Over The Edge New Writer of The Year Competition

This year's Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition has attracted a record 341 entries. The long-list will be announced in Charlie Byrne's Bookshop, Middle Street, Galway tomorrow Wednesday, August 18th at 6.30pm and later that evening, on the website.

I got on to the long-list one year, failed at least two other times. Maybe this year will be the year - I sent in three really good poems, possibly one great one, though it has been rejected in three other competitions so far. The fact that there's 340 other writers in the race is a bit daunting but I suppose a lot of those are prose writers.

The short-list will be announced at the August 'Over The Edge: Open Reading' in Galway City Library on Thursday, August 26th and the winners will be announced at the September 'Over The Edge: Open Reading' in Galway City Library on Thursday, September 30th so it's a long process with a few hurdles to cross.

This year’s competition judge is James Martyn from Galway, a member of The Talking Stick Writing Workshop. James writes both fiction and poetry and his first collection of poetry, Shedding Skin, was recently published by Arlen House.

The 2010 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition is sponsored by Charlie Byrne's Bookshop and Michael D. Higgins T.D