Follow Over The Edge on Twitter

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

May Over The Edge Writers' Gathering with Art Stringer, Ron Houchin, Jane Williams & Sarah Griffin


The Over The Edge May Writers’ Gathering presents readings by poets from the United States and Australia plus the launch of a new collection of poetry by one of Irish poetry’s exciting new talents. Art Stringer, Ron Houchin & Jane Williams will read their work at The Kitchen @ The Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway on Friday, May 13th, 8pm. The evening will also see the launch by Professor Adrian Frazier of Follies, the debut poetry collection by Sarah Griffin, which has just been published by Lapwing Press. All are welcome.

A. E. Stringer is the author of two collections of poems, Channel Markers (Wesleyan University Press) and Human Costume (Salmon Poetry). His work has appeared in such journals as The Nation, Antaeus, The Ohio Review, Denver Quarterly, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Poetry Northwest, and in Backcountry: Contemporary Writing in West Virginia. He has edited and introduced a new edition of Louise McNeill’s Paradox Hill, (West Virginia University Press, 2009). He has read his work in a wide range of American locales and also previously in Galway. For twenty years, he has taught writing and literature at Marshall University in West Virginia USA.

Ron Houchin lives on the banks of the Ohio River across from his hometown of Huntington, West Virginia. For thirty years, he taught public school in the Appalachian region of southernmost Ohio. He has three books published by Salmon Publishing, Death And The River (1997), Moveable Darkness (2002), and Museum Crows (2009). His other books Among Wordless Things (2004) and Birds In The Tops Of Winter Trees (2008) were published by Wind Publications of Nicholasville, Kentucky. His awards include Appalachian-Book-of-the-Year-in-Poetry, a National Society of Arts and Letters Prize, an Ohio Arts Council Fellowship, a poetry prize from Indiana University, a Writers’ Digest Award.

Jane Williams was born in England in 1964 to an Irish father and Australian mother. She has lived all her adult life in Australia where her poetry has been widely published since the early 1990’s. Awards for her poetry include the Anne Elder Award for her first book outside temple boundaries, the Bruce Dawe Poetry Prize and the D.J.O'Hearn Memorial Fellowship. She is the author of four collections of poems and lives in Tasmania. Samples of her work can be found at http://www.janewilliams.wordpress.com/

Sarah Maria Griffin is currently completing her MA in Writing at NUI Galway. Sarah won first prize at the 2010 Over the Edge Fiction Slam in Galway and has appeared on RTE Radio’s Arena speaking about and performing her poetry. She recently took part in a Culture Ireland sponsored showcase of the best of Irish performance poetry at the famous Nuyorican Poets’ Café in New York City. Follies, Sarah’s debut collection of poetry, has just been published by Lapwing Press and will be launched by Professor Adrian Frazier, Director of the MA in Writing at NUI Galway.

There is no entrance fee. The Kitchen @ The Museum has a wine licence. 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.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Irish Writers' Centre: Poetry and Short Stories Publishing Seminar

On Saturday 2nd July the Irish Writers' Centre is hosting a day-long Poetry and Short Stories Publishing Seminar with leading figures across a variety of branches of the publishing industry.

Talks will be given by Ciaran Carty, Editor of New Irish Writing; Declan Meade, Editor of the Stinging Fly; Jessie Lendennie, Managing Director of Salmon Poetry; Kevin Barry, Short Story Writer and Novelist; and Kevin Higgins, Poet and Co-organiser of Over The Edge Reading Series.

From 10.30am to 4.30pm. Tickets €60 or €50 for members.
--
Irish Writers' Centre
19 Parnell Square
Dublin 1
t: +353 (0)1 872 1302
e: info@writerscentre.ie
http://www.writerscentre.ie

Monday, April 18, 2011

Poetry Workshops at Galway Arts Centre with Kevin Higgins STARTING IN MAY

Starting in early 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 last year by Salmon and his work also appears in the generation defining anthology Identity Parade –New British and Irish Poets (Ed. Roddy Lumsden, Bloodaxe, 2010). Kevin’s next collection The Ghost in The Lobby will be published next year by Salmon.

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, another the Cúirt New Writing Prize, while several have published collections of their poems. 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 May 2nd. They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm (first class May 3rd); on Thursday afternoons, 2-4pm (first class May 5th) and on Friday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class May 6th).

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 an €80 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 

Daytime Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars at Galway Arts Centre STARTING IN MAY

Starting in May, Galway Arts Centre presents a daytime class for all those beginner and continuing creative writing students out there, both facilitated by Susan Millar DuMars. Susan Millar DuMars writes both poetry and fiction. A collection of her stories, Lights In The Distance, was published last year by Doire Press; she has published two collection of poetry, Big Pink Umbrella (2008) and Dreams For Breakfast (2010) both with Salmon Poetry. She is also co-organiser of the Over The Edge reading series which specifically promotes new writers.

The class is suitable for both beginning and continuing creative writing students, working in either poetry or fiction. Students will spend their week 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, 2-3.30pm, commencing on Monday May 9th and runs for eight weeks.

The cost to participants is 90 Euro with an 80 Euro concession price. Booking is essential as places are limited. For booking please contact Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886 or email victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Poetry Chicks at May North Beach Poetry Nights PLUS monthly slam

North Beach Poetry Nights' Slam

on Monday 9th May

in the Crane Bar at 9 pm

with The Poetry Chicks from Derry.
Abby Oliveira and Pamela Brown have been performing together as The Poetry Chicks since 2006. They are based in Derry and are regular performers on the British and Irish poetry scenes, including appearances at Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival and Flatlake Literary Festival. Together they perform uncompromising and original work. They are modern bards with an ancient mission - to rekindle the verve of Spoken Word in their endless search for the truth about the world and about themselves.

Reviews

‘...the best thing to happen to Irish literature since the beatniks…’ Pat McCabe (author The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto)

‘the Poetry Chicks (and Connor Kelly)…so sexy your eyes will water…are among the wonders of the modern age, or soon will be!’ Eamonn McCann (Journalist Hot Press)

‘…the wonderfully entertaining Poetry Chicks.’ Brian O’Connell (The Irish Times.com)

Abby Oliveira was born in Scotland in 1982. Since graduating with a 1st class BAHons degree in Theatre Studies in 2004 she has worked in theatre, poetry/prose/stage writing and street performance and performs regularly with groups such as In Your Space and Sole Purpose Productions, Derry. She has also facilitated writing workshops extensively throughout the country and abroad with children and adults of all ages, and her poetry has been widely published. She was the winner of the Belfast Poetry Performance Cup (2006) and a finalist in the Cúirt, Electric Picnic, Glastonbury festival (2009), and Belfast Poetry Slams (2007), as well as a semi finalist in the BBC Radio 4 slam (2009).

