Me. Writing. Stuff.
The National Flash Fiction website was reintroduced to me last weekend at a writing course. Here is a link to the winners and shortlisted.
Some brilliant stuff there and some questionably different. My favourite is Slather by Clare Kirwan.
Check it out here.
It will take you 6.7 seconds or if you are slow, 7.4. I’ve timed, I’ve checked it. I do all the work in this relationship, you know.
Review coming soon if I can put it down!
I haven’t written about Jamie O’ Connell for a bit now. But, thankfully, Mel Ulm has given us a proper fix of the Jamie in a hugely detailed interview with the author on Mel’s Reading Lives blog.
Mel Ulm knows his stuff. He knows Irish and he knows the short story. I imagine that he spends every second reading new and old Irish literature. I really enjoy his blog and am really enjoying the Q and A for Irish writers he has running for the last while.
Jamie O’ Connell was interviewed last week and it is really is a fab read. Jamie is honest and generous in his answers to very fascinating questions and the whole thing turns very academic but not overly off-putting!
So, Mel Ulm is everywhere but Jamie seems to be back on the scene a bit more recently. Jamie is launching our group anthology in June in Carlow. He is also working on new stuff all of the time and I just cannot wait to read any of his new stuff as his last short story collection was out just a year ago so we need some new work from this man.
Also, I hear talk that he was on Sunday Miscellany last Sunday and is going to be featured regularly on RTE Radio 1 on the Sunday Miscellany program. The latest one from yesterday doesn’t seem to be available just yet but I will post when it is. 9 in the morning was just too early for a Sunday wake up call.
Have a read of the interview here, lots of great nuggets on the writer’s life and ethos.
http://rereadinglives.blogspot.ie/2013/04/jamie-oconnell-question-and-answer.html
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever but the day is nearly here!
I’m waiting on my review copy to arrive, Kevin kindly organized for me to get one before the launch on the 25th May.
The pressure will be on to finish reading it and write a review on it before the launch…
Can I do it? Yes! Absolutely! I take your challenge, Faber!
Bring it.
Stay tuned for my review but in the meantime, here’s a press release sent from Rebecca, Faber Publishing..
“These are Irish short stories and often they come in the shapes that we know and have loved in the form but also they come at a very interesting moment, I believe, when the story is being considered anew and is being pulled in many strange and unexpected new directions. The Irish story is changing and is pulsing with great, mad and rude new energies. Watch it now as it spirals and spins out –” Kevin Barry, introduction to Town & Country
After previous volumes edited by Joseph O’Connor and the late David Marcus, Faber and Faber are delighted to present a fourth collection of all new Irish short stories. Edited by novelist and short story writer Kevin Barry – whose story ‘Beer Trip To Llandudno’ appeared in the 2011 collection and went on to win the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize – this volume once again mixes fresh new voices with established names such as Dermot Healy, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Julian Gough, Patrick McCabe and Paul Murray, and will seek to offer fresh renditions to the Irish story; new angles, new approaches, new modes of attack.
‘This volume proves that one thing we needn’t be ashamed of is the quality of Irish writing.’ Irish Times (on New Irish Short Stories 2011) ‘This fine anthology offers reassuring proof that whatever the state of the economy, Irish writing is as strong as ever.’ Irish Mail on Sunday (on New Irish Short Stories 2011)
Kevin Barry is the author of the story collections Dark Lies the Island and There Are Little Kingdoms as well as the novel City Of Bohane. He has been awarded the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Prize, the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, and has been shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Prize and the Hughes & Hughes Irish Novel of the Year award. His stories have appeared in the New Yorker and many other journals and anthologies.
For further information please contact Rebecca Pearson, Publicity Manager, on 020 7927 3886 or rebeccap@faber.co.uk
Faber Socials is on the Saturday, 25th May and am so not going to miss it.
Except I am. It coincides with a big family event at home, in the West and my sister would cut me off if I missed it for a book launch.
But, this is not just any ol’ launch. It’s a brand new anthology of Irish short stories. Edited by the man, Kevin Barry, Town and Country is featuring contributors like Patrick McCabe,Paul Murray, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Eimear Ryan andMichael Harding.
Apparently, everyone is going to be there. Like, everyone.
One has to even buy a ticket to attend so it must be all very special. It’s going to be launched in the Clarence Suite in Dublin at 6 p.m.
