I found this profile I’d missed somehow by Sue Leonard in the Irish Examiner… and her view on The Good Son.
‘Tragic yet funny; sad yet redemptive; this sometimes hilarious novel encapsulates childhood in times of violence. Mickey will steal your heart.’
I’ll be reading on Wednesday 27 June at 3.30pm alongside Maria Teresa Horta and Angelo Lacuesta.
Some writer friends going to… Hisham Bustani, Robert Olen Butler, Rebekah Clarkson, Evelyn Conlon, Lucy Durneen, Nancy Freund, Sandra Jensen, Alison Lock, Alan McMonagle, Mary Morrissy, Billy O’Callaghan, Nuala O’Connor, Judith Nika Pfeifer, Anna Solding, Billie Travalini, Jose Varghese and William Wall.
“In an age when private lives appear to be ruled by the force of historical events, we are contradictorily challenged by creative achievements that, even if originating in History, develop a self-sustainable energy, a radiance, so to say, that supersedes material circumstances and/or envisages alternatives for them.
The 15th International Conference on the Short Story in English brings writers of many nationalities to Lisbon, a city where the cultures of the world meet and stories of history unravel around every corner. In this scenario, fiction writers in English, or authors who have been translated into English, together with scholars of the short story, will join in reading sessions, roundtable discussions and panels, as well as in the more traditional paper presentation sessions.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the Society for the Study of the Short Story, the Conference looks forward to the opportunity of highlighting the variety of ways in which the Short Story becomes a specific form, blurs the boundaries with other literary forms, goes beyond the written medium and borrows from other artistic processes/languages, shaping itself anew in an endless process. Indeed, proving to be an extremely resilient medium, the Short Story has been changing throughout the times and aesthetic tendencies, without losing the kernel that makes it a distinctive mode of the human expressive genius.”
You can check out my online short story course with Writers Victoria here.
Hope to see some of you there.
Huge thanks to Culture Ireland for supporting this trip.
At my ripe old age I’m not often surprised but I wasn’t expecting this Russian cover for The Good Son. Mickey Donnelly-Bieber in YA/Comic style.
What do you think of it?
The shortlist for this year’s prestigious Edge Hill Short Story Prize, worth £10,000, has been announced and I’ve to start my judge’s duties!
“Five collections have made the shortlist from the longlist of 15 for the only UK-based award that recognises excellence in a single author short story collection.
Bad Dreams by Tess Hadley (Jonathan Cape) is a collection of gripping and unsettling stories where the real things that happen to people turn out to be as mysterious as their dreams.
Madame Zero by Sarah Hall (Faber) is a collection rich in the mythic symbolism of wilderness and wasteland.
All the Beloved Ghosts by Alison MacLeod (Bloomsbury) is an acutely observed collection of stories which hover on the border of life and death.
Basket of Deplorables by Tom Rachman (Riverrun Books) is a series of witty, cutting, and addictive tales of Trump times.
Come Let Us Sing Anyway (Peepal Tree Press) by Leone Ross is a varied and witty collection whose frankness may sometimes tickle but always engages the intellect as well as the heart.
Prize organiser Billy Cowan, senior lecturer in Creative Writing, said: “Choosing the winner may prove more difficult for the judges, and I don’t envy them.”
This year’s judges are Professor Alisa Cox (Professor of Short Fiction, Edge Hill University), Paul McVeigh (Co-Founder of London Short Story Festival and Associate Director of The Word Factory), Daisy Johnson (Winner of the 2017 Edge Hill Short Story Prize) and Alice O’Keeffe (Critic for The Guardian, The Observer, The New Statesman, and Literary Programmer for the Brighton Festival).”
Time up on this post…
To celebrate National Flash Fiction Day I am posting my flash ‘My Aunt Maggie’ here -until tomorrow only!
This piece was first published thanks to author Nuala Ní Chonchúir/O’Connor who chose it for print while guest editor of one of my favourite literary magazines, Ireland’s The Stinging Fly. It’s only available now behind their paywall.
Look out for the beautiful Northern Irish magazine Freckle later this year which is printing an unpublished flash I found in a clear out – it was where I got the end for The Good Son.
My Aunt Maggie
My Aunt Maggie’s house smells. Her breath does too. Her biscuits are always soggy and they’re never chocolate. That’s cuz she’s poor. She’s poorer than Colm Mulvenna in my class at school who only ever has sugar sandwiches for lunch every day…..
*My Aunt Maggie is also published in National Flash Fiction Day Anthology A Box of Stars Beneath the Bed.
Online: Advanced Short Story Clinic
As I put together Southword Literary Journal and begin judging the shortlist for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, my first ever online course goes live, run by the wonderful Writers Centre Victoria in Melbourne. Having completed 5 sold out events for them over the last couple of years we’ve decided to collaborate and create this online feedback-based course. Have a look.
Dates: 01 August 2018 – 11:59 to 07 November 2018 – 11:59
With: Paul McVeigh
Receive direct feedback from your tutor and fellow course participants with this email correspondence course for advanced short story writers.
Develop your stories over four months. Whether you’re an experienced writer working towards the completion of a manuscript or looking to maintain momentum and sharpen your writing skills, this clinic provides specific feedback for the refinement of your own voice and style.
Participants must have had a short story published OR have already participated in a Writers Victoria Advanced Short Story Clinic to enrol in this course.
