Brian Kirk's Blog

No it’s not a football result! Next Thursday Boyne Berries Issue 12 will be launched in The Castle Arch Hotel in Trim at 8pm. I am delighted that editor Michael Farry has included my poem A Memory of Facial Hair in it. Earlier this year Michael launched his first poetry collection, Asking for Directions, which I’ve been enjoying over the summer.

I’ve been to these launches on a couple of occasions in the past and they are always enjoyable, relaxed and friendly with quality readers and writers in attendance. This issue will be launched by Professor Gregory Castle of the Department of English, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. I’m not sure yet what other writers are featured, and I suppose that’s half the enjoyment of getting your hands on any new issue – seeing who else is featured in it.

Boyne Berries 12 costs €8 but will be on sale at a reduced price at the launch. It will also be available in Antonia’s Bookshop and in SPAR, Trim or can be purchased through the website www.boynewriters.com.

On the same night at the Irish Writers’ Centre  at 7.30pm The Burning Bush 2 are having their first reading. I had a poem Tryst featured in Issue 3.

“The Burning Bush 2 presents Christodoulos Makris and Kevin Graham at the Irish Writers Centre, on Thursday 27th September. Admission is free and doors open at 7:30pm.

Our featured poets will be preceded by an open mic: the first six people to sign up on the night get a slot.

Christodoulos Makris is the author of the collection Spitting Out the Mother Tongue (Wurm Press, 2011), the chapbook Round the Clock (Wurm Press, 2009) and the chapbook / artist’s book, Muses Walk (yes, but is it poetry, 2012). He lives in Dublin.

Kevin Graham lives and works in Dublin. His poetry has appeared in Poetry Ireland Review,Crannóg, The Shop, Southword, The Moth and others. He was chosen to participate in this year’s Poetry Ireland Introduction Series.”

Not sure where I’ll be that night yet…

 

 

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On Wednesday 5th September next Louise Phillips will launch her debut novel Red Ribbons at 6.30pm in Hughes and Hughes in the St.  Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre.

I first met Louise Phillips at a writers’ workshop run by Dermot Bolger in his capacity as Writer-in-Residence with South Dublin County Council maybe six or seven years ago. It was a great experience and they were a great group that also contained the likes of Colm Keegan and Kate Dempsey. Some of us were just starting out and others were coming back to writing after a break, and some, like me, were hoping to get a clearer focus on what they were writing and why they were writing at all. Out of that came the County Lines anthology and the rest, as they say, is history: Colm’s first poetry collection Don’t GoThere was published earlier this year by Salmon and Kate’s dinky book Some Poems was published by Moth Editions last year.

Now we have Louise’s first book, a psychological novel set in Dublin, Red Ribbons. Declan Burke interviewed Louise last week here in the Herald giving the wider public a first taste of what readers can expect from the book.

I’ll be hosting an interview with Louise here on 14th September 2012 – it’s the final leg of the Red Ribbons blog tour that starts on 30th August. Details of all dates are on Louise’s blog.

I’m really looking forward to the launch night – it should be a great celebration of what Louise has achieved in a short space of time, and of course it will also be a great opportunity to meet up and have a chat with old friends.

 

 

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 I was delighted to have my poem Rotten Apples accepted by Abridged for their recent issue 0 – 26 Rust. I’ve admired the art work and poetry in this magazine for some time now and, although I couldn’t make it along to the launch last Thursday in Belfast, I hope to be a part of it again and hopefully make that trip next time.

Over recent issues Abridged have published great poetry by the likes of Gerald Dawe, Kate Dempsey, Olive Broderick, Eileen Casey, Kevin Graham, Peter Goulding, David Mohan, Geraldine Mitchell, Helena Nolan, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Afric McGlinchey and many, many more.

Please take some time to read the current and back issues at Abridged Online and admire the visual  art as much as the poetry. Rarely do you see a publication that is so ambitious in its aim and so consistently beautiful in its essence.

The submission call for the next issue of Abridged 0-28 Once a Railroad will go out very soon. Keep an eye on the website and send on your best work.

 

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The Irish Writers’ Centre recently launched their 2nd annual Novel Fair Competition. The closing date this year is 17th October. They’ve also created a new website here for the fair which tells you all you need to know and gives you plenty of information and background on last year’s shortlisted novelists.

The big news from last year surely was Niamh Boyce whose novel The Herbalist was snapped up by Penguin Ireland with a proposed publication date set for 2013. Well done Niamh!

For those of you struggling to tame the beast called Novel there’s an intensive Novel Writing Course being run by the Writer’s Centre over a five day period between 3rd and 7th September. Tutors include Carlo Gebler, Keith Ridgway, Sean O’Reilly, Karen Gillece and Mia Gallagher. Full details here.

So no excuses…

 

 

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I seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment when it comes to poetry. My poem Tryst is in Issue 3 of the Burning Bush 2 and I have been longlisted for the Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition, which is a huge encouragement. And on top all that I just got a call this afternoon from the Hawkswell Theatre to tell me that my poem Taking Simple Vows has been commended in this year’s iYeats poetry competition judged by Theo Dorgan and Paula Meehan. That’s two years in a row! The winners and commended poems should be up on their site soon, so I’ll post a link then.

Long may it continue! These are the good days… I’ve had plenty of the other ones over the years and will do again no doubt.

 

 

 

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It summer, but you’d never guess by the weather, so stop looking out the window at the rain falling. There’s a whole bunch of writing deadlines approaching right now. I know bunch is a lousy collective noun, but I don’t have time to think of another. Here’s a few – do you have anything ready to send off yet?

