Cork World Book Fest

This Sunday sees the return of Cork literary salon Fiction at the Friary for a one-off event as part of Cork World Book Fest. Rapid Fire Fiction will see 20 emerging writers (including yours truly) read from their work for two minutes – no longer! – then move to a laptop to contribute to a joint story for two minutes. At the end of that bonkers exercise, the completed and no doubt very coherent story will be read out by actor Kevin Power.

Organisers Madeleine D’Arcy and Danielle McLaughlin did this event a few years back as part of the Cork International Short Story Festival and it was a lot of fun. Mind you, I was sitting nice and relaxed in the audience that time. Let’s see how it goes with a timer and a microphone.

There will also be music, courtesy of singer/songwriter Inni-K, and plenty of time to talk to fellow writers while eating your body weight in Hula Hoops and jelly beans, the Fiction at the Friary signature dishes.

The festival has been on all week, an eclectic mixture of readings, children’s events and workshops, with wonderful guests including Joseph O’Connor, Paul Muldoon, Carys Davies and David Constantine. Run by Cork City Libraries and largely free, it’s an incredibly encouraging celebration of writers and readers.

So if you’re in Cork on Sunday, do please come along. Friendliness guaranteed!

Fiction at the Friary Presents Rapid Fire Fiction on Sunday, April 23, 3-6pm at Cork City Library on Grand Parade (ie. NOT in the Friary Bar). Free event

Photo: Dan-Wolfgang Wirdefalk

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