World Book Day

Thursday 3 March is World Book Day. Hadn't heard that until yesterday so nothing planned by the Boyne Writers. We do have a regular meeting on that evening though.

The Irish Writers' Centre, Dublin is marking the day with events from 12 noon to 9pm. All the day’s events there are free and all are welcome to attend.

The celebrations will kick off at 12pm with a free Inkslingers creative writing session led by Andrew McEneff. This is a structured hour where participants will be given a series of writing prompts.

This will be followed at 1pm with Lunchtime Poetry Readings where celebrated poets, recent winner of the Michael Hartnett Prize Peter Sirr, Gerald Dawe, Paul Perry, 2011 winner of the Arvon Poetry Prize Jean O' Brien, Richard Halperin and Aifric Mac Aodha, read from their latest collections. Jean O'Brien awarded me a prize at the Goldsmith Festival a couple of years ago. I heard Richard Halperin read at Goldsmith and at iYeats in Sligo last year where he and I were commended.

At 3pm the Irish Writers' Centre will launch a new series of Madaptations with a film screening of James Joyce's The Dead. The Madaptations series will be held once a month at the Centre and will showcase films that have been based on books.

The celebrations will conclude at 7pm with a dramatic performance of Patrick Kavanagh's The Great Hunger performed by Peter Duffy. With echoes of the Great Famine in the title and in the text, the poem focuses on the life and struggles of the anti-hero and small farmer Patrick Maguire. I saw this or part of it at the Patrick Kavanagh Week-end in Inniskeen last year. Very impressive.

A great line-up and all free!