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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

September Over The Edge Writers’ Gathering with poets from Australia, Northern Ireland, & Galway



September Over The Edge Writers’ Gathering
at Galway Arts Centre’s
Nuns’ Island Theatre
presents
Northern Irish poets
Maria McManus & Deirdre Cartmill,
Australian poet Teresa Bell,
Galway poet & writer Vinny Finn
PLUS
The AWAY WITH WORDS writers.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12th, 8pm


The September Over The Edge Writers’ Gathering presents readings by Galway based poet and writer Vinny Finn, visiting Australian poet Teresa Bell, Northern Irish poets Deirdre Cartmill & Maria McManus and the AWAY WITH WORDS writers.  The event will take place at Galway Arts Centre’s NUNS’ ISLAND THEATRE, Nuns’ Island, Galway on Friday, September 12th, 8pm. All are welcome. There is no cover charge.

Vinny Finn is a Psychotherapist based in Galway.  He has enjoyed some success in writing having won the Marie Edgworth Award for Poetry as well as the Windows Award.  He was involved in several projects with the Longford Arts Council and Poetry Ireland before moving to Galway.  His writing is influenced principally by spiritually and how it affects the mind, with a focus on psychotherapy, theology and philosophy as a constant background in his work.  He enjoyed the sporadic nature of poetry and how it blends well with an organic, holistic sense of self.  He is currently working on his first book, a true story and what may be described as a 'psychological noire'; expected (with publishers help) in 2015.
Vinny Finn
Teresa Bell is a writer, performer, teacher and director based in Sydney. Teresa’s performances are always unique and combine a blend of music, physical theatre, performance and the poetic. She was Founding Director of Australia’s first national poetry centre, Australian Poetry and prior to this was Artistic Director for Playworks, the national script development organisation. Teresa has directed performances and toured her work to nearly every state in Australia and overseas. Her directing and writing work have won numerous awards including the Wal Cherry, an AWGIE and the George Fairfax and Shelton Lea awards for performance. Teresa is appearing at an interdisciplinary conference titled ‘Making Sense of Madness’ at Oxford University in early September where she will be giving a paper and performing an extract from her new book before coming to Ireland to read her new work.  
Teresa Bell
Maria McManus is a poet and playwright. Maria's most recent publication is We are Bone (Lagan Press 2013). Her previous poetry includes The Cello Suites (Lagan Press 2009), which has been recorded with an original score composed and played by the cellist Tom Hughes.  Reading the Dog (Lagan Press 2006) her first collection of poetry, was runner up in the 2007 Strong Awards at the Poetry Now International Festival and was also short-listed for the 2007 Glen Dimplex New Writers Award.  In 2008  & 2012 she was awarded an Arts Council individual artist award. Of We Are Bone the poet Joan Newmann said ‘A joyful read as if you are coming towards each reader with your arms held out.’ 
Maria McManus
Deirdre Cartmill is a Belfast based poet, writer and screenwriter. She has published two poetry collections The Return of the Buffalo (Lagan Press, 2013) and Midnight Solo (Lagan Press, 2004). The Return of the Buffalo deals with grief and loss, and attempts to make sense of the seemingly meaningless, but this is always weighted with how suddenly, unexpectedly joyous life can be. Midnight Solo is written from the perspective of a generation who grew up through the conflict in the north of Ireland and their struggle to envision a new normality in a post-conflict society.  She received an Artists' Career Enhancement Scheme Award from the Arts Council in 2011 and spent a year affiliated with the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen's University.
Deirdre Cartmill
Away with Words is an innovative arts project which enables people with intellectual disability to explore and develop their creativity through writing. Away with Words offers a wide range of theme based workshops and events facilitated by local writers who also support people to engage in the arts life of their community through participation in public readings and publication of their work. In 2012, a collection of their writing Jessica Casey & Other Works was published by Salmon and launched at the CĂșirt Festival. http://www.salmonpoetry.com/details.php?ID=257&a=217
There is no entrance fee.
For further information contact 087-6431748.

 Over The Edge acknowledges the ongoing financial support of the Arts Council
and Galway City Council.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

2014 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year to be judged by Eleanor Hooker NOW TAKING ONLINE PAYMENTS


2014 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition

OPEN TO POETS  FICTION WRITERS WORLDWIDE

NOW TAKING ONLINE PAYMENTS  

COMPETITION JUDGE: ELEANOR HOOKER

Major Sponsor: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop
Other sponsors to date:
Closing date: Wednesday, August 6th, 2014
STILL TAKING ENTRIES 
UNTIL MIDNIGHT
 If you make your payment online before midnight on August 6th, we will accept your entry. And we will accept all entries postmarked August 6th or earlier, even if they arrive after that date. Extracts from novels absolutely accepted. As well, of course, as short stories and poems.

