Author Archives for IWC_admin

Get Writing: Tips to Kickstart Your Practice

November 17, 2022 2:27 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

    With writing, as with most things in life, getting started is the really difficult part. Progress comes slow at first and sometimes there can be nothing worse than having to drag yourself to your desk to sit down and write. Here are some tips to help kickstart your practice and to keep you working when the going gets rough!   Make time for writing Lots of people want to write but nobody’s got the time! Right? Nope. Part of the reason nobody thinks they have the time to write is the false notion that it takes hours upon hours of trawling over your manuscript to get any useful work done. But just ask any of those famous writers who are also full time parents, or those published authors who still managed to keep up a day job. If... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities & Competitions: November 2022

November 1, 2022 2:06 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Each month we update our Competitions & Submissions page, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we wanted to highlight in November! Competitions & Opportunities Cafe Writers Poetry Competition 2022 Deadline: 14th November 2022 Café Writers is a Norwich based grass-roots writers’ network supporting and showcasing work by established writers in all genres. It also encourages and champions new work by emerging writers. Cafe Writers is passionate about encouraging wider participation and excellence in literature. This competition funds their programme and allows them to pay writers properly. This year’s judge is Jennifer Wong. The Pig’s Back: Issue 3 Deadline: 15th November 2022 The Pig’s Back (named for Donegal’s Muckish mountain and for the phrase ar mhuin na muice, to be in luck) is a literary prose... Read Moreread more.


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Announcing our IWC/DBF Young Writer Delegates 2022

October 18, 2022 10:42 am Published by Leave your thoughts

We’re delighted to announce our IWC/DBF Young Writer Delegate awardees, who will attend the Dublin Book Festival from 8-13th November, and work with local writer mentor Seán Hewitt. The four awardees are Ellen Duggan, HK Ní Shioradáin, Annie Brown and Eva-Marie McNamee. Now in its fifth year, the IWC Young Writer Delegates Programme gives young writers an opportunity to immerse themselves in a literature 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 DBF social media channels. The full programme is now also available to view over on the festival website. Ellen Duggan is a third year English Literature student at University College Dublin, where she has contributed to the student-led creative writing publication, Caveat Lector, as well as to the... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities & Competitions October 2022

Opportunities & Competitions: October 2022

October 4, 2022 3:56 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Each month we update our Competitions & Submissions page, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we wanted to highlight in October! Competitions & Opportunities The Honest Ulsterman Deadline: 8th October 2022 We’re calling for poetry (up to 3 poems), prose and critical writing, suggestions for interviews etc for our October 2022 issue. Prose can be up to 5000 words. We prefer submissions to be made in Word (or similar – not PDF) format. We’d also welcome video poetry. Video submissions should have a link to Youtube etc. Please put your name and short bio in the body of your submission email otherwise it may accidentally end up in the Spam folder. There is no fee for submitting. As we are a free online magazine we... Read Moreread more.


Novel Fair interview with Orla Mackey

“The time after Novel Fair was one of the most exciting periods of my life.” Interview with 2022 winner Orla Mackey

September 16, 2022 1:58 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Novel Fair 2023 is currently open for submissions, with the deadline approaching on Friday 30 September. We discussed the competition with 2022 winner Orla Mackey for an insight into her journey. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and about your debut Mouthing? I’m a teacher and writer. I write fiction and educational texts for children. I first began writing stories and poems in 4th Class. I love listening to the rhythms of language, particularly the language of rural Ireland.  My writing is a celebration of the ordinary. In my spare time, I like to obsess over Edna O’Brien and eat chips. I dislike swimming togs. Mouthing is a darkly humorous novel that represents the voice of ordinary working-class Irish people.  It’s set between the 1960s and early 2000s. It follows the progress of twelve characters in a small village in Ireland. The title stems... Read Moreread more.


