| Course | Day | Evening | Weekend |
| Poetry | 24 Jan-14 Mar 2001 4 Oct-29 Nov 2000 |
10-11 Jun 2000 24-25 Jun 2000 5-6 Aug 2000 9-10 Sep 2000 14-15 Oct 2000 |
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| Creative Writing | 5
Oct-23 Nov 2000 19 Jan-9 Mar 2001 15 Feb-5 Apr 2001 |
24 Jan-14 Mar 2001 | |
| Fiction |
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8-9 Jul 2000 22-23 Jul 2000 7-8 Oct 2000 28 Oct 2000 13-14 Jan 2001 3-4 Feb 2001 10-11 Mar 2001 |
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| Drama | 25-26 Nov 2000 | ||
| Children and Young People | 7 and 8 October 3-4 Feb 2001 |
| Eastern Washington University Summer Writing Workshop 8 -18 Aug 2000 |
| How to Book |
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W1 Poetry Weekend For those who have some experience of writing poetry, and are looking to develop their skills, Mark Roper's Poetry Weekend offers an intensive, well-rounded approach. The basic technical aspects of the craft will be examined, with discussions on the uses of metre and rhyme, and some exploration of the different poetic forms. Writing exercises and other techniques for jump-starting the imagination will be employed. Apart from developing new poems, participants will also be encouraged to bring in other work for assessment and workshopping. Mark Roper works as an Adult Education teacher in Waterford and Kilkenny. He was editor of Poetry Ireland Review in 1999. His collections include The Home Fire and Catching the Light (Peterloo/Salmon, 1997). His first book, The Hen Ark, published in 1990, won the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival Prize. |
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W2 Poetry Weekend Prospective participants in the June poetry weekend workshop are advised to bring approximately six poems each, typed and photocopied, for general discussion. The course is aimed at developing the skills of self-criticism (in terms of writing), within a group which supports and respects the artistic aims of each individual but which is also honest and searching. Participants who have written little or no poetry, but who feel strongly drawn to write poetry on the basis of their reading and/or their life's experience, are equally welcome and will benefit as much as other participating writers. Issues covered in this course include: Poetry 'subjects'; form; images; making sounds; honesty and dishonesty. Mary O'Donnell is a poet and novelist. Her best-selling
first novel, The Light-Makers, was named The Sunday Tribune's
Best New Irish Novel in 1992. She has published three poetry
collections, among them Spiderwoman's Third |
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W3 Making a Make-Believe World This course is booked out The weekend will deal with differing aspects of fiction writing both in novel and short story form. Elements dealt with will include 'fact into fiction', creating a world for fiction, organising material, finding sources for stories, developing character and plot, planning the novel from beginning to end, and what to do with the book when it's finished. The workshop is intended as a practical guide to beginners, or those struggling with a work of fiction and to attempt to answer participants' questions. Participants are encouraged to bring work in progress with them. John MacKenna was born in Castledermot, Co Kildare in 1952. He joined RTE Radio in 1980. Since then he has worked in music, current affairs, religion, documentaries and arts and features programmes. Recipient of a Jacob's Award, he also won the Irish Times Literature Award for The Fallen and Other Stories. He has also published Clare, a novel on the life of John Clare; A Year of Our Lives, short stories; The Last Fine Summer, which was filmed in 1999. His most recent novel is A Haunted Heart, based on the White Quakers, a small nineteenth-century religious sect. He has also written a number of stage-plays for the Mend & Makedo Theatre Co. |
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W4 Roof it Again This course is booked out Rewrite your short story in an intensive Short Fiction workshop. Each writer submits the first draft of a story (no more than 3,000 words) in advance, then spends the weekend getting down to the skeleton of the prose and working through the problems. Since all discussion will stem from the submissions, there is no course outline as such, but it is expected that we will deal with atmosphere, point of view, character development, plausibility and sentence structure. The aim is to go home with detailed criticism and something closer to a finished draft. Deadline for submission of manuscripts: July 10. Claire Keegan is the author of Antarctica, a collection of stories published by Faber & Faber in 1999. She holds a Masters degree in the Teaching & Practice of Creative Writing and an M. Phil from Trinity College, Dublin. She has won The Francis MacManus Award, The Kilkenny Prize, The Martin Healy Award, The William Trevor Prize and, most recently, a two year bursary and the Macaulay Prize from the Arts Council. |
