Listowel Writers' Week Fringe

This looks as if it’ll be different and memorable…

A Listowel Fringe event

Live from Wednesday … with a film crew too

As reported in theboreen.com. It would be great to link up in Listowel.

I’m looking to see if Mary Morrissy has a Twitter account. I’d like to contact her…

This is the first link I found via Google: it’s an interview from 2007. I guess she keeps a low profile?

Mary is running a workshop called “Creative Writing” at Listowel Writers’ Week 2010. I’d love to contact Mary before the workshop or even contact someone who’s going to be at it.

An article in yesterday’s Sunday Independent newspaper tells the story of Joseph O’Connor’s connections with Listowel Writers’ Week.

“… Joseph O’Connor‘s new novel ‘Ghost Light’ goes on sale next weekend. He will be signing copies at Eason’s, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1, at 12.30pm on Saturday, May 29. He will also give a reading at Listowel Writers’ Week on June 4.”

Is Joseph on Twitter? I must check…

I find his website or blog but, oh dear, that’s a different Joseph O’Connor – an NLP guy. Must have a more careful look…
This is what Google gives me first for Joseph O’Connor – but it’s not up to date…
This is what Wikipedia offers – but it’s not up to date either
This is what RTE offers – bang up to date podcast.

I don’t think Joseph O’Connor is on Twitter – so I can’t contact him and ask him if he’d be generous enough to write a few words for this blog… Pity. But I’ll not miss him in Listowel.

Here you have a short piece by Queen of Pots about her plans for Listowel…

“hoping to pick up some tips in writing from Sheila O’Flanagan at her workshop… I hope to write a few bits and pieces and record some podcasts for this in the coming weeks.”

Great to see good people gathering for their first Listowel Writers’ Week…

If you know anyone else coming to #LWW10, please tell them about this blog…

Greetings to Listowel Canada. Hopefully the citizens of Listowel will find this blogpost and realise they’re in our thoughts today.

When you do a Twitter search for Listowel, you find plenty of people tweeting about Listowel Ontario. I think this serves to keep us on our toes in Ireland. We can easily assume we are the only Listowel in the world – we are the centre of the Universe. It’s much more marvellous to realise that there is another Listowel across the Atlantic…

I wonder if Listowel Canada has a literary festival? Writers there? Of course there are plenty of people in every Listowel writing away.

The Listowel Paddyfest began in 1977 – according to Wikipedia.

“from an idea put forth by Dave Murtha to honour the large numbers of persons of Irish ancestry present in the Listowel area and is largely maintained by the Kinsmen and Kinette clubs of Listowel.”

Maybe someone from Paddyfest would be kind enough to link with us here…

Here is a list of additional people who have expressed their willingness to write, take photos & help in some way to blog for Listowel Writers’ Week Fringe in 2010:

Pauline Fayne (poet)

Deirdre Stack-Marques (writer)

@kerryview

@queenofpots : Susan Cloonan

Julianne Mooney (as of Friday 28 May 2010)

There are others too, I don’t want to put them on the list until I’m sure they’re up for it.

Yes, we need some up-to-date images of Listowel before the Festival. We’ll open up a Gallery for photos…

There are loads of photos from Listowel 2007 & 2009 already on the blogroll. We could also do with a few from 2008 eh?

Bookpaths – bringing together literature & place seem to be quoting from a blurb when it says

“Since it’s inception in 1970, Listowel Writers’ Week has been recognised as the primary event in Ireland’s literary calendar.”

Surely that’s a bit OTT?

How mad is it to have the Dublin Writers’ Festival on at the same time as Listowel? That claims to be “Ireland’s premier literary event”. These sort of claims do no one a service I think. What do you think of that sort of advertising claim?

Just discovered that Dublin Writers’ Festival has a blog too. I left a comradely comment there. Why don’t you do the same- so that together the festivals support each other – spreading the news about how good Ireland is as a place for Festivals.

Google Alerts are very useful. You can instruct Google to let you know when “Listowel Writers’ Week 2010″ is mentioned anywhere on the internet. Google will find it and you get an email to bring the link to your attention.

Is there a better way to keep in touch with your interests?

Here’s something I found out via Google Alert:

Solution Talk

a doctor, psychotherapist, coach

John Sharry [psychotherapist & coach] at Listowel Writers Week 2010.
John will present a talk on the principles of emotionally intelligent relationships, showing how contentment depends on self-awareness and communication. [Sounds like serious stuff eh? But maybe life-changing, enhancing? ]

This talk will take place in the Arms Hotel, Listowel, Friday 4th June at 4.30pm. See www.writersweek.ie for further details and a full programme of events.

I went into the White House Pub in Limerick on Wednesday evening. The poets were gathered for their weekly session. Matthew Gedden was going to read from his new collection “Swimming to Albania“…

My intention was to read a poem or two with all the other poets who surrounded the guest.

A man in a dark coat clutching a paper muttered “Hello Paul“. I didn’t know him. “Hello, how do you know me?” “Listowel” – and then I realised he was one of the poets who’d read in The Kingdom Bar last year. A Listowel poet who’d performed under the light of George Rowley.

Here’s George Rowley singing – a YouTube video shot in the poor light of the pub. Those of us who know George’s style know he sings, dances, rhymes and generally makes a lovely atmosphere for many hours during Writers’ Week.

The man in the dark jacket told me James McGrath will take George’s place this year. James will be MC (master of ceremonies) in The Kingdom Bar two or three times – when so many people crowd in to perform and partake.

I’d like to wish James well. George Rowley is an impossible act to emulate. Keep George’s seat warm in 2010.

ps I first met James McGrath at Listowel Writers’ Week in 2007. We did the Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill poetry workshop together.