Dear Writer
Newsletter number seven. How the months are zipping by. ‘Gone in a flash’, my father, who lived to ninety-six, said to the four of us more than once. Hardly an original observation, yet now that I’m at the age he was when he began stating the obvious, it has become shockingly clear to me that life does indeed go by in a flash. It’s far from over (I probably need to say that), but there’s no denying the fact that there’s much more in my past than in my future. Which is why I try to remain in the present, rarely looking back and even more rarely gazing into my future. Today is what counts. And more specifically, this moment, typing these words on my laptop in my favourite cafe while listening to Carrie & Lowell, the remarkable 2015 album by Sufjan Stevens, on my headphones.
That’s enough about me – what about you? How is your writing going? And what are you reading these days? And don’t say that you’re not a reader, because for me that’s almost the same as saying you’re not a writer. Readers don’t have to write (most don’t), but writers do have to read. I’ve met more than one participant at my writing workshops over the years who have said they don’t read much. I don’t understand that. For me, the two go hand in hand; honestly, it would be impossible for me to have written the stories and the poems I’ve had published plus all the material that never got published had I not been a lifelong reader.
Speaking of reading, you’ll recall that in my July missive I praised Colin Barrett’s WILD HOUSES. It’ll therefore come as no surprise that I was delighted to learn that he’s been longlisted for the Booker, indeed he’s the only Irish author on the 13-novel longlist. He probably won’t win, but it would be great to see him get to the shortlist, because then anything can happen.
*****
Here are a few items that may be of interest to some of you:
WORD CORNER – Word Corner is a monthly opportunity to share and hear poems, stories, and the occasional song. Just like an open mic, but without the lights or microphones! It happens on the second Thursday of each month, from 6pm to 7:30. After a couple of months spreading words by the gardens and water of Lough Allen, WC returns to its regular home in The Jury Room, at The Dock, in Carrick on Shannon on September 12th. All-comers are welcome, whether finding their voice for the very first time, sharing archived & new works from years of amateur & expert experience, or just satisfying curiosity. And the extra good news is: it’s free to attend.
ILLUMINATIONS – SLIGO – Illuminations is an open mic based in The Bookmart, 5 Lower the Mall, Sligo on the first Thursday of every month at 8pm. Running since August 2013 and hosted by Patrick Curley, food and drinks are served and admission is always free. Everyone is invited to read their own work or an old favourite. There is no podium to step up to, or PA system to get to grips with, just a welcoming atmosphere and a lot of weird and wonderful wordsmiths, buskers, performers and surprises!
WRITERS @ THE DOCK – 11am every Saturday – The Dock Arts Centre
Open to anyone interested in writing. It runs from 11am to 12.30pm and the cost per session is €5. The group is supportive and inclusive and consists of both new and established writers who wish to have a space to explore different ways and styles of writing, including poetry, fiction and memoir. The main objective is to enjoy the process and to have a bit of craic along the way!
THE MOTH NATURE WRITING PRIZE – Deadline: 30 Sep 2024
https://www.poetryireland.ie/writers/opportunities/the-moth-nature-writing-prize-2024
The Prize will be awarded to three unpublished pieces of prose or poetry which best combine exceptional literary merit with an exploration of the writer’s relationship with the natural world. The word limit for prose is 4,000 and there is an entry fee of €15. This year’s judge is award-winning nature writer Cal Flyn. The winning pieces will be published in the Irish Times online. See themothmagazine.com for more details. 1st prize €1000 plus a week at Circle of Misse in France. 2nd prize €500. 3rd prize €250
WESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION – Deadline: 15 Sep 2024 https://www.poetryireland.ie/writers/opportunities/westival-international-poetry-competition-2024
Entries must be in English only. There is no set theme for this year’s competition. €15 for up to three poems. 1st Prize: €1000. 2nd Prize: €250. 3rd Prize: €100
POETRY IRELAND REVIEW Poetry Ireland Review is published three times annually. They welcome unsolicited submissions of poems, and proposals for articles and reviews, from Ireland and abroad, in Irish or English. They encourage more submissions from women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds, who are currently under-represented in the submissions they receive throughout the year.
HOLD FAST TO DREAMS POETRY COMPETITION – Deadline 01st September https://www.poetryireland.ie/writers/opportunities/hold-fast-to-dreams-poetry-competition-1 – 13 shortlisted poems will appear in Drawn to the Light Press Issue 13 and the overall winner will receive a cash prize. Send a single poem of no more than 40 lines (excluding the title) as an attachment to dreamspoetrycomp@gmail.com. Poems must be on the theme of ‘dreams’. The judge of the competition is editor Orla Fay. There is a €10 entry fee.
NATURE WRITING COURSE (ONLINE) – 16 September, 2024, 8 weeks, £1,000
https://workshops.granta.com/courses/nature-writing
Thanks to Jo Nestor for forwarding me details of this course which will be of interest to anyone who is passionate about nature and nature writing in particular. All details are in the link.
*****
A RECOMMENDATION:
THE PROMISE, by Damon Galgut. It won the Booker in 2021, Galgut having been shortlisted twice previously. The novel charts the crash and burn of a white South African family, living on a farm outside Pretoria. The Swarts are gathering for Ma’s funeral. The younger generation, Anton and Amor, detest everything the family stands for – not least the failed promise to the Black woman who has worked for them her whole life. After years of service, Salome was promised her own house, her own land … yet somehow, as each decade passes, that promise remains unfulfilled. This is a great writer at the height of his powers. He’s mixing up his personal pronouns, but not in a confusing or even experimental way, because the writing is so fluid it doesn’t feel in any way experimental, rather it’s a style that fits perfectly the voice of the novel. Really great writing, and a story brilliantly told.
*****
And finally,
an extract from an Alice Munro story. Whenever I’m at a loss for something to read, it’s to Alice Munro that I return, again and again. This short extract is from WIGTIME, the last story in her 1990 collection, FRIENDS OF MY YOUTH. Nobody describes their characters, major and minor, like Munro. Unfailingly brilliant, every time.
Teresa gave her age as twenty-eight – the same age as Reuel’s. Everybody believed she was older – up to ten years older. Margot and Anita examined her close up and decided that she looked burned. Something about her skin, particularly at the hairline and around the mouth and eyes, made you think of a pie left too long in the oven, so that it was not charred but dark brown around the edges. Her hair was thin, as if affected by the same drought or fever, and it was too black – they were certain it was dyed. She was short, and small-boned, with tiny wrists and feet, but her body seemed puffed out below the waist, as if it had never recovered from those brief, dire pregnancies. Her smell was like something sweet cooking – spicy jam.
A WRITING EXERCISE – Write a short description of someone you know, and try to be as original and observant as Alice Munro. Tall order, but give it a go!
*****
Enjoy what’s left of the ‘summer’ (we’ll all be hoping for an Indian one come September), lose yourself in a book (emerging afterwards dizzy and elated), and write something unforgettable!
Gerry
If you would like me to mention something in a forthcoming newsletter, send me the details and I’ll try to include.