May Over The Edge: Open Reading with Jacqueline Saphra, Anne Walsh Donnelly, Jessamine O’Connor PLUS launch of issue 10 of Skylight 47

The May ‘Over The Edge: Open Reading’ takes place in Galway City Library on Thursday, May 31^st, 6.30-8.00pm. The Featured Readers are Jacqueline Saphra, Jessamine O’Connor, &Anne Walsh Donnelly. The evening will also see the launch, by Jacqueline Saphra, of issue ten of perhaps Ireland’s most exciting, informative, and accessible poetry magazine Skylight 47. There will be readings by contributors. All welcome.  

Anne Walsh Donnelly lives in Mayo. Her work has been published in literary magazines such as Crannog, Boyne Berries and Inside the Bell Jar. Her stories have been shortlisted in competitions such as the Fish International Prize and RTE Radio One Frances Mac Manus competition. She was highly commended in the OTE New Writer of the Year (Poetry) Award in 2017 and recently won The Blue Nib Poetry Chapbook competition.

Jessamine O Connor facilitates The Hermit Collective arts troupe, The Wrong Side Of The Tracks Writers, and the Ballaghaderreen branch of Failte Isteach conversational English classes. She won the iYeats, the Francis Ledwidge, and the Poetry Ireland Butlers Café poetry competitions, and was short-listed for the Hennessy, Over The Edge, Cuirt New Writing, Galway Hospital Poems For Patience, Bradshaw Books, Leaf Books and Red Line Book Festival competitions. She is currently promoting her fifth chapbook Pact, and her first full collection of poems is coming out with Salmon in early 2020. Jessamine’s website is http://www.jessamineoconnor.com

Jacqueline Saphra

Jacqueline Saphra’s The Kitchen of Lovely Contraptions (flipped eye 2011) was shortlisted for the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize. If I Lay on my Back I Saw Nothing but Naked Women was published by (The Emma Press 2017) won the Saboteur Award for Best Collaborative Work. In 2017 A Bargain with the Light: Poems after Lee Miller was out from Hercules Editions and her latest collection from Nine Arches Press, All My Mad Mothers, was shortlisted for the 2017 T.S. Eliot prize. She lives in London and teaches at The Poetry School. www.jacquelinesaphra.com

Copies of the new issue of Skylight 47 will be on sale on the evening. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details phone 087-6431748

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council, Poetry Ireland & The Arts Council.

May Over The Edge Writers' Gathering - launch of four books PLUS 2018 Poems for Patience Winner

The May Over The Edge Writers’ Gathering presents an exciting variety of poetry and fiction, including the Galway launch of new poetry collections by Stephanie Conn, Robyn Rowland and Kate Ennals; the launch of Belfast writer Rosemary Jenkinson’s acclaimed new short story collection; and a reading from her work by Ruth Quinlan, the winner of the 2018 Poems For Patience competition. The event will take place at The Kitchen @ The Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway on Friday, May 18^th, 8pm. All are welcome. There is no cover charge.

Stephanie Conn

Stephanie Conn, from County Antrim, is a graduate of the Creative Writing M.A. Programme at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University Belfast. She is the winner of the 2015 Funeral Services NI Poetry Prize, the 2015 Yeovil Poetry Prize, the inaugural Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing and the 2016 Poetry Business Pamphlet Competition, which culminated in the publication of Copeland’s Daughter. Stephanie has also been shortlisted for many awards, including the 2012 Patrick Kavanagh Award and is the recipient of an ACES award. Her debut collection, The Woman from the Other Side, which we published in 2016, was shortlisted for the 2016 Shine/Strong Award. Stephanie’s follow-up collection entitled Island is published in May, 2018 by Doire Press.

Rosemary Jenkinson

Rosemary Jenkinson was born in Belfast and is an award-winning playwright and short story writer. Her plays include The Bonefire (winner of Stewart Parker BBC Radio Award 2006), The Winners, Johnny Meister + the Stitch, Basra Boy, White Star of the North, Planet Belfast and Meeting Miss Ireland. She won the 2001 Black Hill Magazine Short Story Competition, third prize in the Brian Moore Short Story Awards and was shortlisted for the 2002 Hennessy Award for New Writing. Her first collection of short stories, Contemporary Problems Nos. 53 & 54, was published in 2004 by Lapwing Press. Her second short story collection, Aphrodite’s Kiss & Further Stories, was published by Whittrick Press in 2016. She’s won many General Artist’s Awards from the ACNI and this year she has been awarded Artist-in-Residence at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast. Rosemary’s new short-story collection entitled Catholic Boys is published in May, 2018 by Doire Press. 

