Dublin Writers Festival 2009 - 2nd to 7th June

The long-awaited Dublin Writers Festival starts tomorrow with a sell-out Seamus Heