Brilliant Flash Fiction

Dawn Lowe, a good friend of Boyne Berries, is involved in a new online magazine called Brilliant Flash Fiction. The magazine is looking for brilliant stories of 1,000 words or less for their first "real" edition to be published at the end of June.

They welcome original, unpublished work in all genres: sci-fi, memoir, historic fiction, etc. Email your submission to brilliantflashfiction@gmail.com. Paste your story into the body of your email and also attach it as a .doc file. Do not submit more than two stories quarterly.

At present, no payment is available. Authors will enjoy sharing their work with an appreciative audience and the possibility of having their work published in a to-be-announced anthology.

More details on the magazine website.

Irish Writers' Centre : City Bike Tales

The Irish Writers' Centre has recently launched a lunchtime series 'The Town We Love So Well' and for the next in the series, next Friday 9 May, they have decided to link the city to biking tales, in honour of all the cyclists that will be passing through for the Giro d'Italia.

Award-winning illustrator and sometime writer Alan Clarke will be hosting and they're encouraging performances on the day that will link peoples' own cycling experiences – however amateur or professional! – to the world of writing/spoken word.

Come as a guest or as a performer;  read from your own work or from another's – poetry, prose, flash fiction, comedy, music, anything goes – as long as it's bike related! Slots are filling up so if you're interested please do book in advance to this address: events@writerscentre.ie.

Event: City Bike Tales as part of The Town We Love So Well
Where: Irish Writers' Centre
When: 9 May, 1–2.30 pm
Who: Award-winning illustrator and occasional writer Alan Clarke will be MC-ing and the audience will be made up of performers and guests.

This event is sponsored by Dublin City Council.

Poetry Manuscript Competition.

Bradshaw Books is pleased to announce the opening of the Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition. The prize includes the publication of a first poetry collection by the winning author and twenty free copies of the book.

The overall competition winner and two runners-up will also be featured in the next edition of the prestigious Cork Literary Review.

Participation involves an entry fee of 20 Euro and an initial submission of 5 - 10 poems. Upon qualifying for the shortlist of 12, poets will then submit a full manuscript of 50 poems minimum for judgement.

This year's judge is Poet and former longstanding Director of Poetry Ireland, Joe Woods.

Angela Carr was the 2013 winner with her collection ‘How to Lose Your Home and Save Your Life’.

The 2012 Winner was Annette Skade and her collection Thimblerig was published in July 2013. Annette was also the winner of the inaugural Bailieborough Poetry Festival Competition in 2013.

Full details on website.

Prolitzer Prize for Prose 2014

Details of the Prolitzer Prize for prose writing 2014 have just been announced.

Prize: Winner: £150, Publication in Prole 15 in December 2014; Publication on the Prole website
2 x runner up prizes of £50, possible publication in Prole 15; Publication on the Prole website

Judge: Sue Pace has over 120 short stories, personal essays, poems and non-fiction articles published in regional and international formats.  This includes not only literary journals in the USA, but also journals in Australia, the UK and Canada.

Her poems may be found in several "Open To Interpretation" coffee table books.  Her plays have been produced in Seattle, Portland and at the West Coast Ensemble in Hollywood, CA.  She was a "Distinguished Writer in Residence" at Seattle University and recently received an Honourable Mention in NIMROD'S Katherine Anne Porter competition.

Entries will be judged anonymously. Entries are open until October 1st 2014. Winners will be announced in issue 15 of Prole in December 2014 and on the website by December 15th 2014.

Entries may be fiction or creative nonfiction that epitomises the editorial values of Prole: to make writing engaging, accessible, entertaining and challenging. Quality is all. Word limit 2500. All work must be the original work of the writer and be unpublished.

Fees: £4.00 for first entry, £3.00 for any subsequent entries.