Pamela Brown is a published poet who has written comedy sketches for radio. She has had two plays produced; one of which was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (1993). Collaborating with the Dutch photographer Jan Voster, her work has been exhibited in Holland and Ireland. Working for Artists in Creative Enterprise she was a leading facilitator for Wordflight, a prose and poetry project resulting in an anthology by young writers. She was involved with the Your Space or Mine? A project run by ARTS, a research group in the Architecture department at the University of Ulster. Pamela has a commendation in Community Drama from the University of Ulster.

Poets wishing to enter the May Slam should have 2 max. 3 minute poems.


The poem for the 2nd round must be performed without a script.


Door 5/3 Euro.


Info: John@ 091-593290


North Beach Poetry Nights acknowledges the generous support of Galway City Council.

On The Farm presents Mixed Grazing

On the Farm

Presents:

Mixed Grazing

Sarah Clancy (poetry)
Tom Cussen (music)
Alan McMonagle (fiction)
Rab Fulton (storyteller)

May 21st 1pm
Ballinderreen, Co. Galway
M.C: Brendan Murphy

Event not weather permitting

Details and Directions:
087 9139698


And it’s Free.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Sarah Clancy wins 2011 Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam

Congratulations to Sarah Clancy who this afternoon won the 2011 Poetry Grand Slam at The Cúirt International Festival of Literature with her poem 'Hippy Get A Job'. Sarah will now perform at the Vilenica International Literary Festival in Slovenia in September. On Wednesday Sarah was one of the readers at this year's Cúirt / Over The Edge Showcase reading at the Druid Lane Theatre.

Congratulations also to Laurie Leech and Adam White who took second and third place respectively. Sarah, Laurie and Adam will now perform their work at the Electric Picnic Festival in August.

Friday, March 11, 2011

2011 Cúirt Over The Edge Showcase reading with Sarah Clancy, Nicola Griffin, Paul Casey PLUS Cúirt New Writing Prize Winners

2011 Cúirt Over The Edge Showcase Reading
Wednesday, April 13th, 3.30pm
Druid Lane Theatre
All welcome

The 2011 Cúirt Over The Edge showcase reading takes place as part of this year's Cúirt International Festival of Literature at the Druid Lane Theatre, Galway on Wednesday, April 13th, 3.30pm. The writers showcased this year are Sarah Clancy, Nicola Griffin &  Paul Casey. The reading will be introduced by regular Over The Edge host, Susan Millar DuMars.

This event has grown since its inception in 2006 to become one of Ireland's premier platforms for showcasing new poets and fiction writers. Participating writers have previously been Featured Readers at Ireland's most successful reading series, the Over The Edge: Open Readings in Galway City Library. This year the three winners of the Cúirt New Writing Prize 2011 (to be announced) will read with the Over The Edge writers. The Cúirt New Writing Prize is kindly sponsored by Tígh Neactain in memory of Lena Maguire. http://www.galwayartscentre.ie/cuirt/literature/118.html

Sarah Clancy is from Salthill. She is a participant in the Galway Arts Centre Poetry Workshops facilitated by Kevin Higgins. This year, in a display of what she describes as beginners luck, Sarah was shortlisted in the poetry section of the WOW awards, the Listowel Writers Week Collection of Poetry Competition and the Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. Her poems feature in Behind The Masks, a publication of work by participants in the advanced poetry workshop at Galway Arts Centre. A collection of her poems, Stacy and The Mechanical Bull, was published recently by Lapwing Press. Sarah was a Featured Reader at the August 2010 Over The Edge: Open Reading. http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/2010/08/august-over-edge-open-reading-with.html


Nicola Griffin grew up in Cheshire in the North West of England and studied Psychology and Sociology at the University of Keele in Staffordshire. She has lived in East Clare since 1997. She writes poetry, non-fiction and fiction, is a graduate of the MA in Writing at NUIG and a participant in the Advanced Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre. She has a regular column in Inland Waterways News and her poetry has recently been published in Ropes Unravelled, The Sunday Tribune, The Stinging Fly, Behind The Masks, Crannóg and Nthposition.com. Nicola won the poetry section in the 2010 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. She was a Featured Reader at the September 2010 Over The Edge: Open Reading. http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/2010/09/september-over-edge-open-reading-with.html



Paul Casey was born in Cork in 1968. He has lived in a number of countries in Europe and Africa working mostly in film, multimedia and teaching. Paul taught scriptwriting at the Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. He now organises the weekly Ó Bhéal poetry event in Cork city. His poetry and reviews have appeared in a number of Irish journals including THE SHOp, Revival, Cork Literary Review, Southword and Census. A chapbook of Paul’s longer poems, It’s Not All Bad, was published by Heaventree Press in May 2009. In June 2010 he completed a poetry-film, The Lammas Hireling, which has been accepted for Berlin’s biennial Zebra International Poetry-Film festival. Paul is working towards his first full collection. He was a Featured Reader at the March 2010 Over The Edge: Open Reading. http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/2010/03/poet-and-fiction-writer-mary-odonnell.html

The winners of this year’s Cúirt New Writing Prize are Celeste Augé (fiction), Marie Cadden (poetry) and Hedy Gibbons (memoir).

Celeste Augé was born in Canada but came to live in Galway when she was twelve years old. She writes both fiction and poetry, and is currently working on a manuscript of short stories as well as her second poetry collection. In 2009, she was short-listed for a Hennessy Literary Award for poetry. She lives in County Galway with her husband and young son. Celeste was a Featured Reader at the February 2004 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Marie Cadden lives in Spiddal, Co. Galway. Until 2007, she was a teacher of the deaf and children with autism. Her poems have been published in The Recorder (USA), THE SHOp, ROPES, Revival, Boyne Berries, Galway Arts Centre Advanced Poetry Workshop anthology Lady Gregory’s Townhouse, 2009, and Behind the Masks, 2010 (co-editor). She was awarded ‘Highly Commended’ in the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year 2010 and in the Francis Ledwidge Poetry Award 2009, and also shortlisted for Cuirt /Over the Edge Showcase Readings in 2010 and 2011. Marie was a Featured Reader at the February Over The Edge: Open Reading. http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/2009/02/patrick-kavanagh-award-winner-for.html
A native of Cork, Hedy Gibbons has lived in Galway for thirty years. Formerly a mid-wife, latterly a counselling psychologist, now an aspiring writer, for the past twelve years she has been writing short prose and poetry. Much of her work has been broadcast on RTE’s Sunday Miscellany and Lyric FM’s Quiet Quarter, and published in their subsequent anthologies. A chapter from her memoir has been published in County Lines (New Island, 2006). Her poetry has been published in Divas! A Sense of Place (Arlen House, 2005) and Ropes – In Knots (NUIG, 2007), and has been short-listed for a number of awards. She was shortlisted for the 2009 Cúirt Over The Edge Showcase reading. Hedy was a Featured Reader at the March 2008 Over The Edge: Open Reading. http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/2008/03/american-novelist-michael-strelow-at.html

Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing support of Galway City Library, Galway City Council, The Arts Council and The Cúírt Festival of International Literature.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Cúirt Festival Launch of Poems for Patience and The Cat's Cradle-Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust

Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust

In association with

Cúirt International Festival of Literature

warmly invites you to the launch of

POEMS FOR PATIENCE VIII

An exhibition of poems selected and introduced by Dennis O’Driscoll

Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust invites you to come along to the launch of the eighth series of the very successful Poems for Patience initiative. Poet Dennis O’Driscoll will introduce 21 poems he has selected, including works by Poets reading at this year’s festival. The poetry is circulated throughout the waiting areas of University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park University Hospital. For the duration of the festival, the poems will be on display on the Art Corridor, University Hospital, Galway.

Dennis O’Driscoll, born in Tipperary in 1954, he has published eight books of his poetry, a collection of his essays and reviews, a book of quotations about poetry and a collection of his interviews with Seamus Heaney. His awards include a Lannan Literary Award, the E. M. Forster Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the O’Shaughnessy Award from the Center of Irish Studies in Minnesota, and the Argosy Irish Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award. He was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature by University College Dublin in 2009.

and

THE CAT’S CRADLE VI

Memoirs and Stories from patients in Units 5 & 6 edited and introduced by Kevin Higgins

Volume 6 of Cat’s Cradle – That Must Be Me! – will also be launched on the Art Corridor. Kevin Higgins; Merlin Park University Hospital Writer-in-Residence has compiled stories by patients from Units Five and Six of Merlin Park University Hospital using photographs and memorabilia.

The opening is on Friday 15th April at 11.00am on the Arts Corridor, University Hospital Galway

(The Arts Corridor is located just off the main foyer of the hospital in the direction of the Out Patients Department)

For further details contact
Margaret Flannery
Arts Officer
Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust
Galway University Hospital,
Galway
Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)91 544979
Email: margaret.flannery@hse.ie

Spring Creative Writing at GMIT with Susan Millar DuMars

Susan Millar DuMars will give support, instruction and feedback to students who are interested in writing either fiction (short stories, novels) or poetry. The course takes place one evening per week (Wednesday) for 7 weeks from 7–9 p.m. The course commences on Wednesday, April 20th. Advance booking is essential. Places cost €95.00. For further details or to book a place contact GMIT, Dublin Road, Galway. Telephone 091-742145 or see http://www.gmit.ie/

Susan was born in Philadelphia in 1966 to a Belfast-born mother. She holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Her poems and short stories have been published widely in the US, UK and Ireland. Susan's stories have been short-listed for many awards, and in 2005 she received an Irish Arts Council Bursary for her fiction. American Girls, a volume of her short stories, was published by Lapwing in 2007. Since 2003, Susan and her husband Kevin Higgins have organised the successful Over the Edge reading series, showcasing new writers. Susan teaches creative writing at Galway Technical Institute, Galway Arts Centre, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and on the Brothers of Charity Away With Words programme. Big Pink Umbrella (Salmon Poetry, 2008) was the first full collection of her poetry. One of her poems was chosen by editor, Mathew Sweeney, for inclusion in Best of Irish Poetry 2010 (Southword Editions). Several of her poems feature in Landing Places: Immigrant Poets in Ireland, edited by Eva Bourke (Dedalus Press, March 2010). Her second collection of poems, Dreams for Breakfast, was published this April by Salmon Poetry. Her first full collection of short stories, Lights In The Distance, is published this December by Doire Press.

http://www.gmit.ie/lifelong-learning/lifelong-learning-programmes/general-interest/artistic-creative/creative-writing-beginners.html

Dave Lordan at North Beach Poetry Nights

North Beach Poetry Nights' Slam on Monday 11th April in the Crane Bar at 9 pm with guest Poet - DAVE LORDAN (Dublin)

Dave Lordan is a powerful and provocative performer, who has carved out a niche for himself in the literary and performance world all over Ireland and abroad. Dave's collections are The Boy in The Ring (Salmon Poetry, 2007), which won the Strong Award for best first collection by an Irish writer and was shortlisted for the Irish Times Poetry Prize, and Invitation to a Sacrifice (Salmon Poetry, 2010), which the Irish Times called: 'an act of cultural resistance, as brilliant on the page as it must surely be in performance'. Éigse Riada theatre company produced his first play, Jo Bangles, at the Mill Theatre, Dundrum in 2010.

Dave Lordan is not to be missed!

Poets wishing to enter the March Slam should have 2 max. 3 minute poems. The poem for the 2nd round must be performed without a script. So time to get memorizing now!

Door 5/3 Euro.

Info: John@ 091-593290

North Beach Poetry Nights acknowledges the generous support of Galway City Council.

The Pamphlet Project Launches Issue 1 at Testify! @ Roisín Dubh

Each issue of The Pamphlet Project will see a poet collaborate with a visual artist. Issue 1 was designed by Clare Lymer with words by Elaine Cosgrove and will be launched at Testify! @ The Roisín Dubh on Monday, April 4th, 8pm.

Clare Lymer recently returned to her hometown Galway after successfully completing her B.A. in (Hons) Photography at University of the Arts London. Her photographic work has been selected to front and promote various projects. These include Source Photographic Review’s Graduate Photography Project 2009, the Arts Council of England’s ‘Own Art’ in 2010 – an initiative to engage and inspire new buyers of contemporary art, and by Camberwell College of Arts in a showcase for their B.A. Photography course.

In 2009, curator Johan Sjöström of The Gothenburg Museum of Art in Sweden chose Clare’s work as part of his best 6 graduating photography students from the U.K. and Ireland. She was one of selected graduate artists to exhibit in the PhotoIreland Festival 2010, Ireland’s first international festival of Photography and Image Culture. In 2010, Clare was an artist in residence at the Burren College of Art and her work on ley lines made the final longlist for the Gallery of Photography’s Artist’s Award. She has been published and exhibited in Ireland, the U.K. and Germany.

Elaine Cosgrove is 25, comes from Sligo and currently lives in Galway. She writes poetry and flash fiction and loves both almost the same. Elaine graduated from N.U.I. Galway in 2007 with a B.A. (Hons) in English, Sociology & Political Science. Elaine has participated in a creative writing seminar facilitated by Mary O’Malley, and creative writing classes facilitated by Kevin Higgins and Susan Millar DuMars.

