JLF London at British Library

What Is Not Said: Celebrating the Short Story

Ashok Ferrey, Chris Power, Namita Gokhale and Navtej Sarna in conversation with Paul McVeigh

The brevity of short fiction, illuminating transformative moments in life, eliminating all that is unnecessary, takes it to the heart of the reader. A session that investigates and celebrates the form and function of the short story. Conversations and contextual readings featuring Ashok Ferrey, author of short story collection The Good Little Ceylonese Girl; Chris Power, author of the short story collection Mothers; Namita Gokhale, Indian writer and Festival co-director; and Navtej Sarna, Indian diplomat and author of the short story collection Winter Evenings. In conversation with director and co-founder of London Short Story Festival, Paul McVeigh.

June 16 – 1:45PM TO 2:45PM MUGHAL COURTYARD

“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

 

 

Me, Kit de Waal, Lucy Caldwell & Eimear McBride

News Flash: Book one of Word Factory’s Summer events (here: https://bit.ly/2Wjzjc9) and email your booking info to cathy@thewordfactory.tv and they’ll give you a place at our FULLY BOOKED Irish Embassy event in June featuring Eimear McBride, Kit de Waal, Lucy Caldwell and Paul McVeigh. More info about the event here: https://bit.ly/2GHtZbv

Hurry – this offer is limited to 20 tickets!

WORD FACTORY PRESENTS:

Being Various: New Irish Writing at the Irish Embassy

Readings and conversation with Eimear McBride, Kit de Waal, Lucy Caldwell and Paul McVeigh

A fantastic opportunity to share an evening with some of the finest Irish writers of our time.

What distinguishes nationality? Lucy Caldwell addresses this key question as editor of Being Various, New Irish Short Stories(Faber). Her vivid anthology explores a multi-cultural country at a transitional point in history, depicting lives and a sense of belonging in Ireland and also relevant to us all.

Word Factory is delighted to celebrate the anthology at a wine reception hosted by the Irish Ambassador Adrian O’Neill and Cathy Galvin at the Irish Embassy in London on Thursday 27th June 6pm-9pm.

Please note: though the event is free, it is vital to book your place in advance so that your name can be added to our special guest list.

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London Book Fair

I’ll be appearing at the London Book Fair Wednesday, March 13th at the invitation of The British Council. I’m excited by the topic of the conversation and to talk to some Indonesian writers after my trip there to The George Town Literature Festival in 2018. Here are the details.

Taboo
Laksmi Pamuntjak, Norman Erikson Pasaribu and Paul McVeigh; chaired by Phillip Kim
16.00-17.00, Cross Cultural Hub, Olympia

Indonesian writing today is becoming more bold, more inventive, and more determined to say the unsayable. How, through literary experiments, style and themes, are Indonesia’s writers tackling taboos and redefining norms? Laksmi Pamuntjak, author of The Question of Red – which counters the official government history of 1965; Norman Erikson Pasaribu, whose poems shine light on queer Indonesian life in the midst of erasure and oppression today; alongside Paul McVeigh whose writing touches on the complex layers of political oppression, violence and sexuality; discuss their personal reasons for writing on their chosen subjects, and the need to explore, and unsettle, the dominant narratives.

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Social Media Class, London

Paul McVeigh has become well known on social media as a go to person for other writers, and for juggling an online presence with his own work. He has over 4,000 followers on Facebook, 12,500 on Twitter and a blog that gets over 40,000 hits a month internationally – his blog is fast approaching 2 million visitors.

In this class you’ll find out how to build a social media platform, how to use that platform to help you get published, get reviewed and endorsed, access to high profile authors, and get paid work. Paul’s online presence has led to him being invited to establish the hugely successful international London Short Story Festival, become Associate Director of Word Factory the leading short story salon in the UK and being judge of prestigious literary prizes such as the Edge Hill Short Story Prize and The Dylan Thomas Prize. It has also gotten him invites to teach and read in Australia, Bali, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Switzerland and Poland and access to interview authors such as Kevin Barry, and George Saunders from The Irish Times.

Paul set up and ran social media platforms for London Short Story Festival and Word Factory.

Paul’s short stories have been published in The Stinging Fly, commissioned by anthologies in the USA & Faber UK and by BBC Radio 3, 4 & 5. He debut novel ‘The Good Son’ won two awards and was shortlisted for a further four selling stage and multiple foreign rights.

This class has sold out in Belfast London and Melbourne..

DATE & TIME: Thu, March 15, 2018. 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM GMT

Location: Irish Cultural Centre, 5 Black’s Road, London, W6 9DT  View Map

Masterclass followed by A Novel Affair at the ICC at 19:00 – four novelists (Martina Evans, Paul McVeigh, Aoibheann McCann and Alan McMonagle) read from and discuss their work. Chaired by Conor Montague.

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Event on Poverty for Royal Society of Literature

Can Literature Solve Poverty?

Hosted by LSE “Beveridge 2.0” and the Royal Society of Literature

Poverty RSL

“In the run up to the LSE Festival: Beveridge 2.0, rethinking the welfare state for the 21st Century, we bring together a panel to discuss the relationship between literature and poverty. They reflect on questions such as: do you need money to access literature? If not, why are there comparatively few working-class writers? And can literature actively play a part in reducing financial hardship?”

I’ll be sharing the stage with Kit de Waal again – we had a wonderful time at Le Livres sur les Quais in Morges, Switzerland, last year. Kit mentioned The Good Son in her article for the Guardian on working class literature this weekend. Kit also commissioned me for the Common People anthology currently 75% funded on Unbounders. I can’t wait.

The Good Son 3rd Editon

Buy Here

Winner of The Polari Prize
“Pungently funny and shot through with streaks of aching sadness.” Patrick Gale
“I devoured it in a day, but I’ve thought about it for many, many more.” Lisa McInerney
“Funny, raw and endlessly entertaining.” Johnathan Coe

Interviewing Anne Enright in London

Last year I had the honour of sharing the stage with Anne Enright at Le Livre Sur les Quais in Switzerland last year. This St Patrick’s Eve I’ll be interviewing her live on stage in London for Word Factory. More info below…

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WORD FACTORY PRESENTS:

SPECIAL EVENT – An Evening with Anne Enright

On the eve of St Patrick’s Day, meet one of the most celebrated literary figures of our age. Man Booker prize winner Anne Enright is the Laureate for Irish Fiction, an acclaimed novelist, short story writer and essayist. Her books include The Wig My Father Wore, The Gathering and The Portable Virgin. In this one-off London event, reading new work commissioned by Word Factory for the Change Maker series, Anne will explore the boundaries of short fiction in new work and her writing life, in conversation with Word Factory associate director Paul McVeigh. Paul, who lives in Belfast, is author of the acclaimed The Good Son, set in the Northern Ireland of the 1970’s.

DON’T MISS THIS MEMORABLE EVENING.

Salon limited to 80 places.

Date and Time

Fri 16 March 2018

19:00 – 20:30 GMT

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Location

Waterstones

203-206 Piccadilly

London

W1J 9HD

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