Via the website and enter by email. Make the correct payment using PayPal. Then email your entry, including the text and PayPal transaction number within the body of the email, to: prosecompetition@prolebooks.co.uk

Sebastian Barry's The Temporary Gentleman

Sebastian Barry's recently published novel The Temporary Gentleman is narrated by John "Jack" McNulty, an Irishman, born in Sligo, whose life spans the first 60 years of the 20th century.

The character is based on Barry’s maternal grandfather, Jack O’Hara. Jack McNulty is related to Roseanne McNulty of Barry's The Secret Scripture and to Eneas of  The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty.

I'm delighted that Sebastian Barry includes my recent history book in his short list of the "immeasurably helpful and inspiring books" which he consulted in the writing of The Temporary Gentleman.

Irish Times interview with Barry here.
Guardian review of the novel here.
Independent review here.

My book is available from the publishers, Four Courts Press, in bookshops and elsewhere online.

Happy Easter

The tulips are at their best at just the right time.

Something about the way they twist

As if to catch the last applause,

And drink the moment through long straws,

And how, tomorrow, they’ll be missed.

from Tulips by A.E. Stallings.

Svlvia Plath's poem Tulips refers to flowers she received while in hospital recovering from an appendectomy. It was written in 1961 and published in her posthumous volume Ariel. 

I didn't want any flowers, I only wanted

To lie with my hands turned up and be utterly empty.

Happy Easter!

Good Friday

A crucifixion scene from a grave stone in the ruins of Tulsk Dominician Friary, Co Roscommon. More about this site here.

Three poems for this day, two well-known, Good Friday, 1613. Riding Westward by John Donne (1572 – 1631), and Easter Wings by George Herbert (1593–1633) and the less well-known, Good Friday, by Scottish poet, Edwin Morgan (1920 – 2010).

Regime Magazine : Submissions Open

I was lucky to have a poem included in the last issue of the journal, Regime, published in Perth, Western Australia. I was especially pleased that they accepted a poem written as a result of a previous visit to WA.

I missed the launch but when I was in Perth in January/February I met three of those involved, Nathan Hondros, Chris Palazzolo and Peter Jefferies, and we had a great chat about poetry, publishing and life in general.

Regime Books, the collective which publishes Regime, has just sent out a call for submissions for the next issue, closing date 16 May. Please submit your poetry, short stories, and performance writing before then. Full details on this page.

Regime Books is a collective of writers, poets, editors and publishers who are committed to publishing the best writing they can get their hands on. As well as the journal they have published books of stories and poetry.

They are also announcing the launch of a new model of community publishing – an idea Regime Books invites writers and poets to join.

So how will it work?

Regime Magazine of New Writing will remain a not-for-profit enterprise, but also strictly not-for-loss.
We want to pay our writers and poets in currency, not copies.
We are dedicated to printed editions that are supported (and not replaced) by technology.
We will be inviting guest editors.
We will consider inviting suitable sponsors, and opening our books to donors.

Now here are the changes:

Our cover price will increase to $25 a copy (including postage). Why? $10 per copy sold on our website will be evenly distributed to our talented contributors (contributors will not receive free copies or a distribution from copies sold through third party retailers – the cover price for that is eaten by the printer, bookseller and distributor).

There will be 50 poets, 5 short story writers and a performance writer included in Regime 04.
There will be two print runs for Regime 04 for orders made through our website.

You can also reserve your Regime 04 before it's too late (yes, we're serious, the clock is running out). $10 for every copy sold goes directly to our contributors. Visit the website right now!

A Poem in Prole Issue 13

I'm delighted to have a poem in the current issue of Prole, issue 13. This is my second time to be in this great journal of prose and poetry.

This poem, A Pair of Dead Man's Shoes, was well workshopped by the two groups I belong to and also at a great workshop with a great bunch of poets at Cork Spring Poetry Festival 2013 which was led by Carolyn Forché.

This issue also contains the winning poems from the Prole Laureate poetry competition, judged by Kate Noakes whose comments on the poems are also included. A poem by Kate is also included.
Congratulations to Michael Crowley, winner, Martin Malone and Sarah Grace Logan, runners up.