 

Robyn Rowland

Robyn Rowland is an Irish-Australian citizen living in both countries. She regularly works in Turkey. She has written 13 books, 10 of poetry. Her latest books are Mosaics from the Map (Doire Press, Galway, 2018), which will have its Galway launch on the evening, and her bi-lingual This Intimate War Gallipoli/Çanakkale 1915 – İçli Dışlı Bir Savaş: Gelibolu/Çanakkale 1915 (republished, Spinifex Press, Australia, 2018). Turkish trans. Mehmet Ali Çelikel. Robyn’s poetry appears in national and international journals and in over forty anthologies, including eight editions of Best Australian Poems. Her work is on film at the National Irish Poetry Archives, James Joyce Library, UCD. Dublin.

Kate Ennals

Kate Ennals is a poet and writer and has published poems and short stories in a range of literary and on line journals (Crannog, Skylight 47, Honest Ulsterman, Anomaly, The International Lakeview Journal, Boyne Berries, North West Words, The Blue Nib, Dodging the Rain plus many more). In 2017, she won the Westport Arts Festival Poetry Competition. Her first collection of poetry At The Edge was published in 2015. Her second collection, Threads, was published in April 2018 and will have its Galway launch on the evening. She has lived in Ireland for 25 years and currently runs poetry and writing workshops in County Cavan. Kate runs At The Edge, Cavan, a literary reading evening, funded by the Cavan Arts Office. Before doing an MA in Writing at NUI Galway in 2012, Kate worked in UK local government and the Irish community sector for thirty years, supporting local groups to engage in local projects and initiatives. Her blog can be found at http://kateennals.com 

Ruth Quinlan

This year Ruth Quinlan’s poem ‘Small Acts of Anticipation’ was the winning entry in Galway University Hospital’s Arts Trust’s hotly contested annual Poems  for Patience competition.   The poem will now be included in the Arts Trust’s Poems for Patience permanent poetry collection, on display in Galway University Hospitals. Ruth Quinlan won the 2014 Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Award and the 2012 Hennessy Literary Award for First Fiction. She has been shortlisted or runner-up for other competitions like Cúirt New Writing, the Francis Ledwidge Poetry Awards, and Doolin Writers’ Weekend.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing financial support of the Arts Council,

Poetry Ireland, and Galway City Council.

MAY POETRY WORKSHOPS AT GALWAY ARTS CENTRE

Starting in May, Galway Arts Centre is offering aspiring poets a choice of three poetry workshops, all facilitated by poet Kevin Higgins, whose best-selling first collection, The Boy With No Face, published by Salmon Poetry, was short-listed for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish poet. Kevin’s second collection of poems, Time Gentlemen, Please, was published in 2008 by Salmon Poetry and his poetry is discussed in The Cambridge Introduction to Modern Irish Poetry. His third collection Frightening New Furniture was published in 2010 by Salmon. His work also appears in the generation defining anthology Identity Parade –New British and Irish Poets (Ed. Roddy Lumsden, Bloodaxe, 2010) and The Hundred Years’ War: modern war poems (Ed Neil Astley, Bloodaxe April 2014).  A collection of Kevin’s essays and book reviews, Mentioning The War, was published by Salmon Poetry in 2012. Kevin’s poetry has been translated into Greek, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Japanese & Portuguese. His fourth collection of poetry, The Ghost in the Lobby, was published in 2014 by Salmon. Kevin's poetry was the subject of a paper 'The Case of Kevin Higgins, or, The Present State of Irish Poetic Satire' presented by David Wheatley at a Symposium on Satire at the University of Aberdeen. Kevin was satirist-in-residence with the alternative literature website The Bogman’s Cannon 2015-16 and is Writer-in-Residence at University Hospitals Galway. 2016 – The Selected Satires of Kevin Higgins was published by NuaScéalta in early 2016; a pamphlet of Kevin’s recent political poems The Minister For Poetry Has Decreed was published in 2016 by  the new Culture Matters imprint of U.K. based Manifesto Press. Song of Songs 2:0 – New & Selected Poems is published by Salmon (Spring 2017) and launched at the 2017 Cúirt Festival. The Stinging Fly magazine recently described Kevin as “likely the most widely read living poet in Ireland”. His poems have been quoted in The Daily Telegraph, The Times (UK), The Independent, The Daily Mirror, on Tonight With Vincent Browne; and read aloud by film director Ken Loach at a political meeting in London.

