Bio: Gerard Beirne has published two collections of poetry and 4 books of prose. Hennessy Award winner, shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, Bord Gais Irish Book Awards, and Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award. He lectures on the BA Writing and Literature Program, IT Sligo.
Moya Roddy Bio
Writer Moya Roddy’s debut collection Out of the Ordinary was shortlisted for the Shine Strong Award 2018. She was also shortlisted for the Hennessy Award. Rita Ann Higgins called her poems “stunning and memorable” and Leontia Flynn commented that their “deceptive lucidity … belies how very far from ordinary such directness and perceptiveness are in poetry”. Her poems have appeared in the Irish Times, Crannog, Stoney Thursday, Stinging Fly, Boyne Berries among others. Moya’s novel The Long Way Home was described as “simply brilliant” in Irish Times; her short story collection Other People was nominated for Frank O’Connor Award. Her new novel A Wiser Girl was described by Ruth McKee in the Irish Times as a “blast of Italian sunshine, a sparkling glass of wine for these chilly and uncertain times”.
Brian Kirk is a poet and writer from Dublin. His first poetry collection After The Fall was published by Salmon Poetry in 2017. His poem “Birthday” won the Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards 2018. He was awarded a bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland in 2020 to write and film a sequence of formal poems on the Covid 19 pandemic. He published a novel for children 9 – 12 years in 2016 called The Rising Son. His short fiction chapbook It’s Not Me, It’s You won the Southword Fiction Chapbook competition and was published in 2019 by Southword Editions. He blogs at www.briankirkwriter.com.
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Matt Mooney.
Born, a farmer’s son, in Kilchreest, Co. Galway in 1943. A graduate of UCG and UCC he has been a Vocational Teacher in Listowel where he is proud to be one of its townspeople. His collections of poems are: Droving (2003), Falling Apples (2010),Earth to Earth (2015), The Singing Woods (2017), Steering by the Stars (2021), Éalú agus Dánta Eile (forthcoming 2021).
Winner of The Pádraig Liath Ó Conchubhair Award 2019. (Filíocht/Poetry).
He is a reviewer, copy editor and proof reader with the Galway Review Literary Magazine. His poems and writings have been published in: The Blue Nib; The Amaravati International Poetic Prism Anthology; The Galway Review, Feasta; The Galway Advertiser (Peann agus Pár), Pendemic, Live Encounters and in Musings during a Time of Pandemic, a World Anthology.
Some of his poems have been translated in Colombia, South America, and published in Spanish literary magazines. One of his poems appears on the syllabus of UK Primary Schools.
Pete Mullineaux lives in Co. Galway and has published four poetry collections, including Session (Salmon 2011) and How to Bake a Planet (Salmon 2016) – “A gem” – Poetry Ireland Review. A New & Selected is due in 2022. He’s been interviewed about his poetry on RTE’s Arena and also had three plays produced by RTE radio. He works as a poetry/drama facilitator: Interdependence Day: Teaching the Sustainable Development Goals through Drama for All Ages was published by Afri (Action from Ireland) in 2021. His debut novel Jules & Rom: Sci-fi meets Shakespeare – was released in paperback in April 2021 following an ebook version in 2020. Website: petemullineauxwriter.com
Cork based Spoken Word Artist and Poet, Stanley Notte has today (12 May 2021) released a unique piece of spoken word reflecting on living with the Covid-19 pandemic. His prose creation has a special twist, with familiar Cork language and delivered over a version of The Specials ‘ Ghost Town’ track. Completely created in Cork, an accompanying video includes the iconic Father Matthew statue as never seen before, incorporates remotely recorded video phone sequences of 22 Cork people, filmed at various Cork locations. The famous Jackie Lennox’s chipper also receives a homage in verse and visuals. The rich mix of haunting voices and music was created with support of singers Taly Murphy and Luna Olivia Avery. Originally imagined as a performance piece with four male voices in mind, Dave O’Connell of De Bunker Studios suggested Stanley perform the piece himself. Using video shot by Brendan Cotter and featuring drone photography by Kieran Walsh of Cobh News, the visuals feature family and friends capturing the essence of tough lockdown in Cork city. Commenting on today’s release, Stanley said : ‘Since the pandemic started, I wanted to create something humorous around living with Covid-19 and try to lighten the heaviness it brought to our lives. Somehow the first anniversary, and the beginning of the end of lockdown, seemed the right time for this reflection. Cork and its rich language means a lot to me, and combining this piece of work with an overlay version of The Specials ‘Ghost Town’ matches the sense and mood beautifully. It’s ‘Cork Boi.’ It’s ‘Covid Boi.’’ Stanley added : ‘Creating and recording with all the restrictions presented additional challenges. Everyone’s commitment, remote recordings and strict adherence to guidelines really brought out Cork innovation at its best. The release includes a full audio and accompanying video of 4 mins 31 secs. The ‘Cork, Boi! Nothing But A Ghost Town’ video and audio will be available from 12th May 2021 on www.stannottecreations.ie https://www.facebook.com/stannottecre… https://www.instagram.com/stannottecr…
Suzanne Power is an author, editor and creative mentor who has had many lives, all of which involve writing and belief in the transformative power of stories.
An award winning author of novels, poetry, creative non-fiction and short stories, her central themes concern the powerful presence of the silent majority, in memory, history and the moment. This applies to both fiction and non-fiction. Her books have been published worldwide. She founded and was features editor of a national newspaper, travelled as a need, lived in her car, was an award winning journalist and columnist, a broadcaster, producer and researcher in Ireland and the UK.
Along with her own writing, she founded and delivered an Irish university’s creative writing programme. Her storytelling instincts convinced her to empower as well as edit and mentor writers. Her practice as a writing therapist confirms her ethos that encouragement is the only true criticism. Her approach fosters authors from all walks of life to publication, from international bestsellers to writers of titles of local importance and contribution. All lives change radically through stories.
A natural nomad, she gave two decades to raising and empowering her two sons on creative paths. She and her husband, a teacher of those with severe and challenging behaviour, anticipate their next house will have wheels.
www.suzannepower.com
https://www.facebook.com/Suzanne-Power-102227505112324
Fiction
The Lost Souls’ Reunion
Love and the Monroes
Creative Non Fiction
Pieta Moments
Angel Journey
Heart Lines
Nessa O’Mahony was born in Dublin and lives there. She won the National Women’s Poetry Competition and was shortlisted for the Patrick Kavanagh Prize and Hennessy Literature Awards. She is the recipient of three literature bursaries from the Arts Council of Ireland, the most recent being in 2018. She has a PhD in Creative Writing from Bangor University and teaches with the Open University and the American College in Dublin. She has published five books of poetry – Bar Talk, (1999), Trapping a Ghost (2005), In Sight of Home (2009) and Her Father’s Daughter (2014). The Hollow Woman on the Island was published by Salmon Poetry in May 2019. Her first work of historic crime fiction, The Branchman, was published by Arlen House in 2018.
Details of her latest poetry collection, The Hollow Woman on the Island, can be found here: https://www.salmonpoetry.com/details.php?ID=509&a=281
Nessa O’Mahony was born in Dublin and lives there. She is the recipient of three literature bursaries from the Arts Council of Ireland, the most recent being in 2018. She has published five books of poetry – Bar Talk, (1999), Trapping a Ghost (2005), In Sight of Home (2009) and Her Father’s Daughter (2014). The Hollow Woman on the Island was published by Salmon Poetry in May 2019. Details of her latest poetry collection, The Hollow Woman on the Island, can be found here: https://www.salmonpoetry.com/details.php?ID=509&a=281