This issue also has a poem, The Forty-Ninth Iron Man, by Maria Isakova Bennett whose poetry we have published recently in Boyne Berries

You can buy and enjoy Prole (available as a pdf and as a print version), either this issue or a three issue subscription, by using the options from the drop down menu on the journal's website.

SiarScéal Anthology, Roscommon in Reflection, Free on Kindle

Kindle readers can download for free the SiarScéal Anthology, Roscommon in Reflection, all of this weekend.

First published in 2012, in print and e-book editions, the anthology represents the fruit of the first five years of the Hanna Greally Literary Awards.

In the Foreword to this volume of poetry and prose, author Dermot Bolger had this to say: "This is a book that emanates from Roscommon and resonates with the landscape and varied stories of Roscommon, but, like all good writing, it slips free of all boundaries and borders to speak directly to the human heart about the human condition."

Starting Thursday, 10 April and running for five days, to the following Monday 14 April, Kindle readers can avail of this special promotion, just by logging on to any of the Amazon domains. If you do not already own a Kindle device you can simply download one of the free Kindle Apps to your phone, iPad, tablet, computer or laptop.

SiarScéal Festival 2014 will take place on 25 October in Roscommon Town. Entries are now being accepted for the 2014 Hanna Greally Literary Awards.I was lucky enough to win this award last year.

This year's overall winner will have their book published for free, in print and e-book editions, courtesy of The Manuscript Publisher. The theme for this year's competition is open, which is all the more reason to get writing. Closing date is Friday, 10 October.

SiarScéal Festival 2014 programme of events will also include a writers workshop, presented by Fred Johnston of the Western Writers Centre. Fred is a poet, playwright and novelist. He writes in both English and French. In 2004, he was writer in residence to the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco. His his most recent collection of poetry is entitled, Alligator Days.

Celebration of Noel King and Doghouse

The demise of publisher, Doghouse Books, which was announced late last year, was widely mourned and it was thought that the great work done by the imprint and its editor, Noel King, should be marked.

Accordingly, Doghouse Poets and friends present an evening of poetry and song to celebrate Noel King's enormous contributions to poetry in Ireland as well as Doghouse's retirement as a poetry publishing house after ten years and forty nine books.

The event takes place on Friday 11 April 2014 at 7.30pm in the The Central Hotel, Exchequer Street, Dublin 2. All are welcome. More information from: conaty.tom@gmail.com

Doghouse will continue to service its published writers until 30 June 2015. Until then, any volume still in print may be ordered through their website. You can get any number of copies postage free for the price of €12 to anywhere in the world.

Picture: Noel King with Boyne Writers Chairman, Paddy Smith, at Noel's reading in Trim in 2011.

Richard W. Halperin in Sligo

The Yeats Society, Sligo,  presents Richard W. Halperin, who will read from his two collections published by Salmon, Anniversary and Shy White Tiger, as well as from a work-in-progress as part of their Poets Parlour series of readings in the Yeats Memorial Building, Hyde Bridge, Sligo tonight Tuesday 1 April 2014 at 8.00pm.

Richard’s work has been widely published since 2005, especially in THE SHOp, Cyphers, Revival Literary Journal, The Stinging Fly (featured poet, summer 2009), Ambit, Carillon, The Delinquent, Obsessed with Pipework.

Several of his poems have been honoured in competitions in  Ireland, the U.K. and Italy. He gave his first reading at Glenstal Abbey and has since read throughout Ireland, including at the Guinness Book of Records marathon, Irish Writers’ Centre, Dublin. Prior to retirement as Chief of Section, UNESCO, he edited Reading and Writing Poetry (Paris, 2005), available gratis via the internet. He is currently working on a third collection Quiet in a Quiet House.

Boyne Berries 15 Launched!

It's done! The last of my Boyne Berries was launched last evening in the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim. It was a most enjoyable function and I was delighted at how well it went and how well those who attended seemed to enjoy it.

