Author Archives for IWC_admin

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.


Coffee cup on desk

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.


12 Irish Language Writers Awarded IWC Course Bursaries

July 4, 2022 10:34 am Published by Leave your thoughts

We are delighted to announce the awardees of our Course Bursaries for Irish Language Writers, funded by Foras na Gaeilge. These bursaries enable writers to develop their skills through funded places at Irish Writers Centre creative writing courses, and open up access to course entry by subsidising costs to individuals who may not otherwise be able to take a course. The 12 awardees are Joanne McCarthy, HK Ní Shioradáin, Máire Burns, Pádraig Ó Cuinneagáin, Caitríona Lane, Dervla O’Keeffe, Annemarie Nugent, Niamh Nic Aodha Bhuí, Brian Ó Tiomáin, Declan Jones, Hilary Bowen-Walsh and Ruth Nic Giolla Iasachta. Joanne McCarthy File dátheangach í Joanne McCarthy. Her work is published in Poetry Ireland Review, New Irish Writing, The Stinging Fly, Comhar, Splonk, Aneas, The Honest Ulsterman, The Ireland Chair of Poetry Anthology and more. She is co-editor of the literary journal The Waxed... Read Moreread more.


Danielle McLaughlin

Danielle McLaughlin announced as the mentor for the IWC/WCLF Young Writer Delegate Programme 2022

June 10, 2022 4:20 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We are delighted to announce Danielle McLaughlin as the mentor for the IWC/WCLF Young Writer Delegate Programme 2022 👏 Danielle McLaughlin’s short story collection Dinosaurs on Other Planets was published in 2015 by The Stinging Fly Press. In 2019, she was a Windham-Campbell Prize recipient, and won the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. Her first novel, The Art of Falling, was published in 2021 by John Murray and was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award 2022. The deadline for applications has been extended until Wednesday 15 June. Now in its fifth year, the IWC Young Writer Delegate Programme is intended to give young writers an opportunity to immerse themselves in a literature festival, soak up the atmosphere and to contribute to it as active participants. The selected four young writers will attend WCLF Festival events, and reflect on their experiences... Read Moreread more.


Foundation Programme awardees

Introducing the Foundation Programme Awardees

June 8, 2022 12:50 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The Irish Writers Centre is delighted to announce the awardees of the Foundation Programme, a collaborative pilot programme offered in partnership with Cúirt International Literature Festival Dublin that aims to break down access barriers for emerging writers from ethnic minority backgrounds as they launch their careers. The six writers selected for participation are Nora Corcoran, Mahito Indi Henderson, Maryam Madani, Rafael Mendes, Charlotte Rea-Patel and Sylvia Wohlfarth. These writers will receive a range of supports including access to writing courses and bespoke workshops which aim to demystify the publishing industry, culminating in a live performance of their work. They will also be mentored by Sharmilla Beezmohun, a London-based novelist, editor and co-founder of Speaking Volumes. Participants for Foundation were selected from the writers featured in Breaking Ground Ireland, a landmark publication by Cúirt International Festival of Literature and National University... Read Moreread more.