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 …

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 …

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 …

Dublin Writers’ Festival

The Dublin Writers’ festival is taking place this week, and I am very pleased indeed. Rebecca Miller will be speaking at 6pm on Tuesday evening in Liberty Hall. Since reading Rebecca Miller’s short story ‘She Came To Me’ in The New Irish Book of Short Stories edited by Joseph O’Connor, I have become a firm fan. I’m fascinated to see her in the flesh, because of who she is married …