It’s been an amazing year so far. I’ve appeared on panels with two of my heroes – George Saunders on BBC Radio 3 and Anne Enright at Livre sur le quais – and now I’ll be in three events with Claire Keegan at Singapore Writers Festival. I can’t wait.
Lyrical Éire: An Irish Night Of Words And Music
DATE / TIME: 3 Nov, Fri 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM
The pipes are calling… Irish writers, performance poets and musicians will gather for a bewitching evening of sonorous voices and beautiful turns of phrase. Six Irish artists will be joined by two Singaporean writers as they celebrate the magic of Ireland. The evening will be graced by Irish Ambassador Geoffrey Keating.
Between Brexit and the Deep Blue Sea: Being Irish in a Divided Europe
Panel Discussion – with Cat Brogan and Claire Keegan.
DATE / TIME: 4 Nov, Sat 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
VENUE: National Gallery Singapore, Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium
The future will see Ireland geographically separated from the rest of the European Union by a post-Brexit Britain. Meanwhile, the refugee crisis and various causes of socio-political unrest continue to put pressure on an increasingly divided Europe. Where do the Irish see themselves in this volatile landscape? Two fiction writers and one performance poet discuss the impact of such upheavals on their writing, and how issues of migration, asylum and integration seep into their works.
Grace In Gravity: The Craft of Characterisation and Setting
DATE / TIME 5 Nov, Sun 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
VENUE: The Arts House, Blue Room
A young character survives a difficult childhood and attains actualisation. That is the story at the heart of acclaimed novels and novellas by authors Claire Keegan, Deirdre Sullivan and Paul McVeigh. The three Irish writers will talk about the formal elements of their works, from characterisation to the evocation of mood and setting.
I interviewed Claire Keegan at Belfast Book Festival, Cork Short Story Festival and London Short Story Festival . This will be the first time I’ll be joining her as an author.
The Good Son 