Literary listings

New Island, new commissioning editor

New Island has announced the appointment of Dan Bolger as its new commissioning editor. "Dan has an established track record as an editor and editorial manager, and will play a major part in the enhancement of our program for 2015 and beyond," said publisher Edwin Higel. "He will join New Island in this capacity in mid January. A lot of interest was shown when the position was advertised, and we would like to thank all those who responded for showing such an interest in our work and philosophy - we will try not to disappoint them. Dan's team spirit and personal accomplishments will play a crucial role in breaking new ground for our authors and their writing."

Fighting Words artwork auction

An auction of 12 works from renowned Irish illustrators takes place on December 11th in Hoggis Figgis, Dawson Street. The illustrations have been on display in the shop since December 4th, with the public invited to view them and place their bids. The auction coincides with the launch of a new anthology of Irish authors and illustrators, Beyond the Stars, published in support of Roddy Doyle's Fighting Words creative writing centre. The illustrators who have donated work for the auction include Chris Judge, Niamh Sharkey, PJ Lynch, Chris Haughton, Steve Simpson, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, Michael Emberley, Oisín McGann, Olwyn Whelan, Tatyana Feeney, Paul Howard and Alan Clarke. The presentation ceremony takes place at Hodges Figgis from 5.30pm, with Christmas refreshments and music from St Patrick's men's and boys' choir.

New library in Dun Laoghaire

The dlr LexIcon building in Dun Laoghaire opened to the public this week. Set over four floors, the LexIcon houses separate reading rooms, a children’s library, a 100-seater performance space, the county’s first municipal gallery, a cafe, a local history section with study spaces, and a public carpark with 100 spaces. The design of the building was chosen as part of a competition set by the Royal Architects Institute of Ireland. Technology plays a big part in the architecture of the new library, which features a self-service book sorter for 24-hour book return, multi-print devices, and workstations designed for mobile technology and to facilitate collaborative working. Moran Park has also been extensively landscaped and redeveloped as part of the LexIcon works.

Festive gatherings

The Gutter Bookshop in Dalkey will hold a book signing with hotelier Francis Brennan on December 10th at 2pm, followed by Christmas drinks and mince pies at 5.30pm to celebrate the shop’s first anniversary. More drinks for its book club members will take place in the Temple Bar outlet on December 11th at 6pm, with the shop opening to 8pm every Thursday until Christmas. Staff picks for presents include Tana French’s Broken Harbour, I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore and The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides. For the full list, visit the website – gutterbookshop.com/reviews.html#Christmas2014

For poetry lovers this Christmas, Poetry Ireland has issued a cloth-bound hardback version of its Seamus Heaney special. Already a paperback bestseller, Poetry Ireland Review 113: A Seamus Heaney Special Issue is edited by the poet Vona Groarke and focuses on Heaney's extraordinary legacy through essays on 46 of his poems written by 50, mostly younger poets, from Ireland, the UK and the USA. Contributing poets include Simon Armitage, Tara Bergin, Gillian Clarke, Kevin Higgins, Michael Hofmann, John McAuliffe, Glyn Maxwell, Helen Mort, Michelle O'Sullivan and Don Paterson. The 46 poems by Heaney include Sunlight, Seeing Things, Oysters, Punishment, Alphabets, The Journey Back, The Pitchfork, Limbo, A Constable Calls, The Underground and The Rain Stick. The hardback version (RRP €25) is available in bookshops, including Hodges Figgis, Dubray Books, Books Upstairs, O'Mahony's, Limerick, Charlie Byrne's, Galway, No Alibis, Belfast and online from www.poetryireland.ie.

The creative writing centre Big Smoke Writing will hold their Winter Literary Cafe in Arthurs’ Pub, Thomas St, Dublin, on December 14th. The highlight of the centre’s social calendar, the event is haled as an opportunity for friends, students and teachers to come together and experience an afternoon of music, prose and poetry. The event will be a mixture of readings from established writers and contributions from students and teachers. The line-up includes Stephen James Smith, Michelle Read, Dave Lordan, Mia Gallagher, Jessica Traynor, Raven, Michael Naghten Shanks. The event is free and open to the public.

Literary bursary

Crime writer Liz Nugent was awarded the Irish Writer Centre’s inaugural Jack Harte Bursary at a celebratory evening for Jack Harte, founder of the centre, earlier this month. The bursary, in association with Annaghmakerrig at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, offers a two-week fully resourced residency in spring 2015. Nugent also recently won the Crime Fiction Book of the Year award for her debut novel Unravelling Oliver at this year’s Irish Book Awards.

Contact sarah.gilmartin@gmail.com with your literary listings