WIS Database of Writers

Books:

Poetry Collection: Snow Negatives (The Dedalus Press, 2007)

Poems included in the following anthologies:

Shine On – Irish Writers for Shine – Edited by Pat Boran (The Dedalus Press, 2011)

The Bee-Loud Glade – A Living Anthology of Irish Poetry. Edited by Pat Boran.  (The Dedalus Press, 2011)

The Quiet Quarter – Ten Years of Great Irish Writing: Edited by Máire Nic Gearailt (New Island Books, 2009)

Thornfield – Poems by Thornfield Poets. Edited by Andrew Carpenter (Salmon Poetry, 2008)

The Echoing Years – An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry and Translation from Canada and Ireland. Edited by John Ennis, Randall Maggs and Stephanie McKenzie. School of Humanities Publications, Centre for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies. (Waterford Institute of Technology, 2007)

Sunday Miscellany – a Selection from 2004 -2006. Edited by Clíodhna Ní Anluain ((New Island Books, 2006

My work has been widely published in journals and magazines in Ireland and abroad. Radio broadcasts include: The Francis MacManus Radio Short Stories; A Living Word; Sunday Miscellany; The Poetry Programme; The Enchanted Way; The Quiet Quarter; Rattlebag.

Work has featured in Poet’s Corner – Poetry on the Dart.  

I hold an MA (Dist.) in English, Creative Writing, from the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at Queen’s University, Belfast. I was a tutor of creative writing with Fingal VEC (2003 -2005) and have facilitated numerous workshops.

Prizes include: The Patrick Kavanagh Award (2006).

Shortlisted/Nominations include: The Francis MacManus Award for Short Stories, Hennessy Literary Awards

 

(It can be useful to give an idea of how your usual or ideal session would pan out)

I started writing when I was very young, at about age 7, and believe that writing should be perceived as a wholly-inclusive, enjoyable activity for any child, irrespective of that child’s individual situation. To develop creative writing skills in an atmosphere that is not intimidating gives a child a respect and regard for the both the printed and the written word. It is also invaluable in broadening a child’s world-view and enlarging his or her vocabulary and reading habits. For young children, I like the session to be highly inter-active and fun. I speak about the ingredients of a poem as we work through each stage of its development in a friendly but informative way. I involve the children fully in decisions about language, imagery, rhyme, and narrative. We discuss ideas for writing, where they come from, and where they might lead. I tell them about when I started to write and why I still love doing it. As well as reading from my own work, I like to read from other writers’ work in order to introduce the children to literature which they might not as yet have encountered. I speak about the importantance of reading, of how it will feed into their own writing, how it will always be something fun and interesting to do. If there is time left in any session I like to encourage the children to take part in a quick, funny, writing exercise. I always like to finish each session with questions and answers. For older children, I involve the class by showing them how I have developed a piece of writing by working through every stage from initial idea onwards. I read from my own work but also like to read from other writers in order to illustrate how important reading and writing are to each other. I also like to explore the ways in which literature relates to other arts, in particular music. I talk about how writing, on the page, on a stage, a cinema screen, or on the television in their sitting rooms, is all part of the same process of finding a word, putting it in the right place and then following it with another word. My aim is to dissolve any preconceptions they might have about writing being something only ever done by ‘other people’, hopefully showing them how opening up to writing, or any creative activity, will stand to them for the rest of their schooldays and into their lives as adults. In a workshop situation, I encourage the pupils to read from their own work and then faciliate a friendly, non-threatening, constructive discussion about that work. If there is time I involve them in a writing exercise, perhaps something they might not have done before, such as Haiku. I like to finish each session with questions and answers.