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W5 Poetry This poetry workshop will aim to examine
the writing of poetry and the Fred Johnston was born in Belfast in 1951. He received the Hennessy Award for prose in 1972. He co-founded the Irish Writers' Co-op in the seventies; founded Galway's Cúirt Festival of Poetry in 1986; has published seven collections of poetry, one novel, and a collection of short stories, Keeping The Night Watch. A novel, Atalanta, will be published this Autumn. A play, No Earthly Pole, was produced in 1995. A new collection of poems is due early next year. He has reviewed contemporary Irish writing for a number of publications, including Books Ireland, Poetry Ireland Review and The Sunday Times and Harpers & Queen. He runs Creative Writing courses with Adult Education programme at NUIG, Galway. Working on a new novel set in North Africa, where he lived for a time. |
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W6 Poetry A weekend designed for beginning/developing poets. What are the resources and opportunities poetry offers us as writers? Which of these are you working with in your current poems? We'll approach the first question in both morning sessions, considering examples of contemporary, and older, poetry and thought, and drawing on our combined experiences as writers of poetry. Participants will be encouraged to contribute "a resourceful poem". On both days, afternoons will be dedicated to workshopping participants' own poems, in the light of our discoveries. Yvonne Cullen's first short collection of poems, Invitation to the Air, won the American Ireland Fund Award at Listowel Writers' Week, 1997, and was published by Italics Press in 1998. Yvonne has won numerous other awards for her work. She has also won praise from the National Awards Council for her Writers' Workshop facilitation skills, and has been a regular Poetry Workshop leader for a number of years now. She's working on a follow-up poetry collection, several screen projects, and an album with her band Northlight Razorblade. Praise for her work includes: "...wise poetry, which, more than anything, needs to be read." Poetry Ireland Review. |
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W7 Writing for Children This workshop will be suitable only for writers interested in writing for the 9-14 age-group. The asumption is that most participants will be fairly new to writing, though more experienced writers are also welcome. There will be an information session on children's publishing and group discussions on aspects of writing for children, but the main emphasis will be on practical work. This will take the form of short writing exercises, and a longer writing exercise (circa 1000 words), to be completed over the two days. Participants should be prepared to read their work to the group. Siobhán Parkinson, born in 1954, has worked as an editor in academic, educational and general publishing. Currently works as editor (part-time) with Town House Publishers, and supplements this with a freelance career as an editorial consutant. She has been writing for children since 1991. All of her books have been published by O'Brien Press including Sisters No Way! which won the Bisto Book of the Year Award in 1996. Siobhán has also compiled and edited A Part of Ourselves Laments for Lives that Ended too Soon and Home: An Anthology of Modern Irish Writing, both published by A&A Farmar. She is currently Writer in Residence for the Irish Writers' Centre and Dublin Corporation. |
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W8 Fiction A two-day workshop for those who've a novel
waiting to be written - and who Rose Doyle
has written two novels for children between 8 - 12 and one for
young adults. She has also written six novels for adults and
many short stories. She is the winner of a New Irish Writing
Award and of a Bisto Award |
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W9 Introduction to Starting a Novel This one-day course is for those who wish to learn the basic techniques for starting a novel. Alison Dye's courses on novel-writing have gained a devoted following. This workshop is intended for anyone who has wanted to write a novel but does not know how to start, or is convinced that he or she has no business trying. The session will cover both the psychological and technical aspects of beginning a novel and issues relating to character, plot, tone, voice, sense of place, point of view and structure. Alison Dye is an American-born writer and lecturer. In 1989 she won the Stand International Short Story Competition and went on to write her first novel, The Sense of Things, based on the story. In 1994 it was published by Heinemann and shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award. She has published two further novels: Memories of Snow (Sceptre, 1995) and An Awareness of March (Sceptre, 1997). |
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W10 Poetry 'If a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing
badly'. Chesterton's remark is a good one for this poetry workshop!