In 2010, Elaine was shortlisted for the ‘Fish Publishing One Page Story Prize’ and also the ‘Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Competition’. Following this, she was a featured reader at the December ‘Over the Edge Reading’ in the Galway City Library. She took part in a ‘Poetry Depot’, co-organised by SpiritStore and Ink Storm, for Culture Night Limerick 2010.

Elaine has self-published two chapbooks called be still, girl, be still and Varnish. She read poems from Varnish at the ‘Over the Edge Poetry Showcase 2011’. Most recently, Elaine has been published by the online magazine wordlegs and has set-up a small chapbook publishing press called opener chapbooks.

Cúirt Festival Masterclasses

Please note that the closing date for applications for the Poetry and Prose Masterclasses during Cúirt, is next Friday, 25th March at midnight.


Submissions are welcomed for the Fiction Masterclass with Dermot Healy on Wednesday 13th April, 11am-1pm, Hotel Meyrick, Eyre Square and the Poetry Masterclass with Simon Armitage, Thursday 14th April, 11am-1pm, Hotel Meyrick, Eyre Square.


To apply, please email your contact details to siobhan@galwayartscentre.ie along with a sample of your work (750 words max for prose and 2 poems for poetry).


The cost of each Masterclass is €20.


For more details of the festival programme see: http://www.cuirt.ie

March Poetry Slam at Galway Arts Centre

The next Galway Arts Centre Poetry Slam with MC Pete Mullineaux will take place Tuesday March 15th at 7pm at the Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street.

Anyone can participate on the night and new comers are very welcome. To participate you need one poem/piece that will take about 3 minutes to perform. Judges on the night will select their favourite and the winner will be invited to be a guest reader at the next slam as well as qualifying for the Cúirt Grand Slam which will take place during this year's Cúirt International Festival of Literature 12-17 April 2011. In addition to this, the winner's poem will be published on the Galway Arts Centre website along with a biography of the contestant. There will also be an interactive words game on the night with a Charlie Byrne's Bookshop voucher up for grabs.


Our guest reader this month will be last month's winner, Dave Rock.

Loose Lips @ Róisin Dubh

This Wednesday, 30th March, as usual, upstairs in the Roisin at 9pm, another fantastic Loose Lips story telling session.

Theme: SURPRISES!

Have you ever surprised someone? Ever been surprised? Or do you just want to tell us how much you love or hate surprises? Maybe the story itself will be a surprise?

And if you don't have a story, why not come along and listen, because all story tellers need listeners.

Monday, February 21, 2011

March North Beach Poetry Nights' Slam with Dave Rock at The Crane Bar

North Beach Poetry Nights' Slam returns on Monday 21st March in the Crane Bar at 9 pm with guest Poet - DAVE ROCK

Dave Rock has been a featured performer at practically every main venue for poetry in Ireland, and soon will be at the rest! He placed third in the Cuirt Literature Festival Grand slam and fourth in the All Ireland. His performing style is highly physical and expressive, and often very joyous. He combines slam pieces with traditional poetry. He has also been a storyteller for a number of years, working with traditional and his own invented folktales. He is the co-creator of the InkStorm workshops in creative writing and performing, which have had a ream of very successful events across Ireland and England. He has taught and facilitated both writing, storytelling and performing with children, teens and adults. He's currently designing a new breed of workshops. He's been published in a number of journals, and will be published in the rest! His chapbook, A Single Unstruck Match, was published in 2008. He's also an art photographer, with a number of successful exhibitions.

At the moment Dave in partnership with the SpiritStore Limerick to create a series of public events, with teams of poets offering to help members of the public reimagine their futures, writing poems on the spot based on the feelings, ideas, and experiences shared with them, or creating work on any subject the public choose. These events will lead to a series of publications, public meetings/readings and an ongoing web project. He's also in the final year of a PhD in Sociology and Political Science. North Beach Nights was where he first cut his teeth with performance poetry, having been encouraged to come along by All Ireland Champ Brendan Murphy, and he's very excited to feature there four years later.

Poets wishing to enter the March Slam should have 2 max. 3 minute poems. The poem for the 2nd round must be performed without a script.  So time to get memorizing now!

Door 5/3 Euro. Info: John@ 091-593290

North Beach Poetry Nights acknowledges the financial support of Galway City Council

Monday, February 14, 2011

Over The Edge March Writers' Gathering with Nick Hayes, Lorna Shaughnessy, Anna Snyder, Alan Jude Moore, John W. Sexton & Alex Hijmans


The Over The Edge March Writers’ Gathering presents readings by poets and fiction writers from Ireland, The Netherlands and the United States. Nick Hayes, Alex Hijmans, Lorna Shaughnessy, Anna Snyder, John W. Sexton & Alan Jude Moore will read their work at The Café 8 @ The Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway on Friday, March 11th, 8pm.

Nick Hayes is a frequent guest on radio and television in the United States; he also publishes widely in newspapers, magazines, and journals. He has been the recepient of awards from the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Fulbright Program. He won an Emmy in 1991 for his work on the documentary "Television and Democracy in Russia." Nick is a professor of history and holds the university chair in critical thinking at Saint John’s University in Minnesota. His memoir And One Fine Morning Memoires of My Father (Nodin Press) was published in 2010.

Alex Hijmans was born in The Netherlands. He moved to Galway in 1995, learned Irish, worked as a journalist and ran a coffeehouse, Café Bananaphoblacht. In 2007 he moved to Brazil, where he works as an international correspondent. Aiséirí is his first novel. A book of his non-fiction, Favela, was published, also by Cois Life, in 2009. Alex’ short stories have appeared in Comhar, Crannóg Magazine and Irish Pages. His website is http://www.alexhijmans.com/

Lorna Shaughnessy was born in Belfast and lives in County Galway. She lectures in the Department of Spanish, NUI Galway. She has published two translations of contemporary Mexican poetry, Mother Tongue: Selected Poems by Pura López Colomé and If We Have Lost our Oldest Tales by MarÃa Baranda, both with Arlen House (2006). Her first collection of poetry, Torching the Brown River, was published by Salmon in 2008. Her second collection, Witness Trees, will be published later this year also by Salmon.

Anna Snyder is a student in the Masters of Writing program at NUI Galway, and though she sees herself as primarily a prose-writer, she has undergone a poetic renaissance while living in Galway. Her greatest loves are writing, travelling, and playing the guitar badly. Once her Masters is completed, she hopes to somehow find a job in Dublin so she can stay in Ireland for as long as she wants.

