Under 30 had a full page in the Times last week. Plus, a sample of one of the young writer’s story. Volume One is going to be available soon, with the launch in the next few weeks. To be announced!
Under 30 Volume One
I had the opportunity of reviewing some of the work for Under 30 and really enjoyed some satisfying short stories. Under 30 has all the features of a cooperative writing community. Feedback is given and received with no winners or losers. Just a chance to improve your writing if you dare.
You can buy a copy of the anthology at lulu publishing in e-book format for a mere €4! It would be rude not to so go on and click here!
If you prefer it in the paperback version, it is going to be slightly more expensive at €9 on amazon here.
So, my least favourite and least predicted won the prize!
First of all, congratulations to him! €30,000 is a pretty nice fee to command for a short story!
You might have read my previous posts. I loved most of the short stories and I did like this. In fact, it is a perfect short story but I thought there was no freshness of content of theme to it. Look the The Gun and we have all of that and more, it also manages to be an easy to read story. I had to repeat some of the lines from Mark Haddon’s wonderful piece.
Miss Lora, not as much,for me and that is a totally personal thing.
It was a public vote so it could have a won by a couple of hundred people and maybe, the story maybe appealed to a more conventional or popular type of view of what a short story should do. Entertain and it did that. It’s just that everyone has their favourites!
Don’t get me wrong, if I even hoped to write in a quarter of the way Junot did, I would be delighted! IJunot sheds some light on the story http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/mar/22/junot-diaz-wins-short-story-prize and he seems to be very modest and a clear lover of the form. I’ll have to read his full collections Drown and This is how you lose her, which Miss Lora come from.
His comment about writing goes a long way to explain his stories.
“There are two types of writers: those who write for other writers, and those who write for readers,”and that he prefers to keep his readers in mind when writing, as “they’ll be more likely to gloss over his mistakes and act as willing participants in a story, rather than actively looking to criticize his writing.”
Evie by Sarah Hall was number three in the six short stories shortlisted for the EFG Sunday Times Short Story prize 2013.
I’ve read and loved The beautiful indifference, Sarah Hall’s first set of short stories, released last year but I was aware that she could be heavy going and ultra female themed. So, when I started Evie after finishing the brilliant short story The Gun, I braced myself.
Not to worry, the first few pages were easy and smooth, a woman decides she is going to start eating chocolate and lots of it. Her husband gets worried. Then, she drunkenly tries it on with his best friend. Hmmm, easy going this is not. The next morning, she is parading about in her silky dressing gown, showing her lady lumps off and using the f word when she wants to speak about making love.
Her husband gets worried but not too worried, after all his wife is a changed woman and he is a changed man and they have great fun fifty shades style for a while. The ending is an ending that I predicted. Though, it does make the reader feel bad about asusming something they shouldn’t have. There you go, I’ve revealed a lot. I am sorry, I take it all back. Evie is a strangely comforting nad easy to read short story written tenderly as always by the lovely Sarah Hall.
The dig by Cynan Jones
After all of thatmaking out and feelings, we get The Dig, a story about a teenage boy who goes on a dig with his father and his gypsy friend.
The dig of the title refers to the digging out of a badger and the killing of a badger.
You will be brought into this world very quickly, I felt itchy having read it as I believed it and believed the characters and hated them. I feel I’ve seen variants of this story, Meles Vulgaris by Patrick Boyle springs too mind although that story is told with love and affection for the badger. Something that I liked.
This story is a cruel story about what humans can do to animals and indeed each other. The teenage boy goes on a physical and mental journey towards the climatic murder scene of the badger. We hope he will shy away from it all, we hope he will have a realisation about his father and what he does for fun. The boy has a realisation indeed but it, too, is a cruel one. He is the same as the other adults in the story and shame for him. He is keen to be a big man in front of his Dad but ultimately, there is no hero in this tale. The badger is a passive animal that puts up with the violence of his life, the puppy too is yearning for the boy’s love and the boy wants his Dad or men to accept him. Powerful.
Cynn Jones writes with a poetic harshness and maybe, it’s my own personal preference but I won’t be able to sleep now, the world is so cruel.
I bet this will win. Have the feeling! It has the landscape, coming of age, subtle underlying themes and metaphors and a non judgmental view of the gypsy character. This has a very British feel.
My last post will look at the final two stories shortlisted in the awards, Call it the bug because I have no title to think of a better title and The beholderB
I was adding something that Ruth Padel had spoken about in the papers last week regarding writing and redrafting.
It got me thinking abut drafts, art and redrafting. When I am teaching visual arts with my little ones(students) we take a piece of clay, mould it, mess with it, make an object and then at the end of the lesson, we scrunch it up and put the clay back into the clay bag for another day of experimentation and lesson outcomes…
Some of my students don’t like this but I am trying to help them realise that it is about the process not the product, dearie. So, they lose their snake or coil pot or whatever type of creature they have made. I think this is right and proper as the next time they take out a blob of clay, they will experiment again, improve and eventually will make a product that they think is the best thing they have ever made!
