Munster literary events
There's some serious literary talent heading Leeside in 2015 for a series of readings at University College Cork. The series kicks off on January 16th with the 2014 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award winner, Colin Barrett. The Mayo writer also recently won the Guardian First Book Award for his debut collection Young Skins. Baileys Prize-winner Zadie Smith, author of White Teeth and more recently NW, will appear alongside her poet and novelist husband, Nick Laird, on February 16th. Acclaimed poets Matthew Hollis and Robin Robertson will give readings in March and April. For more information visit ucc.ie/english/news.
Another Munster literary event of note is a talk by award-winning writer Donal Ryan, author of The Spinning Heart and The Thing About December, taking place in Ballyporeen parochial hall, Co Tipperary on January 24th. In aid of Ballyporeen's community centre, the talk will be followed by a question and answer session.
New events in old city
The Gutter Bookshop in Temple Bar plays host to a "whistle-stop tour" of James Joyce's Ulysses on January 21st. The author and performer Robert Gogan will give his 75-minute rendition of Joyce's masterpiece, promising early-morning trips to Martello Tower and late-night reveries with Molly Bloom. Billed as a crash course on the lengthy tome, English lit students should take note. Another draw is the €3 entry fee, which includes a free glass of wine. The evening is part of the New in the Old City programme of events currently taking place in the Temple Bar district. Other events to watch out for include the Paul Thomas Anderson premiere of Thomas Pynchon's novel Inherent Vice at the IFI, and the return of Olwen Fouéré's Riverrun to the Project Theatre from January 27th - 31st. See templebar.ie for more info.
Folio events
The shortlist for the prestigious Folio Award 2015 will be announced on February 9th at a ceremony in London. Eighty authors from around the world were longlisted in December for novels or collections published in 2014, with Irish authors Mary Costello, Colin Barrett and Colm Tóibín among the nominees. As part of the build-up to the main event, the Folio Prize Fiction Festival will take place from March 20th-22nd. Opening with a lecture delivered by the acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, there will also be panel discussions with shortlisted authors, alongside members of the Folio Prize Academy. The full programme can be accessed here. The winner of the award will be announced on March 23rd.
TS Eliot award
The British poet David Harsent has won the TS Eliot Prize for his collection Fire Songs, published by Faber and Faber. This is Harsent's fifth appearance on the shortlist, following A Bird's Idea of Flight (1998), Marriage (2002), Legion (2005) and Night (2011). Judges Helen Dunmore, Sean Borodale and Fiona Sampson picked Harsent's collection for its "technical brilliance and prophetic power." Good news too for future winners. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of TS Eliot's death on January 4th, the poet's estate has increased the value of the prize. From this year, the winner will receive £20,000 and the 10 shortlisted poets will each receive £1,500. The TS Eliot Estate has also extended its support to become sole sponsor of the prize.
Writers’ Week competitions
The competition deadlines for Listowel Writers' Festival 2015 have been announced, with online entries accepted for the first time this year in certain categories. The Bryan MacMahon Short Story Award, Duais Foras Na Gaeilge, the Single Poem Competition and the Listowel Writers' Week Originals Competitions can all be entered online. Entries for the following competitions should be submitted by post: The Eamon Keane Full Length Play Award, The Poetry Collection Competition, The Irish Post New Writing Competition, The Nilsson Local Heritage Writing Competition, Con Houlihan Young Sports Journalist Award, Kerry County Council Creative Writing Competitions for Youth, Creative Writing for Special Educational Needs and Writing in Prisons Competition. Full details of all competitions can be found at writersweek.ie.
