Climate Writing Session with Alice Kinsella, Philip Hoare and Dr Simon Berrow

Join us for the next online Irish Writers Centre Climate Writing Session, in which host Alice Kinsella will be joined by non-fiction writer and Baillie Gifford Prize-winner, Philip Hoare, and CEO of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Dr Simon Berrow. There is no fee for attending these sessions; they are a gift to all writers to take away and use with the goal of exploring climate action through their creative writing.

What do we do in these sessions?

Each session lasts one and a half hours and can consist of the following:

• Interview guest author – literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, speculative fiction, essay, etc.
• Interview guest NGO, politician, policy maker, or scientist involved in conservation, climate justice, ecology, politics, industry, law, agriculture, finance etc.
• Guest publishers and editors
• Discussions
• Writing exercises

Who is it for?

• Anyone with an interest in exploring climate action in their work
• Anyone interested in writing fiction (all genres), non-fiction, poetry, memoir, creative non-fiction. You do NOT have to change the genre you write in, you can simply embed some positive climate solutions into your writing
• You can be at any stage of your writing career, from beginner to published
• Those with a background in climate change, or newcomers who want to know more
• Book lovers

Host and Guests

• Alice Kinsella
• Philip Hoare
• Dr Simon Berrow

Biographies below.

Photograph: Alice Kinsella

Alice Kinsella is a writer from Mayo. Her prose debut Milk: on motherhood and madness (Picador, 2023) was published to critical acclaim. She co-edited Empty House: poetry and prose on the climate crisis (Doire Press, 2021), and co-authored Wake of the Whale (Mayo Books, 2024) which was a Sunday Independent Book of the Year. Kinsella has received multiple bursaries and residencies, including the Arts Council of Ireland Next Generation Award. She is a founding member of Caomhnú Creative, a collective of artists and producers working in heritage and environmental conservation. Caomhnú Creative is a Druid Theatre FUEL programme resident for 2025. Her debut full-length poetry collection The Ethics of Cats (Broken Sleep) is forthcoming in June 2025.

Photograph: Howard Sooley

Philip Hoare is the author of ten works of non-fiction. His Leviathan won the Baillie Gifford Prize, and the New York Times praised his last book, Albert & the Whale, as the result of ‘the forceful weather system that is Hoare’s imagination’. The Observer’s Laura Cumming called his writing ‘the animating magic that brings people of the past directly into our present and unleashes spectacular visions along the way’. His new book, William Blake and the Sea Monsters of Love, celebrates the shape-shifting power of Blake’s visionary imagination and its ability to change the way we see our world. The Times saw it as ‘life-changing’, ‘dazzling’ and ‘uncategorisable’, and the TLS called it ‘audacious and intriguing’, a book which ‘casts its own spell’. Philip lives in Southampton, on the south coast of England, and swims every day in the sea.

Dr Simon Berrow has been working on cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in Ireland since 1987. He is founder member and current CEO, of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (www.iwdg.ie) which coordinate All-Ireland long term recording schemes. The data from these schemes support the development of conservation policies and best practice guidelines for the conservation and management of cetaceans in Ireland. He is founder member of the Irish Basking Shark Group which was formed in 2008, primarily to seek legal protection for sharks in Ireland, which was achieved in 2023. He also lectures at the Atlantic Technological University, Galway, contributing to the Applied Freshwater and Marine Biology degree and a number of Masters programmes and supervising four PhD candidates. He has over 200 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals to his name and sits on a number of scientific committees, including the National Biodiversity Forum.

Quotes from past attendees:

“I learned a tremendous amount about what can work and what not to do when writing about this topic. This was a very enjoyable, instructive evening. A few hours very well spent.”

“Its a great monthly way for me to stay thinking and writing about these topics. Kerri and Lynn before her are excellent hosts.”

“This was a brilliant time drawing my heart to engage people young or old with stories with positive solutions. Really encourage to use both climate change knowledge in a practical way. Loved every minute of good wholesome advice.”

This event is part of a series of online webinars made possible by

 Dublin UNESCO City of Literature

The Irish Writers Centre is supported by the Arts Council of Ireland