Get Past the Slush Pile with Patrick Holloway
Info
Date: June 13, 2026
Time: 11.00 am - 4.00 pm
Duration: 1 Day
Level: Advanced | Intermediate | Beginner |
Cost: €100 (€90 Members)
Location: In Person
This course will take place in person on Saturday 13 June.
Course Summary
This practical, industry-focused workshop explores how to get your work noticed and move beyond the slush pile. Drawing on firsthand experience as a literary journal editor, the session examines what editors look for in opening paragraphs, why first impressions matter, and the common mistakes that lead to quick rejections. Participants will analyse strong examples, refine their own openings through guided exercises, and receive feedback on how to sharpen voice, clarity, and impact. The course also covers researching the right literary journals, tailoring submissions, and presenting work professionally so it stands out for the right reasons.
Course Outline
This is a one-day workshop helping you bypass the slush pile, and make your work stand out to agents, and literary journal editors.
Course Outcomes
- Understand how editors read submissions and make decisions from the opening paragraphs
- Recognise common pitfalls that lead to quick rejections
- Craft stronger, more engaging openings with voice and impact
- Identify literary journals that best fit their work
- Prepare professional, targeted submissions that stand out from the slush pile
Patrick Holloway is a prize-winning Irish writer of fiction and poetry. His debut novel, The Language of Remembering, was published in 2025 to critical acclaim. His second novel is forthcoming in 2027. His work appears in The Stinging Fly, The Moth, The London Magazine, among others. He is the winner of The Bath Short Story Prize, The Molly Keane Creative Writing Prize, The Raymond Carver Contest, The Flash 500, among others. He is an editor of The Four Faced Liar.
Booked out? To be added to the waiting list for this course, please email bookings@irishwriterscentre.ie.
