27 March, 2025
Announcing our 2025 Young Writer Delegates at Cúirt
We’re delighted to announce the five Irish Writers Centre Young Writer Delegates who will attend and contribute to Cúirt International Festival of Literature from 9-13 April. The delegates will be mentored by local writer Alan McMonagle and perform readings at a festival showcase in Nun’s Island Theatre on Saturday 12 April 2025 at 1:00pm (free entry). The five awardees are Angelia D’Souza, Nina Devine, Summer Luyako, Surnaí Molloy and Czacarri Muli.
Now in its seventh year, the Young Writer Delegates Programme gives young writers an opportunity to immerse themselves in a literary festival and to contribute to it as active participants. You can keep up with the Young Writer Delegates on their Instagram page, and through the Irish Writers Centre and Cúirt social media channels. The programme is in partnership with Cúirt International Festival of Literature. The Irish Writers Centre is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland.
The full Cúirt International Festival of Literature is also available to view over on the festival website.
Meet the delegates:
Angelia D’Souza
Angelia D’Souza is from Dublin, California and is currently a MA in Creative Writing student at UCC. She is a recent graduate of Creighton University, with a BA in Cultural Anthropology and English. Her poetry and fiction has been published in Volume 13 of Mary Baldwin University’s Outrageous Fortune Literary Magazine.
Nina Devine
Nina Devine is an 18 year old writer from Limerick, Ireland. She was a recipient of the Edna O’Brien bursary in 2022 and was mentored by Colm Keegan. In 2024 her short film ‘Rat King’ premiered in Dublin. She is currently writing a series of poems about footballer Kevin Keegan.
Summer Luyako
Summer Luyako is an Irish Zambian writer, currently studying English at the University of Galway. Her writing is concerned with human connections, particularly the unconventional connections people often encounter in their youth.
Surnaí Molloy
Surnaí Molloy holds a BA with Creative Writing from NUIG and an MLitt in Modern and Contemporary Literature from University of St Andrews. Her work has been published in Parabola Magazine, Newfound Magazine, and The Milk House. She is the winner of the 2024 Roger Downer Creative Writing Award (Alumni).
Czacurri Muli
Czacarri Muli is a 21 year old, Filipino-Irish illustration student in his3rd year at NCAD. He loves stories, everything about the process, the play, the creating, the sharing. His practise revolves around narrative, exploring visual and written worlds. He is working within a wide range of illustrative and design works but has a particular interest in picture books. Love and light.
The Writer/Mentor
Alan McMonagle
Alan has written for radio and published two collections of short stories (Psychotic Episodes and Liar Liar). Ithaca, his first novel, was published by Picador in 2017, and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Award for first novels, the Dublin Literary Award, and shortlisted for an Irish Book Award. His second novel, Laura Cassidy’s Walk Of Fame, was published in 2020. He lives in Galway.
Alan will be facilitating a creative writing seminar at Cúirt as part of the Irish Writers Centre Literary Festival Tour. Click here for more information and booking.
Attend Belfast Book Festival as a Young Writer Delegate!
Deadline for applications: Wednesday 16 April 20245 at midnight.
We invite ambitious young writers aged 18-26 to apply for this extraordinary opportunity to attend and contribute to Belfast Book Festival 2025 as Young Writer Delegates. In partnership with Crescent Arts Centre, this programme takes place over five days at the festival from 5-8 June, 2025. Please note, this opportunity is exclusively for writers living in Belfast or in its surrounding areas.