John W. Sexton was born in 1958 is the author of the poetry collections: The Prince’s Brief Career (Cairn Mountain Press, 1995), Shadows Bloom / Scáthanna Faoi Bhláth, a book of haiku with translations into Irish by Gabriel Rosenstock, and Vortex (Doghouse, 2005). Under the ironic pseudonym of Sex W. Johnston he has recorded an album with legendary Stranglers frontman, Hugh Cornwell, entitled Sons of Shiva, which has been released on Track Records. In 2007 he was awarded a Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Fellowship in Poetry. His fourth collection, Petit Mal, was published recently by Revival Press.

Alan Jude Moore is the author of three collections of poetry, Black State Cars (Salmon Poetry, 2004), Lost Republics (Salmon Poetry, 2008) and Strasbourg (Salmon Poetry, 2010). He is widely published, in Ireland and abroad, and his fiction has been twice short-listed for the Hennessy Literary Award for New Irish Writing. Translations of his work have been published in Italy, Russia and Turkey. He lives in Dublin.

There is no entrance fee. The Café @ The Museum has a wine licence. 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.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

March 'Over The Edge: Open Reading' with Miriam Gamble, James Lawless & Anne McManus

Miriam Gamble

Over The Edge in association with Poetry Ireland presents the March Over The Edge: Open Reading. The reading takes place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street, Galway on Thursday, March 31st, 6.30-8pm. The Featured Readers are Miriam Gamble, James Lawless & Anne McManus.

Miriam Gamble was born in Brussels in 1980 and grew up in Belfast. She studied at Oxford and at Queen’s University Belfast, where she completed a PhD in contemporary British and Irish poetry. She writes poems, reviews and critical essays and is a part-time tutor in creative writing at Queen’s University. She won an Eric Gregory Award in 2007, and her pamphlet, This Man's Town, was published by tall-lighthouse in 2007. A selection of her poems appears in the Bloodaxe anthology Voice Recognition: 21 poets for the 21st century (2009). Her first book-length collection, The Squirrels Are Dead, was published by Bloodaxe last year. Miriam lives and works in Belfast.

James Lawless was born in Dublin. His novels are Peeling Oranges (Mullingar, Killynon House Books, 2007); For Love of Anna (New Generation, 2009); and The Avenue (Galway, Wordsonthestreet, 2010). His story Jolt was shortlisted for the Willenden Prize and appeared in New Short Stories 1, edited Zadie Smith (London/ New York, Willesden Herald, 2007). His other awards the Cecil Day Lewis Play Award 2005 for What Are Neighbours For? and a Hennessy Award nomination in 2010. He divides his time between County Kildare and West Cork.

Anne McManus was born and grew up in Sligo town. She trained as a Home Economics teacher in St Angela’s College, Sligo. Anne came to writing unexpectedly when in 1999 NUIG, through its Continuing Education Programme, provided Salthill Active Retirement Association with a tutor, Maire Holmes, to enable older people to take up writing. Anne has previously read her work at Galway Arts Centre’s Nuns Island Studio and at the Over The Edge open-mic. She is currently a participant in the S.A.R.A writers’ group which is facilitated by Kevin Higgins. Anne writes both poetry and fiction.

There will be an open-mic when the Featured Readers have finished. This is open to anyone who has a poem or story to share. New readers are always especially 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 and The Arts Council and the sponsorship of this reading by Poetry Ireland.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

February Over The Edge: Open Reading with Claire Kilroy, Susan Kelly & Bríd Buckley


                                                                 Claire Kilroy


The February Over The Edge: Open Reading takes place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street, Galway on Thursday, February 24th, 6.30-8pm. The Featured Readers are Claire Kilroy, Susan Kelly & Bríd Buckley


Bríd Buckley is a blow-in poetry and fiction writer from Cork who doesn't really know what to say about herself. She writes pretty much whatever comes into her head. She moved to Galway in 2009 to do the MA in writing in NUIG. Before this she studied English and Psychology and subsequently Film. She has read at and mceed the Ó Bhéal poetry nights in The Long Valley in Cork and has also read her work at the Tuam Arts Festival and the Whitehouse Bar Limerick.


Susan Kelly is from Westport, Co Mayo where she writes about what she knows and makes up the rest. She started writing poetry just over three years ago and since then her work has appeared in Cyphers, Crannóg, Revival, Abridged, and on wordlegs.com and is currently short listed for the Writing Spirit Award. She is a member of Westport Writer’s Group and has co-edited its annual publication, The Broadsheet.


Claire Kilroy is the author of three novels which loosely form a trilogy about the obsessions and exhilarations of art. Her debut, All Summer, a literary thriller about a stolen painting, was awarded the 2004 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. Her second novel, Tenderwire, a love story between a violinist and a masterpiece violin, was published to great acclaim in 2006, and was shortlisted for the 2007 Irish Novel of the Year as well as the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. Her latest novel, All Names Have Been Changed, set in 1980s Dublin and centring around a great Irish writer and his Trinity writing class, was published this May. Educated at Trinity College, she lives in Dublin.


There will be an open-mic when the Featured Readers have finished. This is open to anyone who has a poem or story to share. New readers are always especially 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 and The Arts Council.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Launch of Susan Lindsay's debut collection of poetry at Galway City Museum


Susan Lindsay's debut collection of poems, Whispering The Secrets, published by Doire Press, will be launched by Kevin Higgins at Galway City Museum on Saturday, March 26th, 1pm. All welcome.

Susan Lindsay was born in Dublin but now lives in Galway. She has attended poetry classes at Galway Arts Centre, and read her poems at the Over the Edge: Open Readings, the Baffle Festival, the Cuirt Poetry Slam and North Beach Poetry Nights. In December 2005 Susan won the RTE Carol of Our Times competition, and her work was put to music by the RTE Concert Orchestra. She was shortlisted for the Valentines Day Sonnet Competition sponsored by Tig Neactains’. Her poems have also appeared in Lady Gregory's Town House and Behind The Masks. Susan was recently a participant in the Faber Academy.

For more see the Doire Press website http://www.doirepress.com/site/HOME.html

Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Spring Creative Writing at Galway Technical Institute - BEGINNERS & INTERMEDIATE

TAKING BOOKINGS NOW
Creative Writing for Beginners with Kevin Higgins takes place one evening per week (Wednesday) from 7-9.30pm. (8 weeks) It commences on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011. Advance booking is essential. Places cost €120. Kevin Higgins will provide writing exercises for, and give gentle critical feedback to, those interested in trying their hand at writing poems, stories or memoir.

Intermediate Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars takes place one evening per week (Thursday) from 7-9.30pm (8 weeks) It commences on Thursday, March 3rd, 2011. Advance booking is essential. Places cost €120. This class is suitable for those who’ve participated in creative writing classes before or begun to have work published in magazines. Flexible exercises and work-shopping of assignments, together with the study of the works of published writers, will help each class member to find their own writing voice.