In 2014 Over The Edge is continuing its exciting annual international creative writing competition. Since its inception in 2007, it has grown to become one of the most important competition’s for emerging writers in Ireland and internationally. The competition is open to both poets and fiction writers worldwide. The total prize money is €1,000. The best fiction entry will win €300. The best poetry entry will win €300. One of these will then be chosen as the overall winner and will receive an additional €400, giving the overall winner total prize money of €700 and the title Over The Edge New Writer of The Year 2014. The 2014 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year will be a Featured Reader at Ireland’s leading literary reading series, the Over The Edge: Open Readings in Galway City Library, on a date to be scheduled in Winter 2014/15. Salmon Poetry will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript submitted to them by the winner in the poetry category. Doire Press will read, without commitment to publish, a manuscript of short stories submitted to them by the winner in the fiction category. The overall winner will receive a hamper of books from the famous Kenny’s Bookshop of Galway, Ireland. The winner in the poetry category will have one of the poems from her or his winning entry published in the January 2015 issue of Skylight47 magazine.

Entries should be sent to Over The Edge, New Writer of the Year competition, 3 Carbry Road, Newcastle, Galway, Ireland. Entries will be judged anonymously, so do not put your name on your poem(s) or stories. Put your contact details on a separate sheet. If you live in Ireland and wish to be informed of the results by post, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope. OTHERWISE, YOU DO NOT NEED TO ENCLOSE A STAMPED ADDRESSED ENVELOPE. 

Criteria: fiction of up to three thousand words, three poems of up to forty lines, or one poem of up to one hundred lines. Any of the aforementioned is one entry. Multiple entries are acceptable but each must be accompanied by a fee. 

The fee for one entry is €10. The fee for multiple entries is €7.50 per entry e.g. two entries will cost €15, three entries €22.50 and so on. Fee payable by cheque or  money order to Over The Edge. The competition is open to writers worldwide. We accept payment in Dollars, Sterling, Australian Dollars, Canadian Dollars and so on. Writers from outside the Euro area can calculate the payment for their entry here http://www.xe.com/ucc/ WE ALSO NOW ACCEPT ONLINE PAYMENTS. See the below for details. If you pay the entry fee online you must still post us a hard copy of your entry/entries and enclose with it a note saying ‘entry fee paid online’. PLEASE INCLUDE THE EXACT NAME IN WHICH THE ONLINE PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE SO THAT WE CAN VERIFY.


To take part you must be at least sixteen years old by September 1st 2014 and not have a book published or accepted for publication in the genre in which you enter. Chapbooks/ pamphlets excepted. Entries must not have been previously published or be currently entered in any other competition. The closing date is Wednesday, August 6th, 2014. A long-list will be announced at the August Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, August 28th, 2014 (6.30-8pm). THE LONGLIST WILL BE AVAILABLE, BEFORE THAT, AT CHARLIE BYRNE’S BOOKSHOP FROM 5PM ON THURSDAY AUGUST 28TH.  The shortlist will be announced at the September Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, September 25th, 2014 (6.30-8pm). The winners will be announced at the October Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library on Thursday, October 30th, 2014 (6.30-8pm).

Eleanor Hooker lives in North Tipperary. Her debut collection of poems  The Shadow Owner's Companion, published by TheDedalus Press in 2012, has recently been shortlisted for the Strong/Shine award  for best first collection in 2012.  Her poetry has been published in Poetry Ireland ReviewThe Irish TimesThe Stinging FlyThe SHOpCrannogCan CanAgendaPOEM: International English Language QuarterlyNew Leaf, and in the anthology I Live In Michael Hartnett. Online her poetry has been published in Wordlegs, And Other PoemsInk Sweat and Tears and Poethead.  In June 2013 Eleanor won the Poetry Ireland/Trocaire poetry competition (Published Author Category). In 2011 she was a winner in the Frank X Buckley Flash Short Story competition at the Irish Writers' Centre, was joint second prize winner in the William Trevor/Elizabeth Bowen International Short Story competition. In December 2012 she was a winner in the ten word short story competition held by @shortstoryday. Eleanor has a BA (Hons 1st) from the Open University, an MA (Hons.) in Cultural History from the University of Northumbria, and an MPhil in Creative Writing (Distinction) from Trinity College, Dublin. She was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions Series in 2011. She is the Vice-Chairperson of the Dromineer Literary Festival. She is Helm and Press Officer for Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat


For further details contact Over The Edge on 087-6431748,
or e-mail over-the-edge-openreadings@hotmail.com

If you make your payment online before midnight on August 6th, we will accept your entry. And we will accept all entries postmarked August 6th or earlier, even if they arrive after that date. Extracts from novels absolutely accepted. As well, of course, as short stories and poems.

TO PAY YOUR ENTRY FEE ONLINE SEE BELOW

Competition payments


Major Sponsor: Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,
other sponsors to date: ISupply, Flood Street;
Ward’s Hotel, Salthill; Kenny’s Bookshop, 
Clare Daly TD, & Derek Nolan TD