Paddy Smith as MC was his usual bright self with plenty of attempts at humour, most of which worked well! He suggested that Fr Sean Henry, who launched the issue might give a general absolution to writers present who do such violence to the English language in the work!

The local PP, Fr. Sean Henry, then officially launched the issue and complimented the group on their work in the community and on the publication of the magazine. He spoke of the importance of the word, of reading and of books and mentioned his own love of poetry. Emily Dickinson is one of his favourites.

Then the readers. A total of seventeen contributors read. As well as the locals they came from Louth, Cavan, Dublin, Longford and Kildare. A great variety of material, prose and poetry and some nice humour as well. Sometimes these occasions see a lot of "serious" stuff read but last night there was plenty of laughs as well.

The night ended with presentations of framed prints of Greg Hasting's cover image to Fr. Henry and to myself as retiring editor. Orla Fay, incoming editor, made some very kind remarks about my tenure as editor and told us how excited she was to be taking over.

Then I was delighted and surprised to be presented with a beautiful Children of Lir by Genesis, Mullingar on behalf of Boyne Writers Group to mark my retirement. Thank you all very much.

Photos:
Top: Paddy Smith presents the Children of Lir on behalf of Boyne Writers Group.
Middle: Orla Fay presents a framed copy of Greg Hasting's cover image.
Bottom: Sharon Tighe Mooney, Mary Melvin Geoghegan and Orla Fay at the launch.

Boyne Berries 15 Launch

The latest issue of Boyne Berries magazine will be launched on Thursday 27 March at 8pm in the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim. This is issue 15 of the magazine, which has been published twice yearly by Boyne Writers Group, Trim since 2007. This issue has contributions from various parts of Ireland, the UK and the USA.

This is the last issue under the editorship of Michael Farry, a founder member of the writers group and editor since the beginning. Having successful edited fifteen issues Michael has decided it’s time to pass on the responsibility to some one else. Orla Fay from Dunderry, a long-time member and well-published poetry and prose writer is taking over.

The seventy pages of prose and poetry in this issue reflect a wide range of topics. A quick glance at the titles gives a flavour of the variety of the contents: Accordion Lesson, An Existentialist’s Wedding Vows, McDonalds Saturday Afternoon, The Snaring of the Snark, The Harpist at the Top of Grafton Street, Loughcrew, The New Curtains and The Hayfield.
A feature of this issue is the number of pieces which deal with ageing and dementia. Andy Jones wonders why he bothers planting an tree – Ten years will see me planted as sure as the Acer, Noel Carey’s poem on an old woman, possibly his mother, has the ironic title The dignity of life and Monica Corish titles her poem about a parent dying The Road Rising to Meet You.

There is also humour; a short story, Cathy Conlon’s Gran’s Shopping Trip, tells of an expedition to Cleary’s with Granny to buy a present for her ninety third birthday. Gran proves quite a handful and a misunderstanding about the meaning of the word “wardrobe” results in her getting something she didn’t want!

And there is plenty of humour elsewhere in the magazine. Dawn Lowe’s science fiction story The Chairwoman involves a female explorer from the planet Chair attending a writers group meeting with hilarious consequences. Louisa Moss from Trim has a short, amusing, cynical gloss on Dorothy Parker’s famous lines: Men seldom make passes /At girls who wear glasses. Caroline Carey Finn’s story House of Cards is a hilariously whacky account of the first day after a divorce settlement. She held on to the pub!

The passing of Seamus Heaney is marked by a poem from well-known midlands poet, Mary Melvin Geoghegan. Entitled A Response to Hearing Mid-Term Break Again it pays homage to one of Heaney’s best-known and best-loved poems. Padraic O’Dowd from Boyne Writers has a poem about the experience of soldiers in the trenches during the First World War, The Enlisted. Margaret Galvin from Wexford writes about donating an item from her wardrobe to charity: My wedding suit is gone off/ in a truck to Belarusse/ among bales of old curtains/ and sacks of wellingtons.

