Students Win Listowel Writers’ Week Literary Competitions!

Wonderful news for my students from the Listowel Writers’ Week Writing competitions! I’m so proud and excited! Sadhbh Cushen has won joint second place in the nine years and under category. Sadhbh attends classes in Skerries and wrote a very funny story (told mostly through dialogue) about a child who doesn’t want to go to sleep. She shares this prize with Grace Lenny, who is doing an online writing course …

Student Wins The Cuirt Young Writer’s Award 2015

Whoopeeeee!! Sarah McKenna (age 13), student of my creative writing classes in Skerries, has won The Cúirt New Writing prize for Youth! Well done Sarah!!!! Sniff! Sniff! I’m so proud. Below is a picture of Sarah, when she came first in the literary competition for Youth with Listowel Writers’ Week last year. This girl is amazing! (as are my other students Sadhbh and Hannah who were shortlisted for The Cúirt …

A Wonderful Writing Week

We had a very special time at Listowel Writers’ Week from 28th May – 1st June. I was lucky enough to spend time with one of my favourite writers, Douglas Kennedy. I learned a lot from him about writing and about life. My wonderful students Ciara Hogan and Sarah McKenna collected their prizes at the awards ceremony and saw their work published alongside top Irish writers Donal McCann, Deirdre Madden …

Listowel Writers’ Week

Today I am heading down to Listowel in County Kerry to attend their national writing festival. Listowel is my absolute favourite writing festival in Ireland and I’m so excited to be teaching there for the firs time. Not only that, two of my students have won first prize in the writing for youth competitions, and I will be attending the awards ceremony with them this evening. I am also re-launching …

Writing Students Win Listowel Writers’ Week Literary Competitons 2014 !

I am delighted to announce that two of the children who attend my creative writing classes have won first place in the Listowel Writers’ Week Literary Writing competition for youth. This is a great honour and I am absolutely delighted for them. Sarah McKenna, who attends my writing classes in Skerries, has won first place in the under twelves category and Ciara Hogan, who attends my classes in Malahide, has …

New Ventures

Yesterday, I received the goods news that The Department of Education has approved my summer writing courses for teachers. The course ‘Improving Literacy Standards Through Creative Writing’ will take place in Skerries Mills from 6 – 10th and 20 -24th Augus 2012. This is an exciting new venture for me and I hope to meet lots of teachers with a passion for writing. As a result of this, the dates …

More Good News!

This morning I received a very welcome letter in the post: I was informed that my short story ‘The Secret’ has been placed amongst the top five entries for Listowel Writers’ Week Originals, Short Story Competition; the adjudicator highly commended my work. I an delighted! Thank you very much to Eilish Wren, and the team at Listowel Writers’ Week, for taking the time to let me know that you my …

Lovely News!

Last week I was delighted to hear that my short story ‘The Runaway Wife’ has been shortlisted for the ‘From the Well’ short story writing competition run by Cork County Council Arts Office. It will be published in an anthology in May. ‘The Runaway Wife’ is about a woman who leaves her abusive husband to go and live in Tuscany. I have always held the dream to do the same …