Kerrie O’Brien writes: Listen Now Again, the new exhibition devoted to the life and work of Seamus Heaney, has officially opened in the new Bank of Ireland Cultural and Heritage Centre on College Green. The extensive archive of material was donated by Heaney to the National Library of Ireland in 2011 and has been brillantly curated by Professor Geraldine Higgins. On arrival, the first thing that greets you is a specially commissioned sculpture by Maser...

The Booksellers Association and Bookselling Ireland have today announced the winners of this year’s Independent Bookshop Week (IBW) Book Award. As voted for by local independent bookshops and judged by a panel of authors, booksellers and journalists, the three winners are Amor Towles for A Gentleman in Moscow (Windmill) in Adult Category, Geraldine McCaughrean for Where the World Ends (Walker Books) in Children’s, and Nicola Davies and illustrator, Emily Sutton for Lots: The Diversity of...

Create Publishing, part of leading UK independent publishing group Legend Times, has announced its launch into the Indian self-publishing marketplace. Create Publishing is the sister company of highly successful self-publisher New Generation Publishing which has been trading in the UK and internationally for almost 10 years. This experience within the self-publishing sector, alongside many traditional publishing link-ups, will see Indian authors benefit from extensive international distribution channels and book markets – predominantly the US, the...

If there was ever a week to see a play like I SEE YOU by Amy de Bhrún, currently running in Theatre Upstairs on Eden Quay, this is it. Not that this play couldn’t or shouldn’t be equally well received at any future date. And wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if at some time in the future I SEE YOU audiences were to sit and marvel at how women like those on-stage were oppressed...

A thrilling programme, full of theatrical gems, has been announced for this year’s SCRIPTS Ireland’s Playwriting Festival taking place in Birr in June. Our picturesque Offaly town will play host to an ensemble of playwrights, actors, producers, directors for four fun filled days from Thursday 14- Sunday 17 June. This year’s programme is jam-packed with something for all theatre lovers including top quality theatrical productions including Pilgrim and Mary & Me, children’s theatre (Tom Thumb and The Little Prince), a...

Cúirt International Festival of Literature has announced details of a diverse and eclectic programme, curated by its new Director, Dr. Emily Cullen. Leading Irish and international authors, an exploration of language across art forms and a strong commitment to Irish-language writing are at the heart of the 33rdCúirt International Festival of Literature, which will take place in Galway this April 23 – 29. This year’s Cúírt festival will see the voices of some of the...

UL/Frank McCourt Creative Writing Summer School – University of Limerick, Ireland, May 3rd to 6th, 2018 Speakers include SIR BOB GELDOF, MARIAN KEYES, KEVIN BARRY, JOSEPH O’CONNOR, DONAL RYAN, MARY O’MALLEY, KERRY NEVILLE, MARTIN DYAR, SARAH MOORE FITZGERALD, EOIN DEVEREUX, ALAN HAYES of ARLEN HOUSE publishers. ‘Food and Storytelling: a Literary Brunch,’ led by UL Creative Writing MA graduate and Food Writer, RACHAEL KEALY. Live recording of RTE Radio 1 ‘SUNDAY MISCELLANY’ at UL’s Irish World...

Corvus, Atlantic Books have announced that they have acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) to the next two novels by bestselling author Catherine Ryan Howard from Jane Gregory at Gregory & Company/David Higham. Catherine Ryan Howard first broke onto the scene with Distress Signals in 2016, with her second novel The Liar’s Girl due for publication in March 2018. She comments: ‘I couldn’t be happier to be writing two more books for Corvus. The...

Calling the writers, poets, dreamers, and schemers. Scripts is seeking new plays to inspire, inject, invent, invoke, and incite. The theme this year is DREAMS. From the large dreams for the future to the micro dreams of the day to day; dreams keep us looking to the future, delving into the unconscious, and questioning what’s before us. In the words of the wonderfully talented Dolores O’Riordan, “Oh my life is changing everyday, in every possible...

A diverse shortlist for the inaugural TA First Translation Prize includes fiction, non-fiction and a graphic novel, representing five languages and six countries – ‘a celebration of new talent, of new voices, skill and risk-taking’. The judges of the inaugural TA First Translation Prize have announced a shortlist of six books by new literary translators. Among the shortlisted books are a graphic novel, four works of fiction and one non-fiction book, in translations from Arabic,...