Wasafiri New Writing Prize – poetry / fiction / life writing – closing date is 27/7/2012.

Sean O’Faolain Short Story Competition – closing date is 31/7/2012.

Over the Edge New Writer of the Year – poety / fiction – closing date is 08/08/2012.

Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award – closing date is 27/7/2012.

Boyne Berries submission period ends 31st July.

I’m sure there are plenty more out there, but that’s enough to be getting along with for the present!

 

 

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Southword 22 is online now, and I’m delighted to say that my poem Life is Elsewhere is part of it. There’s also poetry from the likes of Mary Madec, David Mohan, Afric McGlinchey, John W. Sexton, Gerard Smyth and Matthew Sweeney among many others.

There are stories from Danielle McLaughlin and Nuala Ní Chonchúir also, and poetry and prose in Irish and reviews as well.

Plenty to keep you reading!

 

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My award winning story Perpetuity is now available as a free download at Ether Books. Stories can be downloaded to iPhone or iPOD via the free Ether app available at the Apple Store.

This is the second story I’ve published with Ether Books. The first Worm got a great reaction, and was a top ten paid download for a few weeks, so at least I got a handful of new readers. Ether Books is looking at broadening the scope of how they deliver short fiction and is also developing a self-service WEB interface that will enable Ether Writers to update their Biography, Blog, and to check download statistics.

If you’re lucky enough to own an iPhone or iPOD please check out the story – it’s all free!

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HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE AND LITERATURE IN THE MIX AT

TREVOR / BOWEN LITERARY FESTIVAL, MITCHELSTOWN 20/07/2012 to 22/07/2012.

“Heritage, History and Literature will be intertwined at this year’s Wm Trevor / Eliz Bowen Literary Festival when Eoghan Harris officially opens the 6^th annual weekend of literary activity on Friday 20^th July. Outside of the opening ceremony and talk by Tom McCarthy, who has chosen “ Bowen, De Valera and the Neutrality of the Dead” as his topic, all the other events over the weekend will be held in buildings, some of whose origins date back to the 12^th Century.

Kingston College was built in the late 18^th Century, originally to provide accommodation to the less well-off members of the Church of Ireland community. Its chapel will host readings by members of our local creative writing group earlier on Friday afternoon.

Other venues include Farahy Church, originally built in the 12^th Century, then rebuilt as a rare example of an 18^th century rural Church of Ireland church, where Sophia Hillan, from Belfast, will speak about “Elizabeth Bowen’s sense of place” on Saturday afternoon.

The Kingston Arms, located in Kings’ Square, was built in the 18^th Century as an hotel and on the Saturday and Sunday mornings will be the venue for  Creative Writing Workshops for Adults. Our facilitators are John MacKenna and Mary O’Donnell who will be in the main concentrating on helping those who are at an earlier stage of their writing efforts.  Eoghan Harris will, on the other hand, be concentrating on the plot as the basis for all good story writing.

Mitchelstown Town Hall which was originally built as a Catholic Church in the late 18 century and when the church was replaced 50 years later, it became a school, will house all of the remaining weekend’s activities.

These events include:

Talks:                          “A Childhood friendship with ELIZABETH BOWEN”

Sally Phipps, daughter of Mollie Keane, will talk about her memories

of the Elizabeth Bowen she remembers as a child

 

Screenings:             “THE FILMS OF WILLIAM TREVOR”

Stephanie McBride presents her very successful talk as well as showing excerpts from various films made of Trevor’s works.

“THE BALLROOM OF ROMANCE”

Followed by the eponymous Dance with a three piece band.

“THE LAST SEPTEMBER”

Jim Ryan presents his interpretation of the great Bowen novel as a reader

and, after showing the film, will chair a discussion regarding the film presentation of the book as against the readers’ interpretation.

 

Readings:

Danielle McLaughlin, winner of Trevor/Bowen Short Story Competition 2012, reads her winning entry.

Admission per person (excluding workshops):

Individual Events     €10.00       Saturday only ticket   €25.00      Weekend Ticket   €45.00

Creative Writing Workshops Adults:    See prices on programme/website

Further details:             Tel: 025/84969      086/8248736       cusackliam@eircom.net

 

See:     www.mitchelstownlit.com for full details.

 

There will be a cheese and wine reception and a short, musical performance by local folk group, Eistigi, on the opening night.

There will be a Festival trad/folk session in Auntie Mae’s pub on the Saturday night at 11.00pm.”

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 Last night I attended the launch of the first anthology from Labello Press – Gem Street. The anthology is comprised of the winning and shortlisted stories from the inaugural Leonard A. Koval Memorial Prize.

I was delighted to meet up with the founding editor, Deborah McMenamy, who was kind enough to invite me along on the night. I also got to listen to seven of the writers read extracts from their stories: Steve Wade, Carol Brick-Stock, Noel O’Regan, Helen Kampfner, P.W. Bridgman, Zoe Gilbert and Paul Burns. The subject matter and styles were wide ranging with writers representing Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States.

There was wine and canapes and good conversation too, all in the beautiful United Arts Club on Fitzwilliam Street Upper. I particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to chat to Steve Wade and Tanya Farrelly, two very accomplished and successful writers and Noel O’Regan, a young short story writer with a very bright future ahead of him. You can read another great story by Noel here.

Labello Press intend to run this competition again this year – check out the details here. I’m looking forward now to reading the stories at my leisure very soon. You can purchase a copy of Gem Street here, and I recommend you do that. Congratulations to all eleven writers and also to Deborah for making it all happen. I look forward to more publications from Labello Press in the future. Writers need publishers like Labello.

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