But, what would happen if that first piece they made was the best? What is the second time they tried it, they lost that creativity and inhibition and made a second best? What if the children craved and yearned for that piece. Sure, we can take a photo of the first piece or first draft in writing but when do writers or artists know when they are finished? Can they ever know? How does a writer know that their story or poem is 100% brilliant and perfectly formed and they can release it into the universe of the reader.
I am sure that the writer or artist will tell yu they are never entirely happy with their work. If this is the case, shouldn’t the final product be the ONE? The ideal of all of their work. Something they can stand over forever and forever. But, they couldn’t, could they? An artist or writer is only human and will inevitably look back into the future and want to change, improve and shape. So, should authors and artists do a second coming of their novel or story? A sort of “I thought this was good but now, I’ve changed and I want to bring it to present day”
Any writers or artists have an opinon because I cannot answer this argument. There is no correct answer or is there?
P.S.
If you look for images of Ruth Padel, you will find that she has really good photos. She has thought about this. She has decided she will smile and look real and all “Ruth Padel” like. Makes sense. No black and white, stylised, serious looking into the distance photos for her. No way. Thanks for the chance to think about this. Just wish I could come to a produced conclusion, all wrapped up neatly!
I have been reading about this everywhere. A great idea and it seems all free!! At writing.ie they have launched The National Emerging Writer Programme. This will include advice from experienced authors to help to develop writing.
You can watch the videos online or borrow the full DVD from your local library – later this week it will be available on Amazon to purchase for anyone who wants to watch it again.
The National Emerging Writer Programmeconsists of three 40 minute videos featuring Carlo Gebler, Sinead Moriarty and Declan Hughes, three of Ireland’s best known writers,The National Emerging Writer Programme is aimed at new and experienced writers to help cultivate and develop new writing talent.
You have till 21st December. If you missed out on Radio 1 Arena programme with David Lordan, then check out the link here http://www.rte.ie/radio1/arena If you click on New planet cabaret, you will hear the clip related to it.
New Planet Cabaret – Arena’s Creative Writing Course
Dave Lordan launched the first ever on-air creative writing course which Radio 1 is calling ‘New Planet Cabaret’. Writers can send their stories to arena@rte.ie with ‘creative writing’ in the subject title. They are looking for stories on the theme ‘The Party’ before December 21st .
David spoke about the title of the course in that he is looking for writing that is alive, well-travelled/multi reflective and of a cabaret-entertainment style! Some really good concepts there to keep in mind.
The party theme is a great prompt. David spoke about the fertility of lies and how we should use this in our fiction writing. He questions that people think telling lies in writing is morally wrong. To try to break out of this, he urges people to ask our friends about an interesting party that you have been to-wake, wedding, house party. Listen to the story and then tell the story from their point of view. He recommends that you add in at least three lies to the story! Keep in mind that you are writing for an intelligent audience around the 700 word mark, which will last for about a couple of minutes. David gives us a song to inspire us at the end of the podcast. It is a personal favourite of Simon and I-Party hard by Pulp.
For the last month, I have noticed the name of David Lordan springing up everywhere! Dave is very well known in literary circles, he teaches creative writing at Mater Dei Institute amongst millions of other things, I’m sure!
He is running a certified course for creative writing in Mater Dei in January 2013 and I am definitely looking into this.
So, when I flicked to RTE news ap and saw the following news, I felt a warm, Christmas, creative writing glow! Brilliant idea from RTE and David. Now, I must find out if they do an app or a podcast download!
RTÉ Radio 1’s Arena programme is to run an on-air creative writing course, with opportunity for submissions to be broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 and published by New Island Books.
Sean Rocks
The course begins on Tuesday December 4 at 7.30pm on the programme and continues on the first Tuesday of the month thereafter throughout 2013.
The course, which is being run in association with New Island Books, is entitled New Planet Cabaret and features writer, poet, performer and creative writing teacher Dave Lordan discussing, deconstructing and demystifying the process of writing poetry, short story writing, novel writing, writing for theatre, crime fiction, song lyrics.
Each month, Dave will set out assignments for followers of the course, who will then be invited to send their submissions in to arena@rte.ie for review by Dave Lordan and the Arena team.
Dave Lordan currently teaches contemporary critical theory and poetic practice on the MA in Poetry Studies at Dublin City University. He also teaches creative writing at primary, secondary, third, and adult education levels. An internationally-acclaimed poet, he was the first to win Ireland’s three national prizes for young poets.
Lordan is also the current holder of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary Award and previous winner of both the Patrick Kavanagh and Strong Awards for poetry.
