Wow Awards Announced

So. The WOW Anthology has been published and my poem Waterlogged included. No prize though.

The prizewinners are:
Poetry 1. Patricia O'Callaghan; Dublin? 2. Leonora Steele, Canada; 3. Michael Massey, Kilkenny. Prose 1. James Lawless, Kildare; 2. Brendan Murphy, Galway; 3. Carolyne Van Der Meer, Canada.

Nice quick trip down, motorway from Kinnegad. Bad traffic in Galway city though. Got fish and chips in McDonaghs and a quick tour of Charlie Byrne's Bookshop. Bought only one second hand book.

A good turn out in Galway at a very pleasant function in the Galway Bay Hotel. Met a number of writers I knew, some of whom I published in Boyne Berries over the years, some not - James Lawless, Michael Massey, Seamus Harrington, Niamh Boyce, Máire T Robinson and Pete Mullineaux. Good conversation about writing, travelling, competitions, publications, how to get published, how to win competitions, the Hennessy Awards and that article in Poetry Ireland Review 100.

The anthology is a handsome production and credit is due to Tony O'Dwyer and Ger Burke for the courage to transform an online magazine into a print magazine.

Picture above: Prose winner James Lawless with editor Tony O'Dwyer and Pat Mullan at the Awards.

WOW Awards Tonight

Just back from the Cavan launch of Noel Monahan's Curve of the Moon. A great night with a very large attendance, good speeches, nice music and Noel reading a taster from the book. Pic: Noel signing a copy for Boyne Writer Paddy Smith. The art exhibition by Padraig Lynch whose painting is used on Noel's cover was an added bonus. More on the book and the exhibition later perhaps.

I'm off to Galway for the WOW Awards this evening. I'm sure I've mentioned that I'm on the shortlist of ten for the poetry awards. The Awards take place in the Galway Bay Hotel, Salthill and start with a champagne reception at 7pm.

On arrival each of the shortlisted writers will be given their copy of the WOW! Anthology in a sealed (probably brown!) envelope with the request not to open it until after all awards are announced. Then the titles of the 20 entries will be read out together with a short piece about each writer in alphabetical order.

Next the three awards in poetry and fiction will be announced in reverse order and the awards presented to the relevant writer.

The poetry shortlist seems strong with Pete Mullineaux and Michael Massey the probable favourites. The fiction list has James Lawless who was a featured reader for us recently, Niamh Boyce who was published in the most recent Boyne Berries and blogger Máire T Robinson who must be strong contenders for those awards.

Anyway I'm hoping to get to Galway early for fish and chips in McDonaghs and a potter around Charlie Byrne's bookshop before the excitement!