To book a place in either class contact GTI, Father Griffin Road, Galway Telephone 091-581342, e-mail info@gti.ie or see http://www.gti.ie

Side-Show Productions presents 'Dreams Of Love' at The Town Hall Theatre

Side-Show Productions

Presents

Dreams Of Love

February 24th-26th
Town Hall Studio
Tickets: €10/€8

It’s all been real.

Dreams of Love is an original show co-created by the company. Three actors; one girl and two guys, are locked in a revolving love triangle. The spectacle turns through various guises from Romeo and Juliet’s amateur dramatics through to a melodrama on Youtube and on to a scene where a King demands a sandwich. It will all happen once upon a night, for three nights in February at the Town Hall Studio Galway.

Devised and performed by Zita Monaghan, Richard Walsh and Martin Sharry. Sound design by Keith Grainger.

Side-Show Productions aims to stage spectacles that will engage and provoke an audience. Our process attends to the problem of narrative and the associated complications that affect agency. In the treatment of our subject we reflect the many modes of modern culture consumption. We’re open to hybridization and seek to collaborate with other artists working in different art forms. The company is delighted to be presenting their first show at the Town Hall Studio.

Martin Sharry is a graduate of the M.A. in Theatre and Drama Studies, NUIG (2008). He has been a member of the Galway based ensemble WATERDONKEY Theatre. The first Side-Show Production was an ambulatory performance during the Ennis Street Theatre Festival 2010. Martin offered free walking history tours mixing improvisation with neglected biographical fact.

Zita Monahan holds an MA in Drama and Theatre Studies from NUI Galway. She is also an ensemble member of Galway based companies Mephisto Theatre and WATERDONKEY Theatre and recently performed in The Theatre Machine TurnsYou On in the Project Arts Centre Dublin The Very Best of John Lennon. Zita is also Drama Coach at StageCoach Theatre Arts School, Galway and Clare.

Richard Walsh completed a masters in film in 2008 in NUI Galway and has been working with film in Galway since then. His final film as a student won the MAMA award and the Radharc award for student media. He has a keen interest in the overlap between theatre and film and has worked with a number of theatre groups. Originally trained as an architect, Richard has a keen interest in spaciality and its impact in a theatrical format.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

February Poetry Slam at Galway Arts Centre

The next Poetry Slam with MC Pete Mullineaux will take place Tuesday February 15th at 7pm at the Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street.

Anyone can participate on the night and new comers are very welcome. To participate you need one poem/piece that will take about 3 minutes to perform. Judges on the night will select their favorite and the winner will be invited to be a guest reader at the next slam as well as qualifying for the Cúirt Grand Slam which will take place during next year’s Cúirt International Festival of Literature 12-17 April 2011. In addition to this, the winner’s poem will be published on the Galway Arts Centre website along with a biography of the contestant. There will also be an interactive words game on the night with a Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop voucher up for grabs. Our January slam winner Laurie Leech will be the guest reader this month.

(*Only one more slam before the Cúirt Grand Slam so come early to put your name down*.)

The evening is free and all are welcome.

February North Beach Poetry Nights Slam @ The Crane Bar


The North Beach Poetry Nights' Slam
returns on Monday 21st February
in the Crane Bar at 9 pm

with guest Poets - the 2010 Grand Slam winners:
Mikey Groty
Sarah Clancy
and Mark James.

Poets wishing to enter the February Slam should have 2 max. 3 minute poems. The poem for the 2nd round must be performed without a script.  So time to get memorizing now!

Door 5/3 Euro.

Info: John@ 091-593290

Saturday, January 22, 2011

February 'Loose Lips' @ Róisín Dubh, Galway

Next Wednesday evening, 23 February is another great night of Loose Lips. The theme for this month is: Excuses.

So whether you've heard some good ones, made a few up, been caught out or even didn't have a good one, if you think you could tell a true and unscripted story on the theme, not longer than about five minutes, we want to hear it!

And of course for those who don't have stories, we need listeners.

2011 Over The Edge Poetry Book Showcase Reading at Café 8 @ The Museum


The 2011 Over The Edge Poetry Book Showcase featuring Mary Mullen, Aideen Henry, Tom Duddy, Brendan Murphy, Mary Madec, Louis de Paor, Colette NicAodha, Sarah Clancy, Breid Sibley, Elaine Cosgrove, Geraldine Mitchell, Edward Boyne, Johnny B. Broderick, Sean Lysaght, Gerry Galvin, Geraldine Mills, Kevin Higgins, Elaine Feeney & Susan Millar DuMars will take place at Café 8 @ The Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway on Friday, February, 11th at 8pm.

In this annual retrospective of the year just past, every Galway-based poet who published a new collection of poems during 2010 is invited to read three poems from the collection in question. There will also be short readings from the anthologies Dogs Singing (Salmon Poetry), Behind The Masks (Galway Arts Centre Advanced Poetry Workshop) and Three Times Daily (NUI Galway MA in Writing class of 2009)

All welcome. There is no cover charge. For further details phone 087-6431748.

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

Friday, January 21, 2011

McGinn's Bar sponsors 2011 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition

Over The Edge would like to thank McGinn's for sponsoring the 2011 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. The judge for this year's competition is poet Elaine Feeney; the closing date Wednesday August 3rd. Further details very soon. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/profile.php?id=1843939712

Senator Fidelma Healy Eames sponsors 2011 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition

Over The Edge would like to thank Senator Fidelma Healy Eames for sponsoring the 2011 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. The judge for this year's competition is poet Elaine Feeney; the closing date Wednesday August 3rd. Further details very soon. http://fidelmahealyeames.ie/

Galway West General Election Candidate Mike Cubbard Sponsors 2011 Over The Edge New Writer Of The Year Competition

Over The Edge would like to thank Galway West general election candidate, Mike Cubbard, for sponsoring the 2011 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. The judge for this year's competition is poet Elaine Feeney; the closing date Wednesday August 3rd. Further details very soon. http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Cupboard/613573490#!/profile.php?id=675928311

Senator Niall Ó Brolcháin sponsors 2011 Over The New Writer of The Year competition

Over The Edge would like to thank Niall Ó Brolcháin for sponsoring the 2011 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. The judge for this year's competition is poet Elaine Feeney; the closing date Wednesday August 3rd. Further details very soon. http://www.niallobrolchain.ie/main/

Charlie Byrne's Bookshop Sponsors 2011 Over The Edge New Writer Of The Year Competition

Over The Edge would like to thank Charlie Byrne's Bookshop for sponsoring the 2011 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. The judge for this year's competition is poet Elaine Feeney; the closing date Wednesday August 3rd. Further details very soon. http://www.charliebyrne.com/