Many of the contributors will attend and read their work at the launch. All are welcome to attend the launch and admission is free. Previous launches have been very enjoyable occasions and have been very well attended.

Boyne Berries 15 costs €8 but will be on sale at a reduced price at the launch. It will also be available in Antonia’s Bookshop, and in SPAR, Trim. Copies can be purchased on the group's webpage.

Boyne Berries 15

The latest issue of Boyne Berries magazine will be launched on Thursday 27 March at 8pm in the Castle Arch Hotel, Trim. This is issue 15 of the magazine, which we in Boyne Writers Group, Trim, have published twice yearly since 2007.

As with previous issues the publication includes poems and stories by local writers authors and those from far away, first-time authors and well-published authors. This issue has contributions from various parts of Ireland, the UK and the USA.

This is the last issue under my editorship. I felt it was time to pass on the work and the enjoyment to another and I'm delighted that Orla Fay is taking up duties from issue 16. Orla Fay is a long-time group member and well-published poetry and prose writer.

I have enjoyed my years as editor. I've made lots of friends all over the work and was delighted to publish work from new writers and well established ones. It did involved a lot of work, everything from sending out the call for submissions to compiling a print-ready pdf for the printers. I've had great support from the group over the years and am very grateful to have been entrusted with the task.

I've learned a lot during my time as editor - a lot about writing, a lot about submitting to magazines and a lot about writers. I must expand on that at some stage but not at the moment. I have to prepare for the launch on Thursday.

Our launches are usually most enjoyable. We get audiences of between 40 and 60 usually with lots of contributors attending and reading. As well as those who travel long distances from far flung parts of Ireland, Cork and Galway for instance, we have had poets from Canada, the USA and the UK attending and reading.

So I'm looking forward to a good launch on Thursday. Cover of Boyne Berries 15 above, cover image, as for each previous issue, by Greg Hastings.

SiarScéal Festival Roscommon 2014

SiarScéal Festival 2014 will take place on Saturday, 25 October in Roscommon Town. The festival, which celebrates the culture and heritage of the county of Roscommon, is now in its eight year.

The full programme of events, which have just been announced, includes morning and evening activities appealing to all ages and a wide range of interests, literary and cultural tastes. The main venue for the festival will be Roscommon County Library, Abbey Street, Roscommon Town.

Proceedings will commence with an official opening, presided over by County Librarian and festival patron, Richie Farrell, with the Mayor of Roscommon as invited guest.

This will be followed by the launch of the book, The Battle for Coman's Wood by Mario Corrigan, a work of historical fiction inspired by the students from Castleplunkett National School and Abbey National School, Roscommon.

The afternoon will see announcement of the winners of the Hanna Greally Literary Awards for 2014, entries for which are now being accepted. The closing date is Friday, 10 October. Entries may consist of poetry, prose, short stories (maximum 60 lines or 300 words) on any subject or theme.

 I was lucky enough to win this competition last year; picture of presentation by judge, Eleanor McGrath, above.

The annual Ger Hanily Memorial Cup, which forms part of the awards ceremony, will be awarded to the best entry on the theme of Coman's Wood.

The incentives for entrants to this years Hanna Greally Literary Awards, includes cash prizes, trophies and certificates. The overall winner will come away with a €1,000 publishing services package from The Manuscript Publisher, the Irish-based publishing solutions provider. The prize is designed for self-publishing authors and independent publishers. It will result in the winning entrant having his or her book published, in print and e-book format, with full editorial, design, ISBN registration, sales and marketing support.

In the afternoon, a writers workshop with Mario Corrigan will be hosted, on the subject of Writing for Children: Historical and Mythological Adventures.

The festival will conclude with an evening classical concert with recitals, to take place in St. Coman's Church of Ireland, Roscommon Town.

More information about SiarScéal Festival 2014, including the full Programme of Events and competition entry details for the Hanna Greally Literary Awards, are available from the festival website.

