Anyone down Enniskillen way Tuesday September 19th? Come along.
Me at Enniskillen Library Sept 19
live literature
Appearing at Ubud Festival in Bali
I’ve always wanted to go to Bali and I’m excited to be travelling there this October for the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival.
My first event is a workshop: A Competitive Edge on October 26th.
“How do you get the attention of agents and editors? How is a story selected from hundreds of competition entries? Paul McVeigh has been on both sides – a writer who now judges international competitions. In this workshop, find out what judges and editors look for and how to avoid the rejection pile.”
My main event, Dazzling Debuts, in on my birthday – October 27th.
“You get one chance to make a first impression, and these authors did so with a splash! They take us on the journey from unpublished hopeful to bestseller lists, film deals and award ceremonies, and dare to take a look ahead at meeting the expectations that come with a dazzling debut.”
I’ll also sit on a panel on class The Last Taboo? on October 28th.
“Why is class such a taboo topic in the 21st century? It remains deeply embedded in most societies, yet many of us deny its existence with rhetoric around equal opportunity or meritocracy. Three writers who dare to speak its name take stock of how class plays out in their writing lives, both on and off the page.”
This trip is with the help of…
Reading at Ireland’s Biggest Community Festival
I’ll be reading and talking with Marnie Kennedy at The Duncairn Centre for Culture & Arts in Belfast on August 11. It’s part of Féile an Phobail Ireland’s biggest community festival. I’ll be joined by writer Victoria McNulty and one other writer tbc.
The event is called Scribes at the Duncairn and you can check out the full festival programme here.
I hope to see some of you there.
Belfast Book Festival: Interviews, Workshops & Reading
I’m at the Belfast Book Festival this year, starting with the first event of the fest… I hope to see some of you there.
Wed 7 June 12.45: Interviewing Cairan McMenamin about his debut ‘Skintown’
Sat 10 June 10am-1pm: Workshop – Turning a Short Story into a Novel
Wed 14 June 12.45: Interviewing Ethel Rohan about her debut novel ‘The Weight of Him’
Fri 16 June 8pm: Reading at Polari Literary Salon at Sunflower Pub
Sat 17 June 2-5pm: Workshop – Everything a Debut Novelist Needs to Know
Vive La France! 3 dates in May
On Monday 15th May I fly to Paris and then to Nantes and Quimper over the next few days. I’ll be discussing The Good Son and meeting French readers. The trip is in celebration of Un bon garcon (the French translation) being shortlisted for the Prix du Roman Cezam. Here’s where I’ll be… I hope some of you can make it
Tuesday the 16th : NANTES : meeting in the library “La Manufacture” at 18.30
Wednesday the 17th : QUIMPER : meeting in the library “des Ursulines” at 18.30
Thursday the 18th : PARIS : meeting with the employees of the bank Crédit Agricole at 17.30
“Paul McVeigh has written a first novel of beautiful generosity, poignant in the delicate manner in which he evokes the brutality of an era. A striking fresco, mixing historical upheavals and hardships of a family shattered.” Le Monde
27 May, Talking Translation: International Literature Festival Dublin
Talking Translation – Writing and Rewriting: Writers and Translators in Conversation
Brunch with guests including Paul McVeigh, Rasha Khayat, and their translators Hans-Christian Oeser and Sinead Crowe. The event will feature a discussion between the participants about their work, separately and together, providing some insight into the mysterious workings of the writer–translator relationship and their common search to give voice to contemporary fiction. Brunch will be served in a relaxed and informal setting, offering the opportunity to listen and speak to these remarkable writers and ‘rewriters’.
Organised by the French Embassy in Ireland, the German Embassy Dublin, the Goethe-Institut Irland and Literature Ireland within the framework of the French- German cultural funds.
Last Free Tickets Released Feb 17 for George Saunders, Jenn Ashworth, Kirsty Logan & me
Last Free Tickets Released Tomorrow Feb 17 for George Saunders, Jenn Ashworth, Kirsty Logan & me talking to Matthew Sweet at BBC 3 Free Thinking Festival. Here’s the information from the website…
BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival: How Short Is A Short Story? Sat 18 Mar. 10.15-11.15am
With US author George Saunders, Jenn Ashworth, Paul McVeigh and Kirsty Logan
Acclaimed American short story writer George Saunders talks to Radio 3 presenter Matthew Sweet about travelling in time to explore Abraham Lincoln’s life during the American Civil War when the President’s beloved young son died. These historical events have inspired Saunder’s first novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, whilst his short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s, McSweeney’s and GQ.
He compares notes on the art of fiction long and short with Paul McVeigh, Jenn Ashworth and Kirsty Logan, who’ve been commissioned by New Writing North and the WordFactory to write Flash Fiction on the Festival theme of The Speed of Life.