Salmon Poetry presents Dublin Launch Reading To Celebrate Publication of 'In Other Words' by Mary Madec

Salmon Poetry invites you to a Poetry Reading / Launch to celebrate the publication of
In Other Words
Poems by
MARY MADEC
WITH LAUNCH INTRODUCTION BY MICHAEL D. HIGGINS


MARY MADEC was born and raised in the west of Ireland. She received her early education at NUI, Galway, obtaining her B.A. in French and English, and her M.A in Old English; in 2002 she received her doctorate in Linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. She has taught courses for NUI, Galway, UPenn, and Open University and is currently Director of the Villanova Study Abroad Program in Galway. She has received awards and accolades for her work in the Raftery Competition 2007, the WINDOWS Showcase and Anthology 2007 and the Maria Edgeworth Competition 2008. In April 2008 she was also the recipient of the Hennessy XO Award for Emerging Poetry. With her husband Claude Madec of the LIFE programme (Brothers of Charity Services) she started up a community-writing project, Away with Words, now in its third year. In Other Words is her debut collection.

Venue: The Centre for Creative Practices, 15 Lwr Pembroke Street, Dublin

Date/Time: Tuesday 1st February, 2011 - 6.30 pm. Admission Free.


Visit the Salmon Poetry website for further details: http://www.salmonpoetry.com/

Salmon Poetry, Knockeven, Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare Tel: 065 - 7081941

Email: info@salmonpoetry.com

Salmon30 Celebrating 30 Years of Literary Publishing

Thursday, January 20, 2011

First 'Loose Lips' of 2011

LOOSE LIPS STORY SLAM

This months theme: Good Intentions! Please come along and help kick start the first Loose Lips of the Year.

When: Wed, 26 January, 9pm – 11pm GMT+00:00
Where: Upstairs at the Roisin Dubh, Dominick Street, Galway

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Creative Writing with Dave Lordan STARTING VERY SOON

Beginners' and intermediate creative writing with DAVE LORDAN in Bray Tue 25th and Wed the 26th of January respectively. Ten week classes cost €120. You can enrol at 01 286 6111. Memoir and Autobiography, kicking off in Craobh Abhann in Kilcoole on Mon Jan 31st. It costs €95 for ten weeks and you can enrol at 01 2870198. Dave also offer individual tuition and mansuscript editing and appraisal. dlordan@hotmail.com  087092111.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Over The Edge celebrates its eighth birthday with readings by Michael Coady, Sarah Griffin & Dani Gill

Michael Coady

The first ‘Over The Edge: Open Reading’ of 2011 takes place in Galway City Library on Thursday, January 20th, 6.30-8.00pm. The Featured Readers are Sarah Griffin, Dani Gill & Michael Coady. This is a very special occasion as it is now exactly eight years since Over The Edge was born in Galway City Library in January 2003.

Sarah Maria Griffin is 22 years old and hails from the north side suburbs of Dublin. She is a student on the M.A in Writing at NUI Galway. She has only been performing in spoken word circles since late 2009, but since then has performed at many events such as The Glor Sessions, Exchange Words & The BrownBread Mixtape. She is also the co-founder of the diary-reading event in Dublin, Scarleh Fer Yer Ma Fer Havin Ya. Sarah writes both poetry and fiction and last October won the annual Over The Edge fiction slam.

Dani Gill is originally from Longford. For the past number of years she has worked in the Arts in Galway and has a background in theatre and Arts journalism. In October 2010 she was appointed Literature Officer for the Galway Arts Centre and Programme Director of Cúirt International Festival of Literature. She began creative writing classes with the lovely Susan Millar DuMars in early 2009 and was long listed in the 2010 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition. This will be Dani’s first public reading.

Michael Coady was born in 1939 in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary, where he has worked as a teacher, musician and writer. Winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Award for Poetry in 1979 and also of Listowel Writers’ Week and RTE Francis McManus short story awards, he has published five collections with The Gallery Press: Two for a Woman, Three for a Man (1980), Oven Lane (1987), All Souls (1997), One Another (2003) and Going by Water (2009). In 2004 he received the eighth annual Lawrence O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry from the University of St Thomas Centre for Irish Studies, St Paul, Minnesota. Michael was Heimbold Professor of Irish Studies at Villanova University in 2005. He is a member of Aosdána.

As usual there will be an open-mic after the Featured Readers have finished. New readers are always most 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 & The Arts Council.

GMIT presents Creative Writing for Beginners with Susan Millar DuMars in the New Year

TAKING BOOKINGS NOW

Susan Millar DuMars will give support, instruction and feedback to students who are interested in writing either fiction (short stories, novels) or poetry. The course takes place one evening per week (Wednesday) for 7 weeks from 7–9 p.m. The course commences on Wednesday, February 9th. Advance booking is essential. Places cost €95.00. For further details or to book a place contact GMIT, Dublin Road, Galway. Telephone 091-742145 or see http://www.gmit.ie/lifelong-learning/lifelong-learning-programmes/general-interest/artistic-creative/creative-writing-beginners.html


Susan was born in Philadelphia in 1966 to a Belfast-born mother. She holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco. Her poems and short stories have been published widely in the US, UK and Ireland. Susan's stories have been short-listed for many awards, and in 2005 she received an Irish Arts Council Bursary for her fiction. American Girls, a volume of her short stories, was published by Lapwing in 2007. Since 2003, Susan and her husband Kevin Higgins have organised the successful Over the Edge reading series, showcasing new writers. Susan teaches creative writing at Galway Technical Institute, Galway Arts Centre, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and on the Brothers of Charity Away With Words programme. Big Pink Umbrella (Salmon Poetry, 2008) was the first full collection of her poetry. One of her poems has been chosen by editor, Mathew Sweeney, for inclusion in Best of Irish Poetry 2010 (Southword Editions). Several of her poems feature in Landing Places: Immigrant Poets in Ireland, edited by Eva Bourke (Dedalus Press, March 2010). Her second collection of poems, Dreams for Breakfast, was published this April by Salmon Poetry. Her first full collection of short stories, Lights In The Distance, is published this December by Doire Press.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Charlie Byrne's Bookshop Hosts Launch of New Poetry Collection by Anne-Marie Fyfe

Seren Books
invite you to a launch to celebrate
the publication of
UNDERSTUDIES: NEW & SELECTED POEMS
Anne-Marie Fyfe

6.30 pm
Friday 21st January

Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop
Cornstore Mall
Middle Street
Galway

REFRESHMENTS



January Poetry Slam at Galway Arts Centre

The next Poetry Slam with MC Pete Mullineaux will take place Tuesday January 18th at 7pm at the Galway Arts Centre.

