasts inspired by the border in Ireland and the WW1 centenary are now available to listen to online. They feature new writing by me, Garrett Carr, Claire Louise Bennett, Nuala O’ Connor and Women’s Fiction Prize-winner Kamila Shamsie.
The stories were commissioned by Verbal Arts and 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary.
You can listen to the stories here.