Fool for Poetry Chapbook Competition

The Munster Literature Centre is reviving its Fool for Poetry Chapbook Competition. Two winners will each have their manuscript published, receive €500 in cash and fifty complimentary copies of their chapbook.

The competition is open to new, emerging and established poets from any country BUT at least one of the winners will be a debutante (with no chapbook or book published previously). 25-50 other entrants will be publicly listed as "highly commended".

Manuscripts must be sixteen to twenty-four pages in length, in the English language and the sole work of the entrant with no pastiches, translations or 'versions'. The poems can be in verse or prose. An entrance fee of €20 will be charged for each manuscript. Entrants may enter more than one manuscript of 16-24 pages.

The winning chapbooks will be published in August 2014 with striking cover designs, ISBNs, barcodes and will be offered for sale internationally through our own website, Amazon and selected independent book sellers.

The winning poets will be considered for the 2015 Cork Spring Poetry Festival programme and have their chapbooks entered for the UK Forward Prize for best poem and anthology. The winners will be selected by a panel chosen by the management board of Southword Editions. Deadline: April 30th 2014.

Full details here.

Two previous winning chapbooks, Done Dating DJs by Jennifer Minniti-Shippey and Never Trust Where a Cat Sits by Irene A. Mosvold, (pictured above) are still available from the centre for €10 post free.

A Review of my Sligo 1912-23

An excellent review of my The Irish Revolution 1912-1923: Sligo in the latest issue of the Irish Literary Supplement, extract above.  This is a twice-yearly publication of book reviews of books of Irish interest, founded in 1982. It is published in association with the Center for Irish Programs of Boston College, Massachusetts.

This review is by Dr Deirdre McMahon of Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, a widely published historian with a particular interest in twentieth century Irish history

The next volume in this Four Courts Press series of county histories of the Irish Revolution edited by Mary Ann Lyons and Daithí Ó Corráin, Tyrone by Fergal McCluskey, is due to be published very soon. My volume was of course first in the series.

Carolyne Van Der Meer's Motherlode Launched

Carolyne Van Der Meer's Motherlode, A Mosaic of Dutch Wartime Experience  was recently launched to great acclaim in Librairie Paragraphe Bookstore in Montreal, Canada.

The book is published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press, Ontario, Canada in their Life Writing series and the publisher's website contains more information and you can purchase copies of the book there.

Carolyne is a friend of Boyne Berries having had poems published a number of times in the magazine and making the long trip from Canada to be at the launch of our special Boyne Berries 10 issue.

From the publisher's website:
Motherlode: A Mosaic of Dutch Wartime Experience is Carolyne Van Der Meer’s creative reinterpretation through short stories, poems, and essays of the experiences of her mother and other individuals who spent their childhood in Nazi-occupied Holland or were deeply affected by wartime in Holland. 

The book documents the author’s personal journey as she uncovers her mother’s past through their correspondence and discussion and through research in the Netherlands. 

Motherlode also considers mother—daughter relationships and the effect of wartime on motherhood.

Photographs of the launch are by photographer Bassam Sabbagh.

More on this page on Facebook.

Motherlode Facebook page.   

Review of the book by Gina Roitman on The Rover

Five Words Poetry Competition Results

Ó Bhéal launched the Five Words International Poetry Competition last April. Each Tuesday from April 2013 to January 2014 five words were posted online. Entrants had one week to compose and submit one or more poems that included all five words. A new set of words was posted each week.

Congratulations go to Don Nixon, England, who is the winner of this inaugural competition for his poem, Fado in a Lisbon Bar. Highly commended were Afric McGlinchey, Ireland, for Frozen moment and Janet Lees, England, for A boy of six thousand parts.

Among the nine poets shortlisted was Boyne Writers Group member Tom Dredge for his poem The Choice. Well done Tom!

Full results on the website.

These winning, highly commended and shortlisted poems will appear in Five Words vol VII, to be launched at Ó Bhéal on Monday the 14th of April, along with an award presentation and readings from available contributors.