Galway City Museum Lunchtime Reading

Colette Nic Aodha's most recent poetry collections,
'Sundial' and 'Between Curses / Bainne Géar'
are published by Arlen House.



Her work is included in the Field Day Anthology
of Irish Writing and The White Page /
An Bhileog Bhán, among other anthologies.
She is a member of the Board of Directors
of Poetry Ireland and of the Irish Language
Festival, IMRAM. She works in the National
University of Ireland, Galway.

The Galway City Museum Poetry Reading
takes place on the special date
Sept. 07 / 07 at 1 pm.

A contribution of 5 Euro is welcomed.

For more information contact John Walsh
on 091 593290 or johnwa@iolfree.ie

Winner of Over The Edge 'New Writer of The Year' competition

Kevin Lavelle Over The Edge 'New Writer of The Year' 2007

Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition sponsored by Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop



The winner of the inaugural Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition is Kevin Lavelle, from Barna, County Galway, for his story Bury Me In The Garden. The winning story will appear in the Oct.-Dec. issue of the Galway Arts Centre's journal, West 47 online. Kevin will be a featured reader at the November 22nd, all-fiction Over the Edge: Open Reading.

Second place was taken by poet Cate Huguelet, while joint third place went to fiction writers Aidan Hynes and Claire Anderson-Wheeler.

A short-list of eight was chosen from the long-list of sixteen.

The short-listed writers were

Claire Anderson-Wheeler, Paris, France
Megan Buckley, Galway City
Paul Duffy, Dublin
Cate Huguelet, Cork City
Aidan Hynes, Dublin
Kevin Lavelle, Galway County
Alan McMonagle, Galway City
Grace Wells, County Tipperary


The writers who made the long-list were

Claire Anderson-Wheeler, Paris, France
Megan Buckley, Galway City
Evan Costigan, Co. Kildare
Philip Crymble, County Dublin
Paul Duffy, Dublin
Vincent Flannery, County Galway
Aideen Henry, Galway City
Cate Huguelet, Cork City
Aidan Hynes, Dublin
Maureen Kelly, County Galway
Miceál Kearney, County Galway
Kevin Lavelle, County Galway
Alan McMonagle, Galway City
J.K. Morrissey, Dun Laoghaire
Neil Ward, Dublin
Grace Wells, County Tipperary

The winner was announced at the first Over The Edge: Open Reading after the Summer break in Galway City Library this Thursday, August 30th, 6.30pm.

The competition judge was Alan Jude Moore, a Featured Reader at the reading on Thursday. His reading was sponsored by Poetry Ireland. The other Featured Readers were Margaret Faherty and Tom Lavelle.

The competition was a great success, yielding 116 submissions. We're very grateful to the contestants, our judge and Charlie Byrne's bookshop for their sponsorship.

Micéal Kearney to read at Vilenica Festival, Slovenia

Miceál Kearney, winner of this year's Cúírt Poetry Grand Slam is off this week to read at Slovenia’s 22nd Vilenica International Literary Festival on September 8th, 11am at the Štanjel Literary.








Micéal also won the inaugural Cuisle Festival Poetry Slam in Limerick last October. Poems of his have recently been accepted for publication in The Shop and The Cork Literary Review. He will also feature in a forthcoming anthology from Cinnamon Press.

Australian Poet at Galway City Museum

Friday Lunchtime Reading Series in Galway City Museum
August 31st at 1pm.
Miceál Kearney (Winner Cúirt Grand Slam '07)
and Mark O'Flynn (Australia).

Miceál Kearney, poet and performer,takes to the road in September for Brighton,Chicago and Slovenia.He is taking this opportunity to give us a preview of the set he will be performing at the Green Mill in Chicago and at the Literary Festival in Slovenia.

Mark O'Flynn, is a poet, novelist and playwright from Australia.He has had 7 plays produced back home in Australia and his third collection of poetry is due out this year. At present he is at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre working on his third novel and is coming to Galway especially for his reading in the Galway City Museum.

Contribution: 5 Euro
Info: John Walsh @ 593290

Poetry workshops with Kevin Higgins at Galway Arts Centre

Galway Arts Centre is offering a choice of three poetry workshops, facilitated by Kevin Higgins, whose first collection of poems, ‘The Boy With No Face’, published by Salmon Poetry, was short-listed for the 2006 Strong Award. ‘The Boy With No Face’ was Salmon Poetry’s bestselling book of 2005 and has recently been reprinted.


Kevin Higgins is an experienced workshop facilitator and several of his students have gone on to achieve publication success. He is also co-organiser of the popular Over The Edge literary events.