Kevin Higgins

Each week Kevin will give participants a poetry writing exercise for the following week and will offer each participant constructive suggestions as to how her or his poem can become the best possible poem it can be.

Kevin is an experienced workshop facilitator and several of his students have gone on to achieve publication success. One of his workshop participants at Galway Arts Centre won the prestigious Hennessy Award for New Irish Poetry, two have won the Cúirt New Writing Prize, and yet another the Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam, while several have published collections of their poems; two being shortlisted for the Shine-Strong Award for Best First Collection of poems. In 2013 a group of his students set up the poetry newspaper Skylight 47, which publishes new poems, reviews of poetry books and opinion pieces about poetry related matters. Kevin teaches poetry on the NUIG BA Creative Writing Connect programme and is Creative Writing Director for the NUI Galway Summer School. Kevin is also co-organiser of the successful Over The Edge reading series which specialises in promoting new writers.

Each workshop will run for eight weeks, commencing the week of Monday May 14^th.  They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm (first class Tuesday, May 15^th); on Thursday afternoons, 2-4pm (first class Thursday, May 17^th) and on Friday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class Friday, May 18^th).

The Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon workshops are open to both complete beginners as well as those who’ve been writing for some time. 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. The cost to participants is €90, with a €80 concession rate.

Places must be paid for in advance. To reserve a place contact reception at Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886, email info@galwayartscentre.ie, or go to GalwayArtsCentre.ie

May Daytime Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars at Galway Arts Centre

Starting in May, Galway Arts Centre presents a daytime class for all those beginner and continuing creative writing students out there, facilitated by Susan Millar DuMars. Susan Millar DuMars writes both poetry and fiction. A collection of her stories, Lights In The Distance, was published in December 2010 by Doire Press; she has published four collections of poetry, Big Pink Umbrella (2008), Dreams For Breakfast (2010), The God Thing (2013), & Bone Fire (2016) all with Salmon Poetry. Susan was the Featured Fiction writer in a recent issue of the American online magazine The Atticus Review. She is also co-organiser of the Over The Edge reading series which specifically promotes new writers. Susan edited the anthology Over the Edge – the first ten years, published by Salmon, which includes work by forty seven writers who have published a first book since they did a reading at an Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library. 

Susan Millar DuMars

The class is suitable for both beginning and continuing creative writing students, working in either poetry or fiction. Students will spend their weeks responding to writing exercises designed to inspire, rather than inhibit. In class, they will receive gentle feedback on their work from their classmates and from the teacher. The class takes place on Monday afternoons, 2.30-4.30pm, commencing on Monday, May 14^th. It runs for 6 weeks.

The cost to participants is 90 Euro with an 80 Euro concession price. Booking is essential as places are limited. There are no refunds once the class has started. For booking please contact Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886, email info@galwayartscentre.ie, or go to GalwayArtsCentre.ie

Over The Edge in association with the Cúirt Festival of International Literature presents the thirteenth annual New Writing Showcase

Dara Ó Foghlú, Vinny Steed, & Paul Denby.

Since its inception in 2006 the New Writing Showcase has grown to become one of the most important platforms for emerging writers in Ireland. This year’s Cúirt Over The Edge New Writing Showcase features three participants from the Over the Edge literary series in Galway – Paul Denby, Dara Ó Foghlú, & Vinny Steed – and Eimear O’Callaghan and Eoin Hegarty,  the winners of the Cúirt New Writing Poetry Prize 2018. The MC for the event will be regular Over The Edge host Susan Millar DuMars. It takes place on Wednesday, April 25^th, 11 am, at The Town Hall Theatre. Entry is free of charge. All welcome.

