Autumn Open Day 2025
Info
Date:
August 30, 2025
Time:
11am-4.30pm in-person and 7pm online
Location:
Irish Writers Centre
Please note, attendees much be over the age of 18 to attend Autumn Open Day.
The Irish Writers Centre will once again open its doors for Autumn Open Day on Saturday 30 August.
Taking place inside our beautiful Georgian building on Parnell Square in Dublin, Autumn Open Day is a dynamic programme of events that brings together anyone with an interest in writing. Expect workshops, information sessions, a masterclass, and more.
Whether you are an absolute beginner, or an experienced writer, this day will introduce you to a new community, and hopefully leave you with some tips on how to develop your practice.
At Autumn Open Day, you will receive a full overview of the Irish Writers Centre’s annual programme of supports. Come meet the team and learn more about our development programmes, courses, workshops and resources for writers.
What to expect:
- Spoken word workshop
- Irish Writers Centre information session
- Poetry masterclass (Online)
- New Irish Communities writing session
- Free teas, coffees and biscuits
Autumn Open Day Timetable:
11.00am: Welcome: tea, coffee & biscuits plus an informal chat about the work of the Irish Writers Centre.
11.30am – 1.00pm: New Irish Communities with Jean O’Brien (free)
The Irish Writers Centre’s New Irish Communities is a series of creative writing sessions for non-native speakers to explore creative writing in English. In a warm and supportive environment, participants meet new writers, share their stories, and take part in creative writing exercises. All sessions are facilitated by writers from diverse literary backgrounds, in both poetry and prose. New Irish Communities is ideal for beginner and emerging writers.
11.30am – 1.00pm: The Performance Workshop with Cormac Mac Gearailt (€5.00)
Introduction to Performing Poetry
Join All-Ireland Slam Champion Cormac Mac Gearailt for an introductory workshop on how to perform your poetry in a memorable, engaging fashion. Delivering poems clearly and with confidence in your own voice can help them to have a strong impact on the audience. This workshop will discuss delivery, cadence, rhythm, the importance of practice, and how to be comfortable behind the mic. Suitable for anyone who wants to learn more about performance and delivery.
11.30am – 1.00pm: The Zine Workshop with Kate Escolin (€5.00)
A zine is a small, independent publication individually created and your zine facilitator will guide participants in making these bespoke zines with the aid of writing, drawing and collage, comprising of supplied materials and any stationary, stickers or magazines the participants wish to bring with them to include in the process.
1.30pm – 2.30pm: The Lunchtime Session (free)
The Irish Writers Centre Information Session delves into of our annual offerings, from our Academy courses to our development programmes and residencies through a panel discussion featuring Irish Writers Centre alumni, Olivia Fitzsimons and Geraldine Walsh. Hosted by head of programming Damien B. Donnelly.
3.00pm – 4.00pm: The Seminar: Conor Kostick’s Top 10 Topics from Finish Your Novel (free)
For over twenty years Conor Kostick has been teaching his Finish Your Novel course at the Irish Writers Centre. For our open day Conor will distill the experience of the hundreds of writers who have participated in the course to give the top ten tips that he feels have proven to be the most helpful to novel writers. Concerning narrative voice, theme, writing drama, dialogue, characterisation and more, come and get the condensed, content-packed version of this celebrated course.
7.00pm – 8.30pm: The Poetry Masterclass: Finding your Muse with Victoria Kennefick (€10.00)
Please note this Masterclass will be a webinar (online).
Are you looking to move into the next stage of your poetry writing journey? You might want to write better poems, more poems, publish work in journals or perhaps you are beginning to compile a pamphlet or first collection to submit to publishers – or maybe all of these? Transitions are challenging because they mean pushing through many forms of resistance disguised as procrastination, perfectionism, distraction, avoidance and all the many hues of self-sabotage – in an attempt to minimise any uncomfortable feelings. The fear is real, but so too is your capacity to push past these barriers and forge a sustainable connection with your true artist self.