The Evolution Programme NUIG Internship (1)

The Evolution Programme: NUIG Internship

September 12, 2022 4:26 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We are delighted to announce the three Evolution writers who have been selected for the teaching internship with the School of English and Creative Arts at NUI Galway. The successful awardees are Aingeala Flannery, Alice Kinsella and Amanda Geard. Olivia Fitzsimons, author of The Quiet Whispers Never Stop (John Murray, 2022), took part in the internship last year and had this to say;  “I had such a warm welcome from staff (Dr John Kenny, Mike McCormack) and the students at NUI Galway and it was a highlight of my year.” Aingeala Flannery was born in Waterford. She’s an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and writer. Her writing has been published in the Bath Anthology and Harper’s Bazaar, and has been broadcast on RTÉ Radio One. Aingeala was a finalist in the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair 2018. She completed an MFA in... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities & Competitions September 2022

Opportunities & Competitions: September 2022

September 6, 2022 4:26 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Each month we update our Competitions & Submissions page, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we wanted to highlight in September! Competitions & Opportunities Red Line Festival Poetry Competition 2022 Deadline: Monday 12th September  Red Line Festival is calling on aspiring poets to submit their work for the 2022 Red Line Festival poetry competition. Now in its tenth year, the prestigious Red Line Poetry Competition attracts hundreds of entries from all across the island of Ireland annually. This year, Red Line Festival is honoured to have award-winning poet Jessica Traynor judge the competition entries. The Moth Nature Writing Prize Deadline: 15th September 2022 The Moth Nature Writing Prize aims to encourage and celebrate the art of nature writing. It is awarded annually to an unpublished... Read Moreread more.


Evolution 2022

Announcing our Evolution Programme Awardees 2022

September 7, 2022 11:16 am Published by Leave your thoughts

We’re delighted to announce the awardees for our Evolution Programme 2022, Aingeala Flannery, Alice Kinsella, Amanda Geard, Christopher Linforth, Debbie McCune, Fiona Sherlock, Hilary McCollum, Megan Wynne, Rachel Coventry and Stephanie Conn. The selected writers will benefit from a suite of supports including bespoke career development with professional editorial, practical or creative support by way of a mentor. Aingeala Flannery was born in Waterford. She’s an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and writer. Her writing has been published in the Bath Anthology and Harper’s Bazaar, and has been broadcast on RTÉ Radio One. Aingeala was a finalist in the Irish Writers’ Centre Novel Fair 2018. She completed an MFA in Creative Writing at UCD the following year, and was awarded a Literature Bursary by the Arts Council of Ireland in 2020 and 2021. Her debut novel ‘The Amusements’ was published by Penguin Sandycove... Read Moreread more.


Announcing our Cill Rialaig Residencies Awardees 2022

August 17, 2022 11:31 am Published by Leave your thoughts

This autumn marks the eighth consecutive year of Irish Writers Centre residencies with Cill Rialaig, Co. Kerry. The seven selected awardees for this round are Sasha de Buyl, Sonya Gildea, Niamh Scullion, Colette Ní Ghallchóir, Anne McDonald, Trish Bennett, and Maggie Breen. These writers will spend 10 days in Cill Rialaig from 1-11th October developing new creative work. Sasha de Buyl writes short stories and creative non-fiction as well as making zines and comics. Their writing has been published in Gutter magazine, Belfield Literary Review and the anthology Nasty Women, published by 404 Ink. Their comics have been published by BBC’s The Social and The Art of Being Dangerous (Leuven University Press, 2021). In 2021, Sasha was awarded an Arts Council Agility Award for Literature. Sonya Gildea is a Poetry Ireland Introductions poet, 2021. She is winner of the John... Read Moreread more.


Arts Administration Internship at the Irish Writers Centre

August 11, 2022 5:19 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

ABOUT THE ROLE JOB TITLE: Arts Administration Intern REPORTING TO: Deputy Director/Administrator CONTRACT: Part-time, 3 days per week /21 hours per week / 0.6 FTE. Contract for three months from 26th September 2022, with four-week probation period. Hours will be regular based on a three-day week, but may comprise of half-days/evenings or full days and exceptionally, Saturdays. REMUNERATION: €10.50 per hour LOCATION:  Normal place of work is Irish Writers Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 and online during Covid-19 restrictions. Please note the post-holder will need to be Dublin-based to carry out the duties of this position. PURPOSE OF ROLE: This is a new entry level Internship role for someone with a literature or an arts background wishing to join a dedicated team to assist in the delivery of resources and supports to Irish writers.  The role includes a mix... Read Moreread more.