Kirsty Logan is the author of books including The Gracekeepers and The Rental Heart & Other Fairytales and a range of short stories.
Jenn Ashworth’s books include Fell, The Friday Gospels, A Kind of Intimacy and Cold Light and a selection of short stories.
Paul McVeigh has won prizes including the Polari prize for his debut novel The Good Son. Born in Belfast he is co-founder of the London Short Story Festival, writes a blog and has represented the UK at events in Mexico and Turkey.
You can hear the specially commissioned stories for the Festival on the free Radio 3 headphones available to borrow in Sage foyer.
Matthew Sweet is author of Inventing the Victorians, Shepperton Babylon and The West End Front. He is a columnist for Art Quarterly and Newsweek and presents Free Thinking and Sound of Cinema on BBC Radio 3 and The Philosopher’s Arms on BBC Radio 4. He was series consultant on the Showtime drama Penny Dreadful and played a moth from the planet Vortis in An Adventure in Space and Time on BBC2.
In association with New Writing North and the WordFactory.
For your information…
- A second batch of tickets will be released at 12noon on Friday 17 February.
- A restricted number of tickets will be available on the day on a first come first served basis.
- Please take your seats 10 minutes prior to the event start time otherwise you may lose your place.
Polari Prize Result Fri Oct 7
A week today, one of these six books will be named winner of The Polari First Book Prize 2016. The writer will receive a trophy and a cheque for £1000.
‘Blood Relatives’ – Stevan Alcock (Fourth Estate)
‘Sugar and Snails’ – Anne Goodwin (Inspired Quill)
‘Trans’ – Juliet Jacques (Verso)
‘Different for Girls’ – Jacquie Lawrence (Zitebooks)
‘Physical’ – Andrew McMillan (Jonathan Cape)
‘The Good Son’ – Paul McVeigh (Salt)
You can come along to find out if I won. The announcement will be part of a Polari salon showcasing readings by Namita Chakrabarty, North Morgan, Alexis Gregory and Amy Acre.
I hope to see some of you there. Fingers crossed for me.
The Good Son: Currently Shortlisted for The Polari Prize
Appearances: Kildare Readers Festival with Lisa McInerney, Oct 15
Wivenhoe Bookshop with AL Kennedy, Oct 29
Outburst Festival Belfast, Nov 14
German Tour: Olpe, Nov 15/Munich, Nov 16/Regendburg, Nov 17/Hamburg, Nov 18
Shrewsbury Literature Festival: Nov 25/26
25/26 Nov, Shrewsbury Literature Festival
I’m looking forward to the first Shrewsbury Literature Festival. On the Friday 25th November I’ll be interviewing Jonathan Coe about his new novel Number 11 in the festival’s first ever event. Here’s the info…
“Jonathan Coe is SFL’s first Patron and we are delighted that he will be with us over the Festival weekend. He is the author of numerous novels, including “What a Carve Up!”, “The Rotters’ Club” and the Shropshire-based “The Rain before It Falls“.
Jonathan was born in Birmingham and spent many happy childhood holidays in Shropshire. He tells us that he is looking forward to returning to Shrewsbury for the festival in November.
Jonathan’s latest novel is “Number 11” and he will be discussing this book and many other things with the writer, Paul McVeigh, in our very first event!”
On Saturday 26th November I’ll be running a writing workshop and then reading from and talking about The Good Son at 5pm.
I hope to see some of you there.
The Good Son:Currently Shortlisted for The Polari Prize
Appearances: Kildare Readers Festival with Lisa McInerney, Oct 15
Wivenhoe Bookshop with AL Kennedy, Oct 29
Outburst Festival Belfast, Nov 14
German Tour: Olpe, Nov 15/Munich, Nov 16/Regendburg, Nov 17/Hamburg, Nov 18
Shrewsbury Literature Festival: Nov 25/26
Glorious Debuts with Lisa McInerney
I can’t wait to read with Lisa McInerney again at Kildare Readers Festival, Riverbank Arts Centre, October 14 at 8pm. We met last year at Cork World Book Festival and got on like a house on fire. She is so funny and an all-round lovely person.
Lisa McInerney and me
We met again when Lisa read at a fundraiser I organised in Jan 2016 for KAVA Arts in Kinvara.
Nuala O’Connor, Sarah Clancy, Lisa McInerney and me
Since then Lisa has had enormous success winning the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Bailey’s Prize.
We love each other’s work and Lisa wrote an amazing essay on The Good Son for The Irish Times when it was the Book Club Choice for July this year. We’re also good buddies and the craic we have should lead to an excellent event at Kildare Readers Festival.
Hope to see some of you there.
Paul McVeigh 