You are encouraged to bring in your worst work, not your best
- poems you have been working on for sometime that might benefit
from the challenge of a group situation. In a weekend given over
entirely to poetry, You will also be inspired to write in class,
encouraged by the work and ideas of the other participants, and
by the reading of poetry by established poets - some of whom
you may be encountering for the first time. Enda Wyley is a poet and teacher. She has published two collections of poetry with Dedalus Press, 'Eating Baby Jesus' and 'Socrates in the Garden'. Her poetry has received an Arts Council Bursary for Literature and The Vincent Buckley Memorial Award. She recently received second place in The British National Poetry Competition. She has taught creative writing classes to both children and adults and is currently working in The Ark, Temple Bar as Visual Arts Programmer. She is currently working on her third collection of poetry. |
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W11 Dramatic Dialogue for TV This intensive two-day course will focus on the craft of writing effective dialogue for the screen. Taking examples from films, TV series and serials, soaps etc., we examine the separate constituents of individual scenes and we see how these fundamentals contribute to the overall story being told. All this is done under such headings as: Structure, Conflict, Exposition, Action, Movement, Storypoint, Real Time Reactions, Backstory, Driver of the Scene, Context and Subtext. Written exercises will be assigned and looked at during the class as well as a certain amount of time for discussion and debate. If you are working on something at the moment then feel welcome to bring the first four or five minutes of the piece into the class. Sean Moffatt has been writing for Fair City for many years. He has been commissioned to write many children's and adult's plays for both stage and radio. He has lectured on Drama both here and in Europe and is the editor of the Gill and Macmillan Leaving Cert/A Level texts of Sean O'Casey's plays Juno and the Paycock and The Plough and the Stars. He is currently Chairman of the Society of Irish Playwrights. |
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W12 Workshop in Short Fiction This intensive workshop in short fiction for beginning writers will look at both the nature and mechanics of the short story. The workshop will balance general discussion (including analysis of one or two classic stories) with on-site written exercises. There will also be opportunities for participants to read from work already written. Anthony Glavin was editor of "New Irish Writing" in The Irish Press from 1986-88, and Literary Editor of New Island Books from 1994-96. He has published a collection of short stories, One for Sorrow, and a critically acclaimed first novel, Nighthawk Alley. His most recent publication is The Draughtsman and the Unicorn, short stories, published in 1999 by Lilliput Press. |
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W13 Short Story for Adults and Teens This course focuses on short story writing for the teenage and adult reader. The two days will cover all the essential elements of the short story form, such as structure, theme, plot, the interaction of dialogue and narrative, and the optimising of dialogue. Ré Ó Laighléis is a Dubliner and former teacher. A fulltime writer of fiction since 1982, he writes in both English and Irish and for both adults and children. He was the 1999 Writer in Residence with Mayo County Council, has had works twice nominated for the Irish Times Literary Awards and is the recipient of numerous awards. His work Ecstasy won the NAMLLA International Literary Award and the European White Ravens Award. Extracted chapters from his novel Gafa are prescribed reading on the new Leaving Certificate course. Other works include Terror on the Burren (1988) and his two most recent novels Chagrin (1999) and Hooked (1999). |
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W14 Introduction to the Short Story This course is aimed at those interested in writing short stories. Aspects covered will include starting out, point of view, plotting, character development, use of dialogue. It will include a class assignment. Participants are invited to submit a story beforehand which can be workshopped during the sessions. Susan Knight is the author of two novels, The Invisible Woman and Grimaldi's Garden, as well as several radio and stage plays. Her radio play, Mr Moonlight, won the premier prize in the P.J. O'Connor awards on RTE, while her comedy sketches have been performed on stage and television. With a Ph.D in literature, she has considerable experience in the teaching of creative writing, having lectured on the subject for several years. |
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Summer Writing Workshop The Summer Writing Workshop
offers daily discussion on materials submitted by participants.
Sessions are led by U.S. and Irish writers, who will give public
readings from their works. Individual conferences (voluntary)
and small-group tutorials supplement workshop sessions. Workshop participants traditionally
represent different levels of skill, from beginning writers to
experienced professionals. Workshop sessions are in verse and prose. The prose workshop may include fiction and non-fiction. Verse may include all forms of poetic expression. Students enrolled in either section may participate in all Workshop activities. Fees Fees for the workshop are £250. Places can be secured by sending a deposit of £100 to: Irish Writers' Centre, 19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1. Application Applicants should submit a writing sample (5-10 pages), prose or verse, so that levels of skill and experience can be assessed and appropriate sections organised. The deposit will be refunded if an applicant does not meet minimal standards, or if the Eastern Washington University should cancel the workshop for any reason. Included in this year's
faculty: Materials |
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D15 Intermediate Creative
