The shortlists for the Betty Trask, McKitterick, Somerset Maugham, ALCS Tom-Gallon awards and the inaugural Paul Torday Memorial Prize – an award for a first novel by a writer over 60 – were announced on Wednesday 15 May. In a celebration of inclusivity and the power of storytelling, the shortlisted names include established bestsellers, debut authors, poets and short story writers with the oldest nominee, Irish debut novelist Norma MacMaster, aged 81. The five prizes...

Short+Sweet is a 1 week festival, comprised of 20 original short plays, that will be written, directed and performed in Dublin by aspiring and amateur creatives [All 18 yrs +]. We are the little sister of Short+Sweet Sydney. Submissions are currently open for writers. You can find the link here. We will soon be accepting submissions from directors and actors, so keep an eye out on the website and our Facebook page. This is the...

Competition deadline: 15th June 2019 Living Springs Publisher’s third annual Baby Boomers Plus competition is open to anyone who was born 1964 or earlier. The deadline for submissions for the 2019 edition is June 15, 2019.  The entry fee is $25. The word count for this contest is 900 – 4000 words. Stories for the Baby Boomers Plus  contest may be about any topic. Tell us about an experience growing up, or use the experience...

The combined value of the 2019 Society of Authors’ Awards is set to reach six figures for the first time. Presented by a panel of celebrated judges, including Kate Mosse, Gary Younge, Mark Lawson, Anita Sethi, Susan Hill, Tahmima Anam, Pascale Petit, Inua Ellams and Jen Campbell, the combined value of this year’s nine Awards will be the highest yet, as we hand out more than £100K to novelists, poets and non-fiction writers in June. The Society of Authors’...

The Mental is the story of John Salter who spent forty years in psychiatric care for doing a good deed. Written and performed by John MacKenna, it is directed by Angela Keogh. ….superb,a great performance without any sentimentality…. ….affecting and moving…. …beautiful, gentle, hilarious yet heartbreaking… Catch The Mental at these locations around Ireland: Sat April 27 – Nenagh Arts Centre – 8 pm – Box office 067 34400 Thursday May 2 – Woodbine Books,...

Carlow Arts Festival, the first big cultural event of the Irish Summer, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year with a host of events taking place in Festival HQ at Carlow College, St. Patrick’s and VISUAL, as well as at local landmarks from 4 – 9 June 2019. Visitors can immerse themselves in international and award-winning artistic adventures from Finland, Denmark, Spain, Catalonia, Belgium, the Netherlands, the UK and Ireland including festival premières, spectacular free performances,...

Red Line Book Festival is inviting applications from writers for their inaugural Writer in Residence programme. The ten-week residency in South Dublin County runs from August to October 2019 and is supported by Creative Ireland in conjunction with South Dublin Libraries and Arts.  This residency is open to all forms of writing including, but not limited to prose, poetry, play-writing, and writing for children. The residency will see the chosen writer engaging with local communities...

Cairde Sligo Arts Festival (SAF) is set to return this July, with an extended programme of Irish and international writers, musicians, artists and performers. Acclaimed author of The Argonauts, American genre-busting writer Maggie Nelson will be making her first ever Irish appearance at the festival, in an event that is sure to be a festival highlight. As ever, music will be a strong core at Cairde SAF, from a sublime double bill featuring two of...

Application deadline: 7th May 2019 Commencing Summer 2019 and continuing until the festival, which runs from the 2-6 October 2019. Dromineer-Nenagh Literary Festival seeks a Writer in Residence for 2019.  Expressions of interest are welcomed from experienced writers across all genres (Fiction, Non-fiction, Short Stories, Poetry, Spoken Word, Memoir, Songwriting/Composition, Play/Script writing).  We are particularly interested in writers who can work creatively to engage the local community and who have experience of socially engaged practice...

Writing using five senses allow you to draw the reader into your story, to make it live for them. Look at these images and stretch your writing muscles – use them to create a new story or write 500 words describing a moment…