Each workshop will run for ten weeks.They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm; Wednesday afternoons, 2-3.30pm; and on Thursday afternoons, 2-3.30pm. The Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon workshops are open to both complete beginners as well as those who’ve been writing for some time. These workshops commence the week of September 17th. The Thursday afternoon workshop is an Advanced Poetry Workshop, suitable for those who’ve participated in poetry workshops before or had poems published in magazines. It commences on Thursday, September 27th.

The cost to participants is €100, with an €90 concession rate.Places must be paid for in advance. To reserve a place contact Victoria at reception at Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street. Phone 091 565886 or email victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

The popular ‘Over The Edge: Open Reading’ series returns to Galway City Library after the Summer break on Thursday, August 30th 6.30-8.00pm. The Featured Readers are Tom Lavelle, Margaret Faherty & Alan Jude Moore. The reading is sponsored by Poetry Ireland.


Tom Lavelle lives in Galway and works as the finance director of a manufacturing company. He began writing poetry quite recently, having attended workshops in the Galway Arts Centre. His work has appeared in West 47 online and The Cuirt Annual. He lives in Galway.

Margaret Faherty has published short stories in literary journals and magazines; she was an award winner for both short fiction and poetry at the Moore Literary Festival. Her work has featured on BBC Radio 4 and on RTE’s Sunday Miscellany and Living Word. She has also been published in the DIVAS! anthology. She lives in Galway.

Alan Jude Moore’s poetry has been widely published in Ireland, Europe and the USA. His fiction has twice been short-listed for the Hennessy Literary Award. His first collection of poetry, Black State Cars, was published by Salmon Poetry in 2004. A selection of poems from Black State Cars was published last year in translation by the Moscow literary journal, Novaya Junost. He currently lives in Dublin.

There will be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are always welcome.

The evening will also see the announcement of the winner of the Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition.

The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details phone 087-6431748.

Creative Writing for Beginners at GMIT

The course is facilitated by Susan Millar DuMars. She will give support, instruction and feedback to students who are interested in writing either fiction (short stories, novels) or poetry. The first part of each class is devoted to instruction. In the second part, students read their homework assignments aloud and receive feedback from the instructor and the class. An atmosphere of trust and mutual encouragement is built during these workshop sessions.

The eight sessions will cover

*Techniques for forming ideas and getting started

*Creating characters

*The importance of sound in poetry

*Engaging the reader's five senses

*Stream of consciousness writing

*Using figures of speech

*Learning through imitating published writers

*How to edit and present your writing

The course runs one evening per week (Wednesday) for 8 weeks from 7.30 p.m.- 9.30 p.m and commences on Wednesday, September 26th.

The course fee is €120. To register contact Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway. Tel: 091 753 161 or see http://www.gmit.ie/lifelong-learning/lifelong-learning-programmes/lifelonglearning-general/creative-writing-beginners.html

Creative Writing for Beginners at Galway Arts Centre

Creative Writing for Beginners with Susan Millar DuMars

This September Galway Arts Centre presents a daytime class for all those beginner writers out there, facilitated by Susan Millar DuMars. Susan Millar DuMars writes both poetry and fiction. A collection of her stories, ‘American Girls’, was published by Lapwing Press in April; her first collection of poetry, ‘The Wellspring Wife’, is forthcoming in 2008 from Salmon Poetry. Susan is a renowned creative writing teacher, and with her husband Kevin Higgins co-organises the Over The Edge readings in Galway City Library.

The class runs for ten weeks, commencing on Monday September 17th, 2-3.30pm. It will be a gentle introduction to fiction, poetry and autobiographical writing. Through in-class exercises, homework assignments and work-shopping of pieces, participants will be encouraged to discover and refine their own voices and material. An atmosphere of mutual support and fun will be encouraged.

Places cost €110 and must be paid for in advance. There is a concession price. For booking please contact Vicky at reception at Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street. Phone Vicky on 091 565886 or email victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

Dates for Galway Arts Centre Poetry Slams

The dates for the autumn/winter Galway Arts Centre Poetry Slams in The Ruby Room at The Kings Head, High Street, Galway are

Tues 25 Sept

Tues 30 Oct

Tues 27 Nov

Tues 11 Dec

All 7-8pm

Each month's winner qualifies for the 2008 Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam.

For further details contact Maura Kennedy at 091-565886 or call in to Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, Galway.

