Author Archives for IWC_admin

Announcing the Jack Harte Bursary recipient for 2017

December 13, 2016 12:39 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Last week we were delighted to award Henrietta McKervey the Jack Harte Bursary at a celebratory evening with IWC members and friends, on Thursday 8 December at the Irish Writers Centre. This is the third year of the Bursary which is presented in association with Annaghmakerrig at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, and offers writers a two-week fully resourced residency in spring 2017. The award was named in Jack Harte’s honour as the unsung hero of the literary scene; he has been instrumental in the establishment of the Irish Writers’ Union and, later, the Irish Writers Centre. Liz Nugent was the first recipient of the award in 2015 and Sarah Moore Fitzgerald was the 2016 recipient. Henrietta McKervey is a fiction writer and design and advertising copywriter. She has published two novels: What Becomes of Us (Hachette, 2015) and The Heart of Everything... Read Moreread more.


Beyond words

November 28, 2016 3:31 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Recently we were thrilled to launch our 25th anniversary anthology, Beyond the Centre: Writers in their own words, at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast on 16 November. We were even more delighted when Carlo Gébler agreed to help us launch the anthology, little did we know that his speech would be a tribute not only to the Centre — but to the writers who comprise such a vital part of it. Read on for Carlo’s full speech. “In 1978 the New Review, literary magazine, English, held a symposium on the state of fiction: 56 writers supplied replies to a questionnaire.   The respondents varied in age from mid-twenties to mid-sixties and they gave very different but very detailed replies. Peter Vansittart (1920 – 2008), 1st published novel 1942, 688 copies sold, described himself as, ‘fairly hopeful’ about being a writer. Auberon Waugh, son... Read Moreread more.


Eejit

November 24, 2016 2:33 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Last year after the publication of my short story ‘SOMAT’ in The Long Gaze Back, I was asked to contribute to various events and public readings. I decided in advance to say a big resounding YES to anything I was asked to write/do, as an important part (for me) of being a writer is taking on the challenge of reading in public. I took part in a lot of fun events, the Barrytown Trilogy Readings in Dun Laoghaire when Colm Keegan was Writer-in-Residence, The Bogman’s Canon Fiction Disco, Staccato, National Concert Hall, among others.  What I learnt was that writing for public readings demands a different type of narrative, one that is less complex than, say, a short story for the page, where the reader is deliberately left thinking about what is inferred— particularly with endings — instead these pieces... Read Moreread more.


Irish Writers Centre launches Northern Ireland Programme

November 16, 2016 3:32 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Image: Pictured at the programme launch are: Valerie Bistany, Irish Writers Centre, Damian Smyth, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and writers Jack Harte and Martin Devlin. The Irish Writers Centre (IWC), with support from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s National Lottery funding, is extending its programming into Northern Ireland with a series of specialized courses and residentials in Belfast, Derry, Fermanagh and Tyrone. The prestigious Dublin-based institution is also offering 20 free professional memberships to local writers.  The IWC, which supports and promotes writers at all stages of their development, announced the details at a special event, hosted at the Crescent Arts Centre, on Wednesday evening. The information session was attended by writers from across Northern Ireland and provided an in-depth look at the services and resources that the Centre can offer emerging and professional writers, such as workshops,... Read Moreread more.


The Novel Fair Reject’s Tale

October 17, 2016 2:48 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

As the Novel Fair deadline approaches (21 October 2016), we went back through our winners’ stories and were reminded of the old adage, ‘if at first you don’t succeed…’ This week we hear from Aidan J. Herron and how he went from Novel Fair longlistee to sitting across from publishers and agents just two years later…  There was no going back once I dropped my entry into the postbox. I was committed. Writing for educational purposes, familiar territory to me, was one thing. Entering an open competition like the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2013 was quite another. I had never submitted my work to anybody for comment before nor was I part of a writers’ group so I had no idea of what others would think of it. But I believed in my story. And I also had some... Read Moreread more.


Interview with Lisa Harding

October 28, 2016 1:08 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Lisa Harding is a writer I truly admire. She nails *voice* like no-one else I know both in her short stories and in her newly-penned novels. This month (October) she signed with New Island Books for a controversial novel about trafficked teenagers (published next Spring) and she’s also Writer in Residence with Pavee Point in association with the Irish Writers Centre. I meet with Lisa fortnightly at our writer’s group in Brooks Hotel on Drury Street, so am familiar with her work and also with her struggle to stay earning while pursuing a life as a writer. I wanted to ask her some relevant questions that may be of use to other writers starting out on a similar track. Let’s start with where things are at for you at the moment and that includes being on the radio recently to... Read Moreread more.


The Devilry of a Writer’s Workshop

October 12, 2016 2:18 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

June Caldwell, our Online Writer-in-Residence this autumn, gives a fly-on-the-wall account of what it’s like to take part in writing workshops – and why she keeps going back for more… People sometimes ask why I still bother with writing workshops. You get the: ‘But you’ve been published in journals, you’re on all these shortlists, you seem to know what you’re doing?’ Knowing it’s all a bit excruciating, obsessional, frustrating, maddening…that dealing with loneliness is a big part of being a writer. Not being sure if any of it is any good anyway: mollycoddling your own unmovable masochism. Yet there is something really peculiar that happens your own writing when you’re surrounded by people pushing the boundaries with theirs. It’s contagious and corrupting; reading the crushed muffle of someone else’s secrets, their desires, their strange reveries, their intuitions, their truth. How others in the room perceive those words differently on the page/screen, how the tutor feels it could or should work better. What... Read Moreread more.