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38 writers from around the country selected for the Irish Writers Centre’s National Mentoring Programme

August 11, 2022 11:29 am Published by Leave your thoughts

After a national call out, 38 writers have been selected for the Irish Writers Centre’s National Mentoring Programme from a total of over 300 applicants. Selected writers will receive professional literary mentoring over the next 8 months from an acclaimed Irish writer of their choice. Selected writers for the 2022 National Mentoring Programme are: Tracy Gaughan Colombian Embassy Sheila McWade All Other Counties Theresa Ryder All Other Counties Hugh Madden All Other Counties Neil Tully All Other Counties Geraldine Morrissey All Other Counties Ger Duffy All Other Counties Máire Robinson All Other Counties Leopold O’Shea All Other Counties Sonya Gildea DLR Arts Office Mia Doring DLR Libraries Charlotte Buckley Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Eoghan Carrick Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Caroline McEvoy Dublin City Libraries and Dublin UNESCO City of Literature... Read Moreread more.


Competitions & Opportunities

Opportunities & Competitions: August 2022

August 2, 2022 5:27 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Each month we update our Competitions & Submissions page, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we wanted to highlight in August! Competitions & Opportunities Waterford Poetry Prize Deadline: 12th August 2022 The Waterford Poetry Prize is open to all writers currently living on the island of Ireland. Please see eligibility for details. Waterford Poetry Prize has emerged from the influence of the late Waterford writer Seán Dunne whose poetry continues to inspire. PRIZES: The winners of the Waterford Poetry Prize 2022 will be announced at a special event at the Waterford Writers Weekend, as part of the Imagine Arts Festival on Friday 28th October 2022. First prize is €400 plus attendance at a designated writing course at the Molly Keane Writers Retreat, Ardmore in 2023 (This prize valued €250 is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be... Read Moreread more.


Opportunities & Competitions July 2022

Opportunities & Competitions: July 2022

July 5, 2022 2:57 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Each month we update our Competitions & Submissions page, along with our Bursaries & Funding, to ensure that we are connecting our writers with the best upcoming opportunities. Here are a few deadlines we wanted to highlight in July! Competitions & Opportunities Tolka Journal  Deadline: 8th July 2022 All submissions should be previously unpublished. We welcome all forms of non-fiction: personal essay, memoir, reportage, travel writing, auto-fiction, and the writing that falls in between. Our guideline word count for work is 2,000–4,000 words. Submissions should be in one .doc or .docx attachment and double-spaced. We are happy to consider simultaneous submissions but ask that you notify us should your work be accepted elsewhere. We offer contributors a flat fee of ‎‎€300, which we pay prior to publication; contributors also receive a copy of the issue in which their work is featured. We only... Read Moreread more.


Announcing our 2022 IWC/WCLF Young Writer Delegates

June 29, 2022 11:04 am Published by Leave your thoughts

We’re delighted to announce our IWC/WCLF Young Writer Delegate awardees, who will attend the West Cork Literary Festival from 9-15th July, and work with local writer mentor Danielle McLaughlin. The four awardees are Caitlin Young, Mark Jackson, Darcey Duggan and Em Egan Reeve. Now in its fifth year, the IWC Young Writer Delegates Programme gives young writers an opportunity to immerse themselves in a literature 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 WCLF social media channels. The full festival programme is now also available to view over on the festival website.  Caitlin Young is a writer and editor living in Belfast. Her poetry, fiction and non-fiction has been published in Sonder Lit, The Honest Ulsterman, Impossible Archetypes, Catatonic Daughters,... Read Moreread more.