There will be words

I have been invited to read my From the Well winning story at the Cork International Short Story Festival, which takes place September 13-16. What a privilege. It was only last year that I first attended it as an audience member, and was blown away by the guest speakers. Any suggestion that I would be reading at it a year later would have been met with laughter and possibly a playful clip around the ears.

This year sees an equally impressive range of guests, including – to name but a few – Claire Keegan, June Caldwell, Carlo Gébler, Alannah Hopkin, Danielle McLaughlin, Madeleine D’Arcy, Alan McMonagle, Billy O’Callaghan and 2017 Frank O’Connor Fellow Marie-Helene Bertino. There are also showcases by literary journals Southword, Banshee, The Tangerine, Quarryman and Long Story, Short. Plus the wonderful Fiction at the Friary have an ambitious evening planned with 20 writers reading from their work as well as collaborating on a new story on the spot. Two four-day masterclasses are also on offer, with either Claire Keegan or Marie-Helene Bertino. The full programme is here.

The From the Well event takes place on Wednesday, September 13, 4pm at Cork City Library, Grand Parade. It will feature Mary Rose McCarthy, Tadhg Coakly and yours truly, moderated by Billy O’Callaghan. Come to the library, people of Cork!