Fiction writer Dara Ó Foghlú is a native of Galway. He graduated from the Writing MA in NUI Galway in 2008. He has published his fiction in Ropes as well as in three collections of short stories with The Atlantis Collective, which were launched as part of the Cúirt festival. He has been a freelance editor for seven years, and has recently returned from Vietnam where he was editing state propaganda for the Communists. Dara was a Featured Reader at the September 2017 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Poet Vinny Steed has had work published abroad and in Ireland.  His poems have featured in the Galway Review, Headstuff, Skylight 47, Crannóg, Into the Void, Tales from the Forest magazine and in Ofi Press magazine.  He has been long listed for the Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition and short listed for the 2016 Doolin poetry competition.  One of his poems was nominated by Into the Void for the Pushcart Prize.  He attends poetry workshops in the Galway Arts Centre. Vinny was a Featured Reader at the January 2017 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Paul Denby has been in Galway since 2005, having previously lived in England and Germany. He studied Mathematics and Economics, and works as a Software Engineer. Paul participates in poetry workshops at the Galway Arts Centre and was shortlisted for the 2017 ‘Over the Edge’ New Writer of the Year Competition. Paul was a Featured Reader at the September 2017 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing financial support of The Arts Council, Galway City Council, and Poetry Ireland, and our ongoing partnership with the Cúirt Festival of International Literature.

March Over The Edge: Open Reading with Alice Kinsella, Geraldine O’Kane, & Simon Lewis

The March ‘Over The Edge: Open Reading’ takes place in Galway City Library on Thursday, March 29^th, 6.30-8.00pm. The Featured Readers are Simon Lewis, Geraldine O’Kane, & Alice Kinsella. There will as usual be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are always especially welcome at the open-mic. 

Alice Kinsella was born in Dublin in 1993, and raised in County Mayo. She holds a BA (Hons) in English Literature and Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin and is currently a student on the MA in Writing at NUI Galway. Her poetry appeared in a number of publications, including Headspace magazine, The Fem literary magazine, Poetry NI Holocaust Memorial Anthology, Poethead, Icarus, Headstuff, The Sunday Independent, Skylight47, Boyne Berries, A New Ulster, Live Encounters magazine, and The Ofi Press. She is included in Poethead’s ‘Contemporary Irish Women Poets’. Her work has been shortlisted for several competitions, including Creative Writing Ink January 2016, the Annual Bangor Poetry Competition 2016, Hungry Hills Wild Atlantic Words Poetry Competition 2016 and the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Competition 2016. She was commended in the Jonathan Swift Awards 2016. Her debut play ‘The Passing’ was staged as a part of ‘What’s the Story’ at the Liberties Festival 2016 and went on to be performed at Cruthú Arts Festival and Temple Bar Culture and Arts Festival in the same year. A short collection of Alice’s poems, Flower Press, was published last month by the U.K. based Onslaught Press and will be on sale on the evening. 

Geraldine O’Kane, originally from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, is a poet, creative writing facilitator, arts administrator, curator and mental health advocate. She recently received an Artist's Career Enhancement Scheme (ACES) award from Arts Council of Northern Ireland. Her pamphlet "Quick Succession" is available to purchase from Pen Points Press. She is working towards her first full collection of poems.  Geraldine is co-host and regular reader at the Purely Poetry open mic nights in Belfast. She has read her work  in numerous literary festivals and events both North and South. Her poetry is mostly inspired by observation, addresses the issues society would prefer not to talk about, and is firmly seeded in the oral tradition of storytelling. Her work has been published in anthologies from Community Arts Partnership, The Galway Review, Poethead, Poetry Super Highway, The Incubator, The Lake Poetry Journal, Boston Poetry Magazine and elsewhere.

Simon Lewis was the winner of the Hennessy Prize for Emerging Poetry and the runner up in the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award in 2015. He also featured in Poetry Ireland’s Introductions Series the same year. He has been shortlisted for the Shine/Strong Award, Listowel Poetry Prize, Strokestown International Poetry Prize and Bridport Prize and received commendations in the Gregory O’Donoghue prize and Dromineer Literary Prize. He has also been published in many literary journals and magazines including The Stony Thursday, Boyne Berries, Literary Orphans, The Stinging Fly, Bare Hands, and Irish Literary Review. His first collection of poems, Jewtown, was published in 2016 by Doire Press to wide critical acclaim. Simon lives in Carlow with his wife, Rozz, and their son, Emrys. Simon works in Carlow Town as the principal of the local Educate Together primary school.

As usual there will be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are always particularly welcome. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details phone 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of Galway City Council, Poetry Ireland & The Arts Council.