STARTING IN NEW YEAR GMIT presents Creative Writing for Beginners with Susan Millar DuMars

In the New Year GMIT is offering a course in Creative Writing for Beginners with Susan Millar DuMars. The course takes place at GMIT Dublin Road Campus one evening per week (Wednesday) for 7 weeks from 7–9p.m. It commences on Wednesday, February 5th, 2014. Advance booking is essential. The course fee is €95.

During the seven weeks Susan Millar DuMars will give support, instruction and feedback to students who are interested in writing either fiction (short stories, novels) or poetry. The class will work on techniques for forming ideas and getting started; engaging the reader’s senses; using figures of speech effectively; being alert to the importance of the sound of words, the rhythm of writing; how to manage the truth in a fictitious piece; the different forms of poetry; awareness of character and point of view in fiction; editing and polishing work. Whether the student seeks publication, self-expression, a rewarding hobby (or possibly all three), this course is a wonderful place to start.

For further details or to book a place contact GMIT, Dublin Road, Galway. Telephone 091 742145, email lifelonglearning@gmit.ie or see the website http://www.gmit.ie/lifelong-learning-galway/creative-writing 

Course Tutor:

Susan Millar DuMars’ debut poetry collection, Big Pink Umbrella, was published by Salmon Poetry in 2008.  Her next collection, Dreams for Breakfast, appeared in April 2010.  Her work features in Landing Places, Dedalus’ 2010 anthology of immigrant poetry written in Ireland; and also in The Best Of Irish Poetry 2010.  A fiction writer as well, she published a collection of short stories, American Girls, with Lapwing in 2007.  She published a book of short stories in 2010: Lights in the Distance, published by Doire Press. She has been the recipient of an Arts Council Literature Bursary. Susan's third collection of poetry, The God Thing, was published by Salmon Poetry last March. She lives in Galway, where she and her husband have run the Over the Edge readings series since 2003. Susan recently 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.

NEW YEAR POETRY WORKSHOPS AT GALWAY ARTS CENTRE with Kevin Higgins ALL LEVELS

Starting in January, 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 and his work also appears in the generation defining anthology Identity Parade –New British and Irish Poets (Ed. Roddy Lumsden, Bloodaxe, 2010). 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, Spanish, Italian, Japanese & Portuguese. His next collection of poetry, The Ghost in The Lobby, will be published in February 2014, also 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, two have won the Cúirt New Writing Prize, and yet another the Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam, 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 20^th. They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm (first class January 21^st); on Thursday afternoons, 2-4pm (first class January 23^rd) and on Friday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class January 24th).


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 reception at Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, phone 091 565886 or email info@galwayartscentre.ie  

New Year Daytime Creative Writing with Susan Millar DuMars at Galway Arts Centre BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW

Starting in the New Year, 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 three collections of poetry, Big Pink Umbrella (2008), Dreams For Breakfast (2010) & The God Thing (2013) all with Salmon Poetry. She is also co-organiser of the Over The Edge reading series which specifically promotes new writers. Susan recently 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.

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, 2.30-4pm, commencing on Monday, January 20^th. It runs for ten weeks. 


The cost to participants is 110 Euro with a 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 info@galwayartscentre.ie 

Launch of the anthology 'Over the Edge: the first ten years' and Nicki Griffin’s debut collection of poetry 'Unbelonging'

You are invited to the launch of Over the Edge: the first ten years - An anthology of fiction and poetry edited by Susan Millar DuMars & Unbelonging, the debut collection of poetry by Nicki Griffin, winner of the 2010 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year award for poetry. Both books are published by Salmon. The launch takes place at Charlie Byrne’s bookshop on Saturday, November 30^th, 6pm.

You can buy the book here. 

Over the Edge: the first ten years is edited by Susan Millar DuMars and includes poetry & fiction by forty seven writers who have published a first book since being Featured Readers at an Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library. Over The Edge has, during the past decade, been an important platform for emerging writers in Ireland and beyond. This book celebrates the writers who have emerged via Over The Edge thus far. The book will be launched by Pat McMahon, retired Galway County Librarian, who has always been an enthusiastic supporter of Over The Edge.

Nicki Griffin was the 2010 Over the Edge New Poet of the Year. Her debut collection, Unbelonging, which will be launched by Professor Adrian Frazier of the MA in Writing at NUI Galway, has two main themes, both of which examine a sense of displacement. The first is personal, a consideration of dislocation of self in place, both her own and of those who struggle in new countries or within their own communities. The other theme is public and looks at the relationship between those with power and those without, how this affects our lives in modern western society, our civil liberties, the tensions between human needs and environmental degradation. In the collection she explores the connection between these two aspects of the human condition, how we interact with the world and how, by considering ourselves as separate from and in control of this world we threaten our future existence. Nicki grew up in Cheshire in the north west of England but has lived in East Clare since 1997. She completed an MA in Writing at NUI Galway in 2009. In 2012 she was awarded a Literature Bursary by the Arts Council. She writes for Inland Waterways News and co-edits poetry magazine Skylight 47. Her first work of non-fiction, The Skipper and Her Mate, was published by New Island in 2013.

