CARMEL ‘HONOURED’ TO BE SHORTLISTED FOR AWARD
Local author and chairperson of Wexford Literary Festival Carmel Harrington has been shortlisted for the Bord Gais Energy Book Awards for her latest book The Things I Should Have Told You.
The prestigious awards were established in 2007 to celebrate the extraordinary quality of Irish writing, to help bring the best books to a wider readership and to promote an industry under severe competitive pressures.
From a small base of three initial categories, the awards now include 15 categories spanning the literary genres. Thousands of ordinary readers vote to select the winners every year. Libraries and bookshops across the country showcase the best books of the year in that peak sales time just before Christmas.
The awards dinner has become the major event in the literary calendar with taoisigh and presidents as guests of honour and since 2011, and highlights of the awards have been shown on RTE.
Exclusively Irish, the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards brings together the entire literary community – readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians to highlight and applaud all that is great about Irish writing.
This year’s awards ceremony will be held in the Hilton Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday November 16 and Wexford Literary Festival are delighted that not alone is their chairperson among those shortlisted but so too are five other writers who were part of this yearss Festival line up: Hazel Gaynor for The Girl From The Savoy, Catherine Ryan Howard for Distress Signals, Claire Hennessy for Nothing Tastes as Good, E.R.Murray for The Book of Shadows and Vanessa O’Loughlin for The Last Days of Summer.
Our Wexford Festival is certainly proving to be lucky for some!
I recently spoke with Carmel who had this to say: ‘I am so honoured to be shortlisted for the 2016 Irish Book Awards. I’ve watched them on TV at home for years and for the past two years, have attended them myself, to cheer friends on. It feels surreal and wonderful that I get to walk the red carpet this year, as a shortlisted author!
‘The awards themselves highlight achievement in several categories and the winners are chosen by a combination of public and academy vote.
‘I am also delighted that several friends of Wexford Literary Festival were also nominated - authors Hazel Gaynor, Catherine Ryan Howard, Vanessa O’Loughlin, ER Murray and Claire Hennessy.
‘I cannot wait for the awards ceremony. Now I just need to find the perfect red carpet dress!’
Voting is now open, to cast your vote simply click on the link below and follow instructions. Signed copies of The Things I Should Have Told You are available from all Byrne’s Bookstore and at the Wexford Book Centre.
http://www.irishbookawards.irish/vote2016