The winner of this year's Cúírt Poetry Grand Slam was Micéal Kearney, the joint runners-up Gary King and Katie Lawless. Previous winners are Brendan Murphy, Steve Murray, Trish Casey & Kevin Higgins.

Upcoming Lunchtime Readings at Galway City Museum

Upcoming North Beach Poetry Nights - SLAMS

Aoife Casby to read at Westport Arts Festival

*Voices of the West*:
Poetry and short story reading
An eclectic mix of poetry and prose
read by Ger Reidy, Paddy Guthrie and Aoife Casby.
At The Westport Arts Festival 2007
In The Sea Sky Shore Gallery, Westport, Co. Mayo
On Sunday 2nd September At 6pm
Wine and cheese will be provided.
Sponsored by Andrew Carney Construction.

Perciphone Petticoat at North Beach Poetry Nights

North Beach Poetry Nights
presents
Perciphone Petticoat
Thursday 23rd August at 9pm
BK's Winebar, Spanish Parade, Galway





Perciphone Petticoat theatrical poetry performer, writer, singer songwriter, musician, is a fresh and entertaining face in the world of performance poetry and entertainment.

Perciphone uses enchanting lines, beguiling and palatable - weaving their way in and out of the cold hard truths being projected. From surrealism to social dysfunction - sexuality to empathy, fairytales to self-harm, Perciphone Petticoat often flirts on a rather risqué edge. However, pertinent subjects delivered graphically, are skillfully tempered, allowing ideas that would otherwise be unpalatable to be considered.

Her performance sites can be found at http://www.myspace.com/perciphonepetticoat2.

Her music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/perciphone.

Also The North Beach Poetry Nights' 2 - Round Slam
Poets wishing to enter the Slam are requested to bring along 2 poems, max. 3 minutes each. The winner of the Slam receives a bottle of red wine courtesy of BK's Winebar and automatically goes forward to the North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam on December 22nd. The prize for the winner of the Grand Slam is publication of a collection of the winner's poetry.

Admission 5 Euro

Information: John Walsh @ 091-593290 or johnwa@iolfree.ie

OPEN-AIR CELEBRATIONS OF WORLD MUSIC IN GALWAY

OPEN-AIR CELEBRATIONS OF WORLD MUSIC IN GALWAY

Sean Agus Nua concerts scheduled for Galway City: August 18th and August 25th, 2007

Following the recent release of the excellent CD, Éagsúlacht!, the Sean Agus Nua initiative has now scheduled two free open-air concerts to take place in August. These events will feature prominent ethnic musicians from diverse regions of the world now based in Galway, and establishing names for themselves locally, in a rousing celebration of the city’s newfound multicultural identity.

The first of these is to take place in the courtyard of Galway City Museum on Saturday, August 18th, between 12am and 4pm. The line-up for this event is as follows:
· Os Immigrantes (Brazilian Samba)

· Night Elvs (Filipino Rock)

· Dusty Banjos (Irish trad)

· Silnamandla (South African female vocal group)

· Granam (eclectic folk combo, featuring musicians of Poland, France and elsewhere).

Then, on Saturday August 25th from 2pm, a further concert of multicultural celebration is to be held in Eyre Square. The line-up for this event is as follows:

Natty Wailer and his band (authentic Jamaican Reggae outfit fronted by former member of the legendary Bob Marley and the Wailers)

The Rye (high-octane fusion of Irish trad, blues and rock, featuring quality musicians from Germany and Ireland)

Vesuwave (Funky Latin Rock, fronted by highly-regarded Italian guitarist / vocalist, Vincenzo Donnarumma)

Cafe Minor (successful Scandinavian quartet, well-known throughout the West of Ireand, who specialise mainly in Gypsy and Klezmer).

Baslowa (very popular and long-established local Congolese Rhumba outfit)

Contact: Brian MacNamara
Mobile: 087 7954940
Email: buttermilklane@yahoo.co.uk

These events are being supported by Ireland West, Towards A City of Equals, Galway Arts Office, and local businesses.

Lunchtime with the Poetry Chicks at Galway City Museum

Friday 17th August

Lunchtime Reading in Galway City Museum
with The Poetry Chicks at 1 pm.

Contribution: 5 Euro

The Poetry Chicks:

Pamela Brown
Pamela is a published poet and creative writing facilitator who has written comedy sketches for radio. She has had two plays produced; one was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 1993. Collaborating with photographer Jan Voster, her work has also been exhibited in Holland. Pamela helped establish The Poets' Corner, a wall in the Gasyard area of Derry displaying poems from local teenagers and primary school children. She received a commendation in Community Drama at the University of Ulster, Magee and has participated in workshops by Augusto Boal - Theatre of the Oppressed, and Barney Simon - The Market Theatre, Johannesburg. A creative writing facilitator, Pamela also practices Bio-energy, Reiki and Tai Chi.