Anyone can participate on the night and new comers are very welcome. To participate you need one poem/piece that will take about 3 minutes to perform. Judges on the night will select their favorite and the winner will be invited to be a guest reader at the next slam as well as qualifying for the Cúirt Grand Slam which will take place during next year’s Cúirt International Festival of Literature 12-17 April 2011.

In addition to this, the winner’s poem will be published on the Galway Arts Centre website along with a biography of the contestant. There will also be an interactive words game on the night with a Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop voucher up for grabs. Kevin Higgins will be the guest reader this month.The evening is free and all are welcome.

Modern Ireland has Nothing to Inspire Modern Writing

On Wednesday 2nd February the Irish Writers' Centre presents an open panel discussion on how the current economic climate is affecting modern writing in Ireland. Panellists from many areas across the Arts Sector will join together under one roof to discuss the impending budget and its possible effect on modern and aspiring writers as well as the dwindling number of arts organisations across the country.

The discussion will be chaired by poet Michael O' Loughlin, co-founder of Raven Arts Press. O’ Loughlin will be joined by The Sunday Business Post’s Books and Arts Editor Nadine O’Regan, Sean Love, co-founder of Fighting Words and former Amnesty Ireland director, author Claire Kilroy and Gerry Smyth, Managing Editor of the Irish Times and celebrated poet.

The discussion will begin at 7pm and is open to the general public.

The Irish Writers’ Centre is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers that promotes contemporary Irish literature. Since its foundation in 1991, the Centre has welcomed many award-winning writers through its doors, including Nobel, Costa, Man Booker, IMPAC, and Pulitzer Prize winners. It has also served as an important platform for breakthrough talent, with many young writers giving their first public readings here.
--
Irish Writers' Centre
19 Parnell Square
Dublin 1
t: +353 (0)1 872 1302
e:
info@writerscentre.ie
w: http://www.writerscentre.ie

Ballybane Library presents Slovenian poetry in translation with Yvonne Cullen

Meta Kušar
On Wednesday 19th January the poet Yvonne Cullen will be in Ballybane Library at 2.30 pm to present some Slovenian poetry in translation.

The Slovenian poet Meta Kušar has written: “I hear a soul crying poignantly outside the door, wanting to come in.”

What world is it that the poetry of Meta Kušar and other Slovenian poets communicates? Meta Kušar writes about the self-regenerating power of life.

Yvonne Cullen promises a very interesting 40 minutes of the poetry of Slovenia.
Please join us!

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

New Year Poetry Workshops with Kevin Higgins at Galway Arts Centre-BEGINNERS & ADVANCED

In the New Year 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 April by Salmon and his work also appears in the generation defining anthology Identity Parade –New British and Irish Poets (Ed. Roddy Lumsden, Bloodaxe, 2010).

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, while several have published collections of their poems. Kevin is also co-organiser of the successful Over The Edge reading series which specialises in promoting new writers.

Each workshop will run for ten weeks, commencing the week of January 17th. They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm (first class January 18th); on Thursday afternoons, 2-4pm (first class January 20th) and on Friday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class January 21st).

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 €110, with an €100 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

Daytime Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars at Galway Arts Centre in the New Year

In the New Year Galway Arts Centre presents a daytime class for all those beginner and continuing creative writing students out there, both facilitated by Susan Millar DuMars. Susan Millar DuMars writes both poetry and fiction. A collection of her stories, Lights In The Distance, is just published by Doire Press; she has published two collection of poetry, Big Pink Umbrella (2008) and Dreams For Breakfast both with Salmon Poetry. She is also co-organiser of the Over The Edge reading series which specifically promotes new writers.

The class is suitable for both beginning and continuing creative writing students, working in either poetry or fiction. Students will spend their week 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, 2-3.30pm, commencing on Monday January 17th and runs for ten weeks.

The cost to participants is 110 Euro with an 100 Euro concession price. Booking is essential as places are limited. For booking please contact Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886 or email victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

Monday, December 06, 2010

2011 Cúirt New Writing Prize- 3 categories, cash prize PLUS opportunity to read at Cúirt

Cúirt New Writing Prize 2011

3 Categories: Poetry, Fiction, Non Fiction/Memoir


Prize: €500 cash prize and an opportunity to read at the Cúirt 2011 Over The Edge showcase reading


* We will only consider entries from writers who have not had a collection of their work published or do not currently have a collection under consideration for publication.


Deadline: Friday 4th February 2011 at 5pm.
Poetry: 3 poems, each under 50 lines
Fiction: up to 2000 words
Non Fiction/Memoir: up to 2000 words
Entries must be sent in hard copy only to:


Cúirt New Writing Prize
Galway Arts Centre
47 Dominick Street
Galway City


An entry fee of €10 is applicable for each entry. This must be a postal order or a bank draft made out to Cúirt International Festival of Literature.


* You must submit 3 copies of your work.
* Entries in both the Irish and English language are welcome.
* In addition to your work we ask that you include the following contact details on a separate sheet: Name, email address, phone number. Please do not type your name on each page you submit as we judge the entries anonymously.
* You may include a short biography of yourself if you so wish. If you do so please do not staple or attach it to your work; place it at the back of the envelope; separate to your work.


For any further enquiries please see: http://www.galwayartscentre.ie/cuirt/literature.html
or email: info@galwayartscentre.ie

2011 Arts Council Funding For Over The Edge


Over The Edge is delighted to announce that we have just this morning been informed that we will retain the same level of funding for 2011, under the Arts Council's Small Festivals and Events Scheme, as we received in 2010. In the circumstances this is a great result. Over The Edge has an exciting programme of events lined up for the coming year, which includes readings by Michael Coady, Claire Kilroy, Miriam Gamble, Rita Ann Higgins & Clare Pollard as well as the 2011 Cúirt Over The Edge Showcase reading.

Sunday, December 05, 2010

December Poetry Slam at Galway Arts Centre

The Galway Arts Centre December Poetry Slam will kick off on Tuesday 21st December at 7pm at the Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street.

The Slam with MC Pete Mullineaux takes place the third Tuesday of every month with winners earning a place in the popular Cúirt Grand Slam event next April.

Anyone can participate on the night and new comers are very welcome. To participate you need one poem/piece that will take about 3 minutes to perform. Judges on the night will select their favourite and the winner will be invited to be a guest reader at the next slam as well as qualifying for the Cúirt Grand Slam which will take place during next year’s Cúirt International Festival of Literature 12-17 April 2011. In addition to this, the winner’s poem will be published on the Galway Arts Centre website along with a biography of the contestant.

There will also be an interactive words game on the night with a Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop voucher up for grabs.

Admission is free, mulled wine and mince pies will be provided. All are welcome.