Hey, wait a minute, I don’t have to be in the West until 10:30 a.m. the day after. I could go to the Faber event, mingle and quaff nice drinks for a couple of hours and then either travel to the West that evening, arriving after midnight. Or, I could get up at 4:30 a.m. the next morning and arrive in perfect time for the West event. A third option would be to make someone dress up as me for the West event and I would take their place at the Faber event. A fourth option would be to write to the Dublin Writers’ Festival and demand(ask) that they switch the event date to the Friday instead of the Saturday. The most important thing is that I am there.
The final option is that I don’t go and just go to the West and enjoy that family day, and I will enjoy it but I would love to have two enjoys.
What do you think I should do? Click on the poll below to help me decide. [polldaddy poll=”7068965″]
Dave Lordan’s First Frags Launch Night was held in Mc Grattan’s off Baggot Street last night.
I had of course been made aware of the Dave Lordan last year in Bantry and he had also sent me a copy of his new Book of First Frags, which was launched last night.
I have read the Book of Frags but want to write a full review at some later point.
We headed in to Mc Grattan’s with a couple of mates and I started chatting to the gliteratti of the performance poetry world like Billy Ramsell, who was decked out in a smart suit. Sat in by another poet, Christoodoulous Makris, A poet who originally hails from Cyprus.
Karl Parkinson, who is a performance poet was the MC for the night and he introduced Sean O’ Reilly who gave an excellent and heart felt foreword to Dave’ new book.
Karl kicked off with rap and a beat. I really liked him with his thick Dublin accent, he is quite the comedian. Extroverted man.
Dave, the man of the night, read two pieces from his Book of Frags- The Iron Lady and Bones. I may have picked other ones but everyone was riveted and entertained by his passionate reading.
Once, Dave had finished his pieces, he opened the floor up to everyone. There was a huge waiting list. Who knew poets weren’t shy?
We heard all sorts from Billy Ramsell “Stop the crowd” poetry and Colm Keegan’s honest and just plain lovely work. It was my first time hearing both poets read and they really did sooth the place into silence and listening.
There was singing, ranting, madness and nearly tears and the Carlow Writers or the “Carlow Trinity” (as Karl dubbed us) got to read after midnight. We did fine. Just fine. I was just thankful everyone was awake!
We caught the last bus home to Carlow, buzzing from a brilliant event that showed Dave’s love of the unique and out there.
Great stuff.
More.
John O’ Donnell wins Best Emerging Fiction for his strangely sweet and disturbing short story, Shelley. I remember reading this and being thoughtful about it afterwards. Dermott Healy, uber renowned poet and novelist, was inducted into the Hennessy Hall of fame. I wonder will the stories and poems from the last year will be compiled anywhere?
The West Cork Literary Festival 2013 programme is out!
My must do and sees(for now) are:
Sunday evening/night
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
And then home….Some of the highlights, there are loads more on http://www.westcorkmusic.ie/literaryfestival/programme Be sure to check it out and get your tickets quickly as they will go…
For the time that is now…a story about Easter, a mystical story from Chekov, master of all stories that are very short.
On the night before Easter, a traveler is waiting to cross the river to a monastery. A lay brother brings a ferry across.
As the ferry moves slowly to the other bank, the traveller talks about his sadness over the death of a fellow monk. When the traveller gets to the monastery, he takes part in services throughout the night, then goes back on the ferry after sunrise on Easter morning. There seems to be no relief for the traveller, he has not found what he was looking for on his trip.
A really nice one to read on Easter Sunday or Easter Saturday or anytime at all!
It is completely free at: http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/achekhov/bl-achek-easteve.htm
A record number of writers have entered this year’s biggie, the Edge Hill Short Story Prize..
It is the only UK award that recognises excellence in a published collection of short stories and has some pretty enticing prizes for the winning short story god or goddess!
I noticed a big number of short story writers from Ireland and am crossing every finger for them. We
The judges have to shortlist 5 names only! That is tough. It will be revealed in May and the winners announced at a plush ceremony on 4th July in London. There is a main prize of £5,000 and a Readers’ Choice of £1,000 chosen from the 5 shortlisted. That is when I will be pushing everyone to vote for the best and Irish, hopefully!
On the long-list from Ireland are:
We really have some strong contenders there. Anyone of them is truly deserved as inspiring me and their readers to love the short story form. Best of luck to all of you in great company and you have given me another To Read list!