Jenni Doherty
Donegal-born, Jenni has worked in bookshops, with local publishing houses and as an arts & book reviewer for the local press. In 2006 she directed a multi-creative discipline project called EVE... a Celebration of Creative Women, published with Guildhall Press, Derry and is about to publish another anthology, Wonderful World of Worders involving over 70 international writers. Co-author of local folklore book, That Land Beyond, she has also toured Australia with the Belfast Poets Tour Group in 2006 and was a finalist in the Queensland SLAM. She works in Waterside Library and for Guildhall Press as well as co-facilitates youth creative writing workshops and runs the monthly BBC RaW Poetry Place in Derry's Central Library.

Abby Oliveira
Abby has lived in Northern Ireland since 1994. She was the winner of the Belfast Poetry Performance Cup 2006 and Cúirt SLAM Finalist 2007. Literary Festival Facilitator for the Gasyard Féile 2005, Abby also has a strong background in the Performing Arts. She has facilitated poetry workshops in Toronto, Canada, and performs regularly with In Your Space theatre company. Abby has a BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies from the University of Ulster, Coleraine and she was awarded a First Class Honours Degree and the Dean's Prize, 2005. She also conducts art and craft workshops with groups of all ages and is a Bio-energy and Reiki practitioner.

For more information contact John Walsh on 091-593290

Poetry Chicks at North Beach Poetry Nights

North Beach Poetry Nights presents
Abby Oliveira, Pamela Brown, Jenni Doherty



The Poetry Chicks from Derry
Thursday 16th August 9pm
BK's Winebar, Spanish Parade, Galway

also the return of the North Beach Poetry Nights' Slam

and INTRODUCING the NORTH BEACH POETRY PUBLICATION PRIZE for the Winner of the North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam to be held on Saturday 22 December in the Bank of Ireland Theatre, NUIG.

The Poetry Chicks:

Pamela Brown
Pamela is a published poet and creative writing facilitator who has written comedy sketches for radio. She has had two plays produced; one was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 1993. Collaborating with photographer Jan Voster, her work has also been exhibited in Holland. Pamela helped establish The Poets' Corner, a wall in the Gasyard area of Derry displaying poems from local teenagers and primary school children. She received a commendation in Community Drama at the University of Ulster, Magee and has participated in workshops by Augusto Boal - Theatre of the Oppressed, and Barney Simon - The Market Theatre, Johannesburg. A creative writing facilitator, Pamela also practices Bio-energy, Reiki and Tai Chi.

Jenni Doherty
Donegal-born, Jenni has worked in bookshops, with local publishing houses and as an arts & book reviewer for the local press. In 2006 she directed a multi-creative discipline project called EVE... a Celebration of Creative Women, published with Guildhall Press, Derry and is about to publish another anthology, Wonderful World of Worders involving over 70 international writers. Co-author of local folklore book, That Land Beyond, she has also toured Australia with the Belfast Poets Tour Group in 2006 and was a finalist in the Queensland SLAM. She works in Waterside Library and for Guildhall Press as well as co-facilitates youth creative writing workshops and runs the monthly BBC RaW Poetry Place in Derry's Central Library.

Abby Oliveira
Abby has lived in Northern Ireland since 1994. She was the winner of the Belfast Poetry Performance Cup 2006 and Cúirt SLAM Finalist 2007. Literary Festival Facilitator for the Gasyard Féile 2005, Abby also has a strong background in the Performing Arts. She has facilitated poetry workshops in Toronto, Canada, and performs regularly with In Your Space theatre company. Abby has a BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies from the University of Ulster, Coleraine and she was awarded a First Class Honours Degree and the Dean's Prize, 2005. She also conducts art and craft workshops with groups of all ages and is a Bio-energy and Reiki practitioner.

THE NORTH BEACH POETRY NIGHTS' GRAND SLAM and PUBLICATION PRIZE: The winner of each of the 10 North Beach Poetry Nights' Slams from August until 20 December will go through automatically to the Grand Slam on Saturday 22 December.

Another 10 entrants will be selected by submission of written and recorded material. Submission fee: 10 Euro.

The winner of the North Beach Nights' Grand Slam will be chosen by a team of experienced poetry performance judges.

The prize is publication of a collection of the winner's poetry.

Information: John Walsh 091-593290