All are welcome to attend the launch.

Spring 2014 Cavan Poetry/Prose Workshop with Kate Ennals

An eight week poetry workshop will be facilitated by Kate Ennals every Wednesday evening from Wed 12 February 2014 between 7pm and 9pm in Cana House (behind St Phelim’s School) Farnham St, Cavan Town.

The workshop will include discussion on poetry and different exercises. Kate will provide poems for inspiration, and assignments each week. The group will workshop the poems/writing of each participant.

The aim is to bring together local poets/writers to stimulate and develop their work. There will be a limit of 10 participants allocated on a first come, first served basis. Fee is €10 per session, to be paid at the first workshop.

For further information and to register, contact Kate Ennals on facebook or email kateennals@live.co.uk

Kate Ennals is a Featured Reader at the February Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, February 27th, 6.30-8pm, Galway City Library.

Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust seeking entries for its exciting annual poetry competition.

Competition judge 
and Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust Writer-In-Residence, 

Kevin Higgins

Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust is seeking entries again for its exciting annual poetry competition.

CRITERIA: poems entered in the competition should be no more than 30 lines long. They must be the original work of the entrant. Poems previously published in magazines or poetry collections are eligible. Multiple entries are accepted; poets can enter as many poems as they wish.

PRIZE

*the winner will have her or his poem published and displayed on the Arts Corridor of University Hospital Galway as part of the 2014 Poems For Patience. Poems For Patience is a long running series which over the past decade has featured poems by leading Irish and international poets such as Seamus Heaney, Philip Schultz, Michael Longley, Vona Groarke, Jane Hirschfield, Tess Gallagher and many more.The poems after exhibition on the Arts Corridor are then displayed in waiting areas throughout Galway University Hospitals.

*the winner will be invited to read her of his winning poem at the launch of the 2014 Poems For Patience at the Cúirt International Festival of Literature in April 2014.

*the winner will be provided with accommodation in Galway for one night during the 2014 Cúirt International Festival of Literature

*the winner will be given a copy of their poem printed as a Poems for Patience poster

*the winner will be asked to submit six poems for consideration for a Featured Reader at the Over The Edge: Open Reading series in Galway City Library.

ENTRY FEE: to enter one poem the fee is €10. If you enter two or more poems the entry fee is €7.50 per poem i.e. to enter two poems it costs €15, to enter three €22.50 and so on.

Payment should be made by cheque or postal order payable to Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust. 

Entries should be sent by post to Margaret Flannery, Arts Director, Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust, Galway University Hospitals, University Hospital, Newcastle Road, Galway. Do not put your name on the poems; please include your contact details on a separate sheet. THE CLOSING DATE is Friday, March 7th 2014.

THE JUDGE: The competition judge is Kevin Higgins. Kevin Higgins is Writer-in-Residence with Galway University Hospitals Arts Trust. He facilitates poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre; teaches creative writing at Galway Technical Institute and on the Brothers of Charity Away With Words programme. He is the poetry critic of the Galway Advertiser. Kevin is co-organiser of Over The Edge literary events. His first collection of poems The Boy With No Face was published by Salmon in February 2005 and was short-listed for the 2006 Strong Award. His second collection, Time Gentlemen, Please,was published in March 2008 by Salmon. His work also features in the anthology Identity Parade – New British and Irish Poets (Ed Roddy Lumsden, Bloodaxe, 2010). Frightening New Furniture is his third collection of poems and was published in 2010 by Salmon Poetry. Mentioning The War, a collection of his essays and reviews was published by Salmon this April. Kevin has read his work at most of the major literary festivals in Ireland and at Arts Council and Culture Ireland supported poetry events in Kansas City, USA (2006), Los Angeles, USA (2007), London, UK (2007), New York, USA (2008), Athens, Greece (2008); St. Louis, USA (2008), Chicago, USA (2009), Denver, USA (2010), Washington D.C (2011), Huntington, West Virginia, USA (2011), Geelong, Australia (2011), Canberra, Australia (2011), St. Louis, Missouri (2013), Boston, Massachusetts (2013) & Amherst, Massachusetts (2013). His poetry has been translated into Greek, Spanish, Italian, Japanese & Portuguese. Kevin’s fourth collection of poetry, The Ghost In The Lobby, will be published by Salmon Poetry in 2014.

For further details: Tel: +353 (0)91 544979 Email: Margaret.Flannery@hse.ie