Climate Writing Session with Alice Kinsella, Ruby Free and Sinéad Moran

Join us for the next online Irish Writers Centre Climate Writing Session, in which host Alice Kinsella will be joined by award-winning campaigner, writer and conservation biologist Ruby Free, and farmer and researcher, Sinéad Moran. 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
• Ruby Free
• Sinéad Moran

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.

Ruby Free is an award-winning Campaigner, Writer and Conservation Biologist based in County Antrim.
Passionate about saving nature and reconnecting people to it, she’s worked and volunteered in the environmental conservation sector since she was 16 and has been named one of the 100 most influential Environmental Professionals in the UK on the ENDS Power List. Ruby’s best-selling book Rathlin A Wild Life, is a memoir about living and working on Rathlin Island was published by Blackstaff Press in 2024. She also writes a nature and climate column for the Irish News. Ruby has pursued an MSc in Ecological Management and Conservation Biology, which took her to another island off the coast of Canada where she conducted her research thesis and is now working as a policy officer to end plastic pollution.
Recently, Ruby has been working away @BallyconnellyFarm with her partner Craig, setting up a community growing space and rewilding areas of the farm for nature. Alongside her passion of nature-writing, these days any spare opportunity to unwind is spent adventuring with her dog Isla, surfing, growing food or illustrating.

Sinéad Moran and her partner MJ returned to farming in 2016 and now operate a micro dairy, managing a small herd of traditional breed cows on 27 acres of High Nature Value Farmland in the West of Ireland. They are passionate about conserving the species rich grass, mature trees and biodiversity that is found on their farm. Their objective is to produce fair food, farmed in harmony with nature for a fair price. They operate an open farm policy, hosting tours and walks throughout the seasons to help reconnect people to food and how it is produced. Sinead is a Trinity College Dublin Natural Science Graduate with a Masters from NUI Galway in Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. Her research looked at the potential of sustainable diets to reduce national GHG emissions. She has professional experience in the environmental and development NGO sector. She co-founded a social enterprise (Foodture) whose mission was to nurture a culture of food citizenship: inspiring citizens to connect directly with farmers through a food map, digital content and events. She farms full-time at Gleann Bui and is Communications Officer for an EIP. She writes a little www.gleannbuifarm.ie

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