READINGS, WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES AT BRAY LITERARY FESTIVAL
Bray Literary Festival returns this month for its second outing, with a launch in the Town Hall on Friday, September 21 to coincide with culture night.
The festival itself will then take place the following weekend from Friday, September 28 until Sunday, September 30.
There will be readings, discussions, music, writing workshops and professional development talks for writers, and a mix of Ireland’s rising and established voices in poetry, fiction, memoir and music.
Judges have now received entries for the festival competitions in poetry and prose.
At the launch on Friday, September 21, at 7.30 p.m., there will be an evening of poetry, stories and song, including traditional storyteller John Carew, harpist Rachel Duffy, work from competition winners, and readings from the young writers of the Glencree Fighting Words group. On Friday, September 28 at the Town Hall at 6.30 p.m., Bray Arts will launch volume of the Bray Arts Journal with readings from a selection of contributors. Students from the MA and MFA programmes at UCD will also launch their lates anthology.
Also on Friday, September 28, Mermaid Arts Centre hosts ‘What’s Hot in Irish Writing’, at 8 p.m.
Join celebrated authors Anne Enright, Paul Lynch and Danielle McLaughlin and leading publishers Alan Hayes and Declan Meade for readings, insights and discussion.
On Saturday, September 29 at 11.30 a.m. in Bray Town Hall, Bray Literary Festival in partnership with WORDS Ireland, with support from Wicklow County Arts Office, present
Festival curators Gerry Cannon and David Butler. two lectures by leading Irish Writers:
In two 30-minute lectures, Sean O’Reilly and Jan Carson reflect on the breadth of possibilities and potential challenges the writer faces when approaching new work or continuing a work in progress.
At 1 p.m. in the Town Hall, it’s ‘Lit Fix’ with Catherine Dunne and Neil Hegarty, and at 2.30 p.m. Northern Voices with Maureen Boyle, Ruth Carr, Medbh McGuckin and Maria McManus.
At 4 p.m. in the Harbour Bar it’s Wicklow Voices with Mary Rose Callaghan, Carmen Cullen and Sue Leonard, followed by a Literary Salon at 5.30 p.m. with Phyl Herbert, Rosemary Jenkinson, Edward O’Dwyer, and Kate Ennals, as well as Emma McKervey and musician Alli Blunnie
On the Saturday from 8 p.m. there will be a musical soiree at Joyce’s childhood home at Martello Terrace, across from the Harbour, with author David Butler and pianist Eoin Tierney.
On Sunday, September 30, at 11.30 a.m. at the Town Hall, the theme is post-conflict literature with ‘Peacekeepers’ and writers Martin J Whelan and Helena Mulkerns. For this event, Braybased human rights advocate Tony Daly invites poet and author to read from their work, followed by a conversation on its themes and influences.
At 1 p.m. it’s Across the Genres, with Mary O’Donnell and Richard Krawiec.
At 2.30 p.m. and ‘Crime Watch’, Declan Burke interrogates Anthony J Quinn and Andrea Carter.
Ones to Watch will be on at 4 p.m. in the Harbour Bar and is a showcase for debut and emerging talent. Writers include Ruth McKee, Rachel Coventry, Rosamund Taylor and Maurice Devitt.
The second literary salon is at 5.30 p.m. on the Sunday in the Harbour Bar, with authors including Conor Bowman, Orla McAlinden, Adam Wyeth and Niamh McCann.
Events cost €5 with the exception of the Culture Night and James Joyce events which are free, or the Mermaid Arts Centre event, which is €10. Day passes can be bought at events for €15 and weekend passes for €25. These do not include workshops or the opening event in the Mermaid.
The festival also includes a series of workshops, all of which will take place from 10.30 a.m. to 12 midday in St Cronan’s school on the Vevay Road. Each workshop costs €10.
On Saturday it’s Write for the Stage with David Butler; Poetry: A Way With Words with Geraldine O’Kane and Colin Dardis; Beginners Fiction with Justine Carbery. Sunday, September 30, the workshops are: Exploring the Short Story with Susan Knight; or Writing and Wellbeing with Carolann Copland. Workshops must be booked in advance: braylitfest@gmail. com and cost €10.