Stories of up to 1,500 words due Wednesdays 1 August, 5 September, 10 October and 7 November
Paul McVeigh’s short fiction has been published in journals and anthologies and been commissioned by BBC Radio 4. He has read his work for BBC Radio and at many international festivals. His award-winning debut novel ‘The Good Son’ was published by Salt Publishing in 2015. Paul is Director of the London Short Story Festival and Associate Director at Word Factory, the UK’s national organisation for excellence in the short story. He is also a judge for international short story competitions and prizes and his work has been translated into seven languages.
Event Fee(s)
| Registration fee | |
| Member | $ 290.00 |
| Concession Member | $ 270.00 |
| Non-Member | $ 320.00 |
| Donation | $ 1.00 |
‘Southeast Asia’s most celebrated literary and artistic event, Ubud Writers & Readers Festival brings together the world’s leading authors, artists, thinkers and performers for five days of big ideas and extraordinary stories. In our podcast series, listen in to stories as told from the UWRF stage.’
I attended the festival last year and had a wonderful time.
You can listen to my event one of my events at the festival – ‘Dazzling Debuts‘.
Me signing ‘The Good Son’ at Ubud
What’s happening? Words Ireland @ ILFDublin: A National Day for Writers is a one-day get together for professional and emerging writers working in all forms. It takes place at IMMA, Dublin on Friday 25 May.
What is it, exactly? We’re building the ideal environment for writers to gather together, reflect on your creative and professional practice, catch up with industry leaders and be inspired.
So what will happen on the day? There’ll be writer’s manifestos and lectures, and presentations from writers on their recent projects and collaborations. You’ll hear how your peers manage their time and workload, and develop opportunities for themselves at home and abroad. Opportunities to discuss and debate development and funding of literature in Ireland. Events that will help evolve your thinking on how words can be produced and performed on stage, and another that offers serious industry insight from publishers, agents, book sales analysts, etc.
What are the benefits? As well as informative, writer-centric events, we’re gathering 40 literature organisations and lots of industry personnel together to meet writers in the Great Hall at IMMA. Grab a free tea/coffee and sit down with the people and organisations who regularly offer writers work.
How does it work? There are nine events to choose from on the day. Each is short and sweet, 50 minutes long. You’ll get to choose the events that are right for you, then everyone sits in on the final keynote event. Then free beers!
What’s the line up? The line-up of speakers confirmed so far:
Anne Enright | Kit de Waal | John Boyne | Marina Carr | Alan Titley | Selina Tusitala Marsh | Dani Gill | Julia Bird | Stephen James Smith | Mia Gallagher | Gavin Corbett | Ashleigh Young | Paul McVeigh | Sarah Webb | Paul Perry | Oisín McGann | Sheena Wilkinson | Christodoulos Makris | Suzanne Walsh | Nathan O’Donnell | Susan McKay | Damian O’Donnell | Freya McClements | Julieann Campbell | Julia Churchill | André Streedt | Neil Belton | Sarah Bannan | Marcella Bannon | Jo Mangan | Michael O’Reilly | Ruth Hegarty | Sinéad Mac Aodha | Declan Meade
Is it pricey? Early bird tickets are €45 and general admission is €55. That includes free lunch of sandwiches and drinks reception. Group tickets for 3 cost €120 in total, so if you can encourage two more writer friends to join you, it’ll only cost €40 each. Click here to book.
I have a published book that I want to pitch to Film Directors! Great stuff; we have just the thing for you. We’ll be pairing ten ticket holders with ten film directors, so you can pitch your story to each one. More details coming soon.
Words Ireland is a collective of seven literature organisations working collaboratively to create an environment in which writers can develop sustainable writing lives: Children’s Books Ireland, Irish Writers Centre, Literature Ireland, Munster Literature Centre, Poetry Ireland, Publishing Ireland, The Stinging Fly.
The longlist for 2018 Edge Hill Short Story Prize has been revealed. This is the second of the three international prizes I’m judging this year; having judged The Dylan Thomas Prize (culminating two weeks ago) and, upcoming & currently open for entries, The Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Competition.
I’m so looking forward to reading the best short story collections out in the last year and discussing them wit the other judges.
Here is the longlist for the £10,000 prize…
Kelly Creighton – Bank Holiday Hurricane (Doire Press)
Agnieszka Dale – Fox Season (Jantar Publishing)
Lucy Durneen – Wild Gestures (MidnightSun Publishing)
Tessa Hadley – Bad Dreams (Jonathan Cape)
Sarah Hall – Madame Zero (Faber & Faber)
M John Harrison – You Should Come With Me Now (Comma Press)
David Hayden — Darker with the Lights On (Little Island Press)
James Kelman – That was a Shiver (Canongate)
Alison MacLeod – All the Beloved Ghosts (Bloomsbury)
Sean O’Reilly – Levitation (Stinging Fly Press)
Adam O’Riordan – The Burning Ground (Bloomsbury)
Tom Rachman – Basket Of Deplorables (Riverrun)
Leone Ross – Come Let us Sing Anyway (Peepal Tree Press)
Nicholas Royle – Ornithology (Confingo)
Eley Williams – Attrib (Influx Press)
You can head over the website where they are profiling all the longlisted authors in the Meet the Writers section.
Paul McVeigh 