Meet our autumn 2015 facilitators: 3. Dave Lordan

The ever popular Dave Lordan is facilitating two courses this autumn at the Irish Writers Centre. The first, Teaching Creative writing, is a practical, intensive course in how and why to teach creative writing in a variety of contexts. The other, Strange Times, Strange Tellers: Experimental Fiction, covers the techniques of formally innovative writers such as Calvino, Cortázar, and Joyce, and movements such as beats, oulipo, surrealist… We caught up with Dave to discuss his own reading and writing, among other subjects. 

Irish Writers Centre: What have you been reading over the summer?

Dave Lordan: Johnathan Franzen, Hilary Mantel, and, most enjoyable of all, the mediaeval Japanese epic poem The Tale of The Heike.

IWC: What do you need to be able to write?

DL: A target.

IWC: Who is your favourite living writer?

DL: Eamonn McCann.

IWC: What was your favourite book as a child?

DL: 5000 Interesting Facts.

IWC: What upcoming book are you most looking forward to reading?

DL: Johnathan Franzen’s Purity, which I will be review on RTÉ Arena on Monday 21 September.

IWC: If you could work in any other field besides your own, what would it be?

DL: Forest Management.

IWC: What literary magazines/journals do you follow? 

DL: I read many, but follow none!  

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Dave Lordan is the author of the experimental fiction collection First Book of Frags and is editor of the Young Irelanders fiction anthology. An experienced and popular teacher he has led and designed numerous successful workshops.

Book here for Teaching Creative writing with Dave Lordan >>>

Book here for Strange Times, Strange Tellers: Experimental Fiction with Dave Lordan>>>