Writing This course is designed for those who have already begun to explore their writing abilities. The aims will be to give guidance and direction, as well as imparting some technical knowledge. There will be an emphasis on developing a style and learning how to edit one's own work. Advice will also be given on presentation and the submission of a manuscript, for those who feel ready for this step. Sheila O'Hagan has won prizes three times at the Listowel Writers' Week, as well as The Goldsmith Award in 1988 and The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award in 1991. Her poetry has appeared in journals and newspapers from Canada to Australia, and she has published two collections. Sheila O'Hagan is an experienced Workshop Facilitator in schools and prisons. Her latest poetry collection, The Troubled House, was published by Salmon/Poolbeg in 1995. |
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D16 Creative Writing
for Beginners This course will introduce newcomers to various forms of writing. It aims to give participants an opportunity to improve their craft. The course will offer discussions centred on material submitted and provide encouragement for people to push their writing further. The course will give guidelines for presenting work for publication. Jean O'Brien has published two collections of poetry and is currently working on a third. She has published short stories and has worked as a freelance journalist. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Trinity College, Dublin. |
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D17 Creative Writing The course is intended for those already in the process of writing poems, stories or novels, and who wish to develop their creative powers. Each week the session will offer some 'ways in' to writing that stir both memory and imagination; a space for the airing of work and feedback. Participants will be encouraged to develop elements of the craft, and tune in to the handling of voice, tone, rhythm, imagery and structure by reading a range of contemporary stories and poems that form part of the course. Catherine Phil MacCarthy was writer-in-residence for the City of Dublin in 1994/95 and taught at the Drama Centre in UCD from 1990-1997. She edited Poetry Ireland Review in 1998, and her poetry collections include This Hour of the Tide, Salmon and The Blue Globe, Blackstaff. She is working on a third collection and is writing her first novel. |
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E18 Writing Fiction:
Intermediate and Advanced This series of eight workshops will focus of the writing of novels and short stories. It is intended for those who have some experience of writing and who are planning to complete a novel or a collection of stories. The course will deal with the technical aspects of fiction writing - plotting, character creation, use of language. Choice of subject matter and the significance of the cultural context will be discussed, as will strategies for establishing a "writing life". Participants' work will be assessed in the course of the workshops. Participants should bring a selection of their work e.g. two short stories, two chapters of a novel plus a summary. Éilis Ní Dhuibhne is a writer of fiction and drama. She has published three novels and three collections of short stories, as well as children's books, plays and television scripts. She has received various awards - the Bisto Book of the Year Award, the Readers' Association of Ireland Award, the Stewart Parker Award, Listowel Writers' Week Award, Oireachtas Drama Award, as well as two Arts Council Bursaries in Literature. Her novel, The Dancers Dancing, has been shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2000. |
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E19 Getting into Poetry Though chiefly for beginners, this series of eight workshops will be suitable for those already writing some poetry who feel in need of direction and would appreciate feedback from others at a similar stage. As well as making forays into the blank page, sessions will involve discussion of a number of poems by established poets whose techniques and forms will be explored. One of the definitions of poetry is 'memorable speech'. Participants will be introduced to different methods for invoking this speech, the 'language' of poetry. Mark Granier's poems have appeared in many newspapers and journals both in Ireland and the UK, including the Irish Times, New Irish Writing (The Sunday Tribune and The Irish Press) The Times Literary Supplement, The Spectator, The New Statesmen and Poetry Ireland Review. He was awarded first prize twice in the Comórtas Filíochta, was runner-up in the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award, and won first prize in the UK's New Writer Poetry Competition. His first collection is due from Salmon Publishing in 2001. |
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E20 Writing in Verse These workshops, over a period of eight weeks, will cover all the essential aspects of writing in verse, from metre, rhythm and developing a technique, investigating different themes and subject matter; rewriting and revision will also be looked at. This course is designed for those with a serious interest in learning the craft of verse/poetry; participants will be encouraged to work on material at home during the week then bring it in for discussion and workshopping in the group sessions. Pat Boran won the Patrick Kavanagh Award for poetry in 1989. He is the author of four poetry collections, a book of short stories, short fiction for children and four non-fiction books, including The Portable Creative Writing Workshop, a handbook for writers. His most recent poetry collection is The Shape of Water (Dedalus, 1996). |
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E21 Creative Writing:
Advanced This eight week series of workshops is intended for those who have already started to write fiction, poetry or drama and wish to move forward. The technical aspects of writing will be covered, along with the relationship between reading and writing, self-criticism, the placing of one's work in context and writing habits. Participants' own work will be examined over the period. These workshops are for those who truely wish to get to grips with the business of writing. Phrases like "That was nice" will be firmly discouraged. Evelyn Conlon is a fiction writer and reviewer whose short stories have appeared in many anthologies and have been broadcast on BBC radio. She has published two collections of short stories and two novels, most recently A Glassful of Letters (Blackstaff Press). Telling: New and Selected Stories was published by Blackstaff in 2000. She has received two Arts Council bursaries, in 1988 and 1995, and has been Writer In Residence for Dublin City Library and in Kilkenny, Cavan and Limerick. |