On the fair treatment of writers…

October 11, 2016 3:13 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

In light of recent social media attention, the Irish Writers Centre would like to reaffirm that, as a resource and development organisation for writers at all stages of their career, it seeks to support, promote and inform writers through its programmes. While we support writers on broad issues of advocacy (such as fee rates), we would generally advise writers to approach the Irish Writers’ Union (whose specific remit it is) to advocate on their behalf. Therefore we fully endorse the statement made by Ruth Hegarty of Publishing Ireland in The Irish Times (11 October 2016), where she says: ‘We would encourage any writer who is experiencing difficulties with their respective publishers to approach the Irish Writers’ Union for help.’ ‘All authors are entitled to royalty schedules and payments if in their contract.’ We believe that it is in the interests of... Read Moreread more.


Novel Fair: Walking on Eggshells

October 6, 2016 7:36 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

The deadline for Novel Fair 2017 is a mere two weeks away. With that in mind Catriona Lally reflects on her experiences of the Fair and how her novel Eggshells developed as a result of this. It was at a launch at the Irish Writers Centre and I just happened to see a poster for the Novel Fair. I looked it up and thought that it would be a brilliant deadline; a novel can be the kind of thing that just sits on your computer for years. I really need some kind of structure and deadline to get anything done, so aiming for October and then for February to have it finished was fantastic.  Mid-October is the deadline to submit the novel and you then have three months to complete it so that you’re ready for the Fair in February.... Read Moreread more.


Announcing our inaugural Online Writer-in-Residence

October 4, 2016 2:39 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We’re delighted that June Caldwell will be our inaugural Online Writer-in-Residence. Stay tuned for updates from her in the coming months. In the meantime she was in the Centre recently so we took the opportunity to chat with her about the moral elements of writing for Humans of No. 19.  ‘For years I thought I chose the wrong path because I was never happy with journalism, I hated it. Now I look back and I think that was really great grounding for my writing. To me creative writing is a moral form, it’s a way to look at the connection between human behaviour, events and how we perceive things. That’s what is so interesting about creative writing compared to journalism; you’re limited by what you can do in journalism, you’re only writing the facts but with creative writing you can take... Read Moreread more.


Humans of No. 19 – June Caldwell

September 15, 2016 10:11 am Published by Leave your thoughts

June Caldwell was in the Centre this week so we took the opportunity to chat with her about the moral elements of writing. #humansofno19 #writersofinstagram #irishwriterscentre June is our inaugural Online Writer-in-Residence so stay tuned for more from her. And, we’re thrilled to announce the exciting news that June has just signed with New Island for a short story collection, due 2017. Whoop!   ‘For years I thought I chose the wrong path because I was never happy with journalism, I hated it. Now I look back and I think that was really great grounding for my writing. To me creative writing is a moral form, it’s a way to look at the connection between human behaviour, events and how we perceive things. That’s what is so interesting about creative writing compared to journalism; you’re limited by what you can do... Read Moreread more.


Novel Fair: an opportunity worth travelling 5,000 kms for!

August 23, 2016 9:26 am Published by Leave your thoughts

We spoke to Mairéad Rooney—all the way from Canada—to get some inside tips on applying for Novel Fair! A two-time Novel Fair winner Mairéad chatted about her writing process and whether her experience of the Fair changed the second time around.  Tell us about when you first came across the Novel Fair… In 2012 I had just finished my novel and had reached the what-next moment. So I submitted to the 2012 Novel Fair and a few literary agents. But there were no bites. As it turned out the manuscript was not ready and the only thing to do was edit. I spent a year reworking the words and then submitted to the 2013 Novel Fair. That time I was lucky and got the call. What was your writing process/routine for the first Fair? At the time I was writing first thing... Read Moreread more.


IWC Writers-in-Residence announced – Florence & Cill Rialaig 2016

July 13, 2016 6:53 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

We are delighted to reveal the lucky recipients of our Florence and Cill Rialaig residencies: Paula McGrath will have the honour of residing in St Mark’s Church, Florence for one week this October and Louise C. Callaghan, Kate Kavanagh, Martin Malone, Dairena Ní Chinnéide, Nessa O’Mahony, Sydney Weinberg and Adam Wyeth will be heading to Co. Kerry this autumn as well. Congratulations to these eight writers and we’re sure they’ll have a fruitful time! If you missed the deadlines for the above, fear not… the Jack Harte Bursary at Annaghmakerrig, a two-week fully resourced Writer-in-Residence Bursary, is once again open for applications. Click here to read more about the Jack Harte Bursary.             read more.


Leland Bardwell leaves a legacy of generous commitment to the arts

July 2, 2016 12:33 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

This week the sad news reached us of the death of Leland Bardwell. She was 94 and died in Sligo where she had made her home for many years. From her birth in India in 1922, Leland enjoyed a colourful life with a rich and varied writing career. Her work included five novels, five collections of poems, a collection of short stories, as well as a memoir, and several plays. Apart from her accomplished body of work, Leland also leaves a legacy of generous commitment to the arts, having been one of the founding editors of Cyphers. She was also involved in the founding of the Irish Writers’ Co-op, and the Scriobh literary festival in Sligo. We in the Centre recall with great fondness her participation in our Peregrine Readings in 2011 – despite her age she was not fazed... Read Moreread more.