Loose Leaves: the latest book news and events

Ballymaloe's rich pickings for poets
Poets may be traditionally impecunious but there are some seriously generous prizes and bursaries knocking around for the talented few. Earlier this week, we published details of the €8,000 Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Fellowship. Now word reaches us from Rebecca O'Connor, editor of the Cavan-based literary magazine, The Moth, of their association with the Ballymaloe International Poetry Prize, whose first prize is a mouthwatering €10,000. The runners-up can expect more than a few crumbs from the table, with €2,000 for the runner-up and €1,000 for third place. That should keep a poet in Ballymaloe Country Relish for quite a while.

The entry fee is €9 per poem and the deadline is December 31st. Winners will be published in the spring 2014 issue of The Moth and will be invited to read at a special award ceremony at the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine in Co Cork next May. For details, see themothmagazine.com

Food for thought
Gill & Macmillan, in association with Le Cool magazine, is to launch The Finishing School, a series of events for people hungry to learn, and who appreciate food with their thought. The events draw from the publisher's eclectic group of authors who will share their knowledge on subjects from history to parenting, research to art, baking to craft. Food at each event is catered for by an Irish cookery writer who will talk through the menu as well as contribute to the evening's discussion.

Authors include Emily Hourican, Lilly Higgins, Ross Lewis and The Irish Country Women’s Association and events take place in 12 Henrietta St, Fumbally Café, Chapter One (all in Dublin) and the ICA headquarters in Termonfeckin, Co Louth.

The series begins next Wednesday, October 9th, at 12 Henrietta Street. Hourican discusses her new book, How to (Really) be a Mother, while Higgins provides the evening's food from her new cookbook Lilly Higgins' Dream Deli.

“Come hungry, leave enlightened,” runs the slogan. “And be on your way home by 9pm (it is a school night after all)! “ For ticket and event details go to dublin.lecool.com or gillmacmillanbooks.ie/thefinishingschool.

Write that @*?$ memoir
If author Lois Cahall finally sees her dream come true, it will be at Lismore Castle, Co Waterford, from December 9th to 15th, where she has been asked to teach non-fiction writing in a course loosely titled: "Finding the story WITHIN your story to FINALLY sell that damn memoir"!

“I love my students,” says Cahall, and a few are following me here. They know I can get them an agent and that I have a formula for how a publisher thinks.” The course fee is $800 for the week yet Cahall feels like she is in one of those contestant shows as she needs “five more students to officially qualify!”

“Doesn’t someone out there want to do yoga with Mariel Hemingway, hang in a castle with Robert Olen Butler, and a long list of famous writers? Or, you can take my class with Pulitzer writer Edward Humes for $1,450? First round of drinks at an Irish pub on me!”

For more information go to abroadwritersconference.com and, when emailing, please reference Lois Cahall.

Children's book award
Irish children's author Celine Kiernan was named winner of the prestigious Reading Association of Ireland Children's Book Award 2013 last week at an event in Marino Institute of Education in Dublin. Kiernan collected the RAI Children's Book Award at the 37th annual Reading Association of Ireland conference for her young adult novel, Into the Grey, seeing off stiff competition from books by authors Geraldine Meade and Sheena Wilkinson as well as three Irish-language titles.

Talking Liberties
Seán O'Connor will read from his memoir Growing up so High: A Liberties Boyhood next Thursday, October 10th, at 7.30pm at Rathgar Books, 100 Rathgar Road , Dublin 6. Tel. 01-4928600.

Crime and prejudice
In honour of the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, PD James will talk to novelist and Irish Times crime columnist Declan Burke about her life-long passion for Jane Austen, her latest novel Death Comes to Pemberley and some of her other crime novels in the Public Theatre (the Examination Hall), Trinity College Dublin, next Tuesday, October 8th, at 7pm. Admission is free but booking is essential, at 01 6744862 or email cityofliterature@dublincity.ie

“Great Writing Great Places is the title of our autumn series of literary events,” said Jane Alger, director, Dublin UNESCO City of Literature. “PD James in the Examination Hall in Trinity is truly great writing in a great place. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear about two of our most enduring literary passions – the novels of Jane Austen and the world of the crime thriller.”

"Many people have tried to write a sequel to Pride and Prejudice but I think PD James has outsmarted them all with Death Comes to Pemberley," added Head of Trinity's School of English, Associate Professor Eve Patten.

Death Comes to Pemberley is currently being made into a three-part BBC series to be screened in December.

For more information on Great Writing Great Places see dublincityofliterature.ie/great-writing-great-places.html

All Ireland Poetry Day
A day-long live streaming of poetry by some of Ireland's finest poets is at the centre of Poetry Ireland's celebration of the sixth annual All Ireland Poetry Day this Thursday, October 3rd. Poetry Ireland will host a six-hour live stream from the Irish Writers' Centre in Parnell Square, Dublin, which will feature readings by Dermot Bolger, Peter Sirr, Theo Dorgan and EndaWyley, among others, as well as a panel discussion involving the new Ireland Chair of Poetry, Paula Meehan.