New Planet Cabaret will feature guest contributions from acclaimed writers, including Nick Kelly, Colm Keegan and Kathy D’Arcy to name but a few. Arena is presented by Sean Rocks.
It is a bit of a debate in the the teacher world and at teacher conferences-Can we teach children how to be creative?
I really enjoy teaching children how to write, no matter what level they are at. I also love motivating children to want to read! David Lordan, who is a creative writing guru, poet and writer of all things creative, is going to be giving a course that will help teachers learn how to teach children how to be creative in their writing! The details are below, I have to footnote Nuala Ni Chonchuir as she revealed this information first on her blog- http://womenrulewriter.blogspot.ie/
This course is going to be accredited and it sounds delish!
Teaching creativity
Here is something new and exciting for those who want to become teachers of CW. Or for those who already teach and want to gain new skills. A Teaching Creativity course taught by Dave Lordan, one of our most innovative young writers. His new book of short fiction First Book of Frags will be out shortly. I’ve read it and it’s a cracker. The course is great value at €200 for four sessions. Details:
Teaching Creativity is an innovative new course in which anyone interested in becoming a teacher of Creative Writing can acquire the fundamental skills and inspiration to do so. The module will be taught by poet Dave Lordan on behalf of The Irish Centre for Poetry Studies at the Mater Dei Institute, and will cover the teaching of creative writing in primary, secondary, adult and community contexts, areas in which he has acquired an abundance of experience over the years.
As well as boosting the CVs of participants and enhancing their teaching abilities, it will also provide specific opportunities for particular groups of people:
Qualified teachers will discover new inspiration for the integration of creativity into the design and delivery of curriculum, as well as how to design a short course in creative writing, enabling a confident response to the increased emphasis on creativity in the Junior Cert, for example.
Community educators and youth workers will be able to develop the potential for incorporating creativity into their work.
Writers, both aspiring and established, can develop the skills that will enable them to do creative teaching work that will complement their craft.
Participants will be asked to produce a short course and lesson plans. A certificate will be issued to all participants. The course can also be taken for credit as part of MDI’s Masters in Poetry Studies, as long as an expanded assessment piece is presented.
The module will be taught over four Saturdays at the Mater Dei Institute: January 19th, February 2nd, March 9th and April 13th. Sessions will run from 9.45a.m- 12.45p.m. The course fee is €200. The module co-ordinator, Michael Hinds, is happy to answer any enquiries: michael.hinds@materdei.dcu.ie
If you are following the US elections, this article may interest all you prose lovers! I have adapted it from the politico website.
President Obama on stump: Prose over poetry
In 2008, Barack Obama closed his campaign with poetry. This time, he’s finishing with constrained, calibrated prose.
Obama’s speeches have defined his political career, and he’s chosen his words for them carefully. There’s no mistaking the contrasts between the one he’s using for the closing argument of his 2012 campaign and the one he delivered over and over again on the precipice of his first term: He’s stopped talking about hope, he’s largely traded in talking about himself as part of a movement and more as a leader of a struggle, and he’s gone from envisioning a united America to fighting off his opponents on the other side of the class and political divide.
In the last days, he’s dropped the sarcasm of “Romnesia” or the supposed lessons he’s learned as president that he actually uses to criticize Mitt Romney — including “You can’t just make things up” and “you represent the entire country.” Still, there’s no missing the smile of a man who’s enjoying making fun of Romney and enjoying people laughing as he does.
Obama still talks about change — that’s been one of his ongoing fights with Romney in the final days. And though he’s sounded more optimistic as his poll numbers have picked up in the closing days, he’s landed on a distinctly George W. Bush-sounding note to drive home his case.
“You may not agree with every decision I’ve made — Michelle doesn’t agree with every decision I’ve made. There may be times when you’re frustrated with the pace of change, I’m frustrated sometimes with the pace of change,” Obama told the crowd in Bristow, Va., Saturday night. “But you know I mean what I say and I say what I mean, and you know where I stand.”
But other than saying he hopes people vote for him, he’s dropped the word entirely from his closing argument this year. In 2008, he devoted paragraphs to explaining what he meant.
“That thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting around the bend, that insists there are better days ahead,” Obama told a late October crowd in Canton, Ohio, four years ago, quoting his own Iowa caucuses victory speech. “If we’re willing to work for it, if we’re willing to shed our fears and our doubts, if we’re willing to reach deep down inside ourselves when we’re tired and come back fighting harder.”
Summarizing the thoughts of the Americans who struggled throughout history, Obama said, “‘It may look dark tonight, but if I hold onto hope, tomorrow will be brighter.’ That’s what this election is about.”
These days, he frames himself less as the man at the head of a movement and more as a leader out on his own fighting on behalf of the people who put him in charge.
“In one week, you can turn the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street,” Obama said in Chester, Pa., four years ago. “You can choose policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy from the bottom-up. … You can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election. … You can give this country the change we need.”
