Monday Writerly Roundup: International Poets and Weekend Workshops
This roundup showcases events with international speakers and an opportunity to win a place on a weekend workshop.
SpeakEasy Poetry Goes International
Well actually, it’s the UK, as we’re bringing English poet John McCullough across the sea to be the featured poet for the SpeakEasy event on Friday 7 June. He’s the author of the collection Reckless Paper Birds and his poem ‘Flower of Sulphur’ won the Forward Price for Best Single Poem.
It’s all happening in Phil Grimes Pub on 7 June at 8pm. You’ll also hear the funky sounds of local musician Joe Meagher, and you’re welcome to come along and bring a piece for the open mic if you fancy it. Entry €5 on the door, cash only.
Photo Description: Here’s a pic of John McCullough, the poet who’ll be our honoured guest on Friday 7 June. He has black hair with a small beard and moustache, and he’s smartly dressed in a black tie and white shirt.
Molly Keane House Workshop Bursaries
The good people at the Arts Office, Waterford City and County Council is a great support to artists in Waterford. Its latest initiative is a bursary to attend a workshop at the Molly Keane House in Ardmore, Co. Waterford. The workshop will run from 17 to 19 August. The usual price of the workshop is €300, but the bursary winner will be awarded a free place.
You’ll spend the weekend exploring the ‘The Sensuality of Memory’ with the lovely Lani O’Hanlon and you’ll hear a talk from the poet Thomas McCarthy about Molly Keane while munching afternoon tea.
If you’d like to be in with a chance to win the bursary, email Waterford Arts Officer Margaret Organ on morgan@waterfordcouncil.ie with your postal address and the reason why you feel winning this bursary will benefit your writing.
Creative Careers Conference
Minding Creative Minds, an organisation that supports artists of all stripes from a practical and wellbeing perspective, is running its second Creative Careers conference.
There’ll be talks and panel discussions about how to build and maintain a career in the arts and there’ll be grub – and it’s all free. It’s happening on Tuesday 18 June at the Radisson Blu Golden Lane hotel in the centre of Dublin.
Registration for this conference opens on 31 May. Meanwhile, have a look at the Minding Creative Minds Facebook page – it’s the best place to get updates about the conference.
And finally… I was saddened to hear of the death of the acclaimed short story writer Alice Munro. Her novel Lives of Girls and Women was on my English college syllabus and I also read Runaway, both of which I greatly admired.