Other groups will upload their own films of events. The live stream will also feature a special tribute to Seamus Heaney involving Dublin school children, as well as a film of Brendan Kennelly reading his poetry. The live stream will be available on poetryireland.ie/live from 10am on October 3rd.

Maureen Kennelly, director of Poetry Ireland, said: “The enthusiasm that we have found for All Ireland Poetry Day reminds us that poetry is very much a central part of life for Irish people. We are delighted to work with several of Ireland’s foremost poets and a range of partners in this celebration of the special place of poetry in Ireland today.”

Full details of these events can be found at poetryireland.ie/whats-on/index

West Cork's new direction
Nell Regan has been appointed artistic director of the West Cork Literary Festival. The Dublin-based writer takes over from Denyse Woods who has returned to writing after directing four impressive and wide-ranging festivals.

Reganl has published two collections of poetry, Bound for Home and Preparing for Spring, and a biography of Helena Molony, the Abbey actor, feminist and labour activist who fought in the Easter Rising. The West Cork Literary Festival runs in Bantry from July 6th-12th, 2014. More details can be found on westcorkliteraryfestival.ie

Fiction slam
Over The Edge presents its fifth annual fiction slam with featured reader Mary Costello at The Kitchen @ The Museum, Spanish Arch, Galway on Friday, October 11th, at 8pm.

Costello, originally from east Galway and now living in Dublin, has had her stories anthologised and published in New Irish Writing and in The Stinging Fly. Her debut short story collection, The China Factory, was published last year by The Stinging Fly and was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.

Poetry slams have provided many emerging poets with an important platform over the past decade, but now it’s the fiction writers’ turn. The first twelve fiction writers to make it to The Kitchen @ The Museum on the evening of Friday, October 11th and register will be guaranteed a place in the slam. All participating writers should bring two pieces of their own fiction, as there are two rounds. The time limit in both rounds is five minutes. Extracts from longer stories are admissible. Stories do not have to be memorised. The Fiction Slam will be judged by a three-person jury made up of two audience members and Mary Costello. Three writers will go through to the second round and the prize for the winner is a bottle of wine. There is no entrance fee. All welcome. For further information contact 087-6431748.

Irish language literary festival
IMRAM, the Irish language literature festival. runs in various venues in Dublin from October 10th to 19th, and the bill of fare includes Ré-Damhsa: Tionscadal Van Morrison/Moondance: the Van Morrison Project, in which the great man's songs are translated into Irish by poets Cathal Póirtéir and Gabriel Rosenstock and performed by Liam Ó Maonlaí, David Blake, and Hilary Bow, with the Brad Pitt Light Orchestra. Other highlights include the tri-lingual Whereof you cannot speak: The Wittgenstein Project, which explores the philosopher's connection with Ireland, and the launch of Leabhar Mór na nAmhrán, a book containing more than 400 traditional Irish sean-nós songs, and Kerouac: La nuit est ma femme/The Kerouac Project in which poets Gabriel Rosenstock and Gearóid Mac Lochlainn translate, explore and respond to the work of the author of On the Road. imram.ie

Dublin Writers' Festival – the prequel
Dublin Writers' Festival isn't on until May but they are having a special event this month. American writer Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love was a surprise bestseller and was made into a movie. But as anyone who has watched her very entertaining TED talk about the nature of genius, or read her superior memoir, Commitment, will know there's more to Gilbert than a fairly dismal Julia Roberts vehicle. The Signature of All Things, her first novel in 12 years, is a story of botany, exploration and desire, spanning much of the 19th century. She'll be in conversation with Sinéad Gleeson in Liberty Hall on Wednesday, October 23rd, at 7.30pm. Tickets €12/€10. dublinwritersfestival.com

Baffle of the bards
The theme of this year's Baffle Poetry Festival is Spreading the News – the title of one of Lady Gregory's plays, and of this year's festival poetry competition. There will be poetry readings, workshops, a literary brunch and more, all in the town of Loughrea, Co Galway, from October 25th to 27th. Guests include Michael Harding, Geraldine Mills and Elaine Feeney. As is now traditional, the Baffle Turnip (and €300) will be presented to the competition winner, the Baffle Bard of the Year, on Sunday night. bafflepoetry.org

Bailieborough festival
Finally, the inaugural Baileborough Poetry Festival, organised by the LitLab group of writers, takes place this weekend and includes readings, workshops, a poetry competition and launch of a new anthology of the group's work. Visiting poets will include Nessa O'Mahony, Barbara Smith, Heather Brett, Rebecca O Connor and Noel Monahan. The venues are the town library in the old Market Square, Bia restaurant and the Wesleyan Church. In conjunction with the poetry festival there will be a quilt exhibition hanging in the arts space of the library. bailieboroughpoetry.com