Thursday, October 01, 2009

Ireland's First Ever Fiction Slam with Mia Gallagher

Mia Gallagher

Over The Edge presents Ireland’s first ever fiction slam with Featured Reader, Mia Gallagher, at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, October 16th, 8pm.

Mia Gallagher is a writer and performer based in Dublin. Her debut novel HellFire (described as ‘a novel of many pleasures’ by Joe O’Connor and ‘a grand achievement’ by the Guardian) received international critical acclaim and the Literature Award in Irish Tatler’s Women of the Year 2007. Her short stories have been published in Ireland and abroad and have won the START short fiction award as well as being nominated for a Hennessy Award. She has also received Arts Council of Ireland funding for both literature and drama. Mia regularly gives workshops in creative writing, storytelling and performance as well as mentoring other writers on a one-to-one basis. She is currently Writer-in-Residence with the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology and Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Poetry slams have grown in popularity during the past few years, but now it’s the fiction writers’ turn. If you want take be part you need to register by e-mailing kphiggins@hotmail.com or texting your name to 087-6431748. The first nine fiction writers to do so will be guaranteed a place in the slam. Three additional places will be available on the night of the reading to the first three fiction writers to make it to Sheridan’s Wine Bar and give their names to MC Kevin Higgins. All participating writers should bring two pieces of their own fiction, as there are two rounds. The time limit in both rounds is five minutes. Extracts from longer stories are admissible. Stories do not have to be memorised. The Fiction Slam will be judged by a jury of audience members. Three writers will go through to the second round and the prize for the winner is a bottle of wine.

There is no entrance fee. All welcome. For further information contact 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing generous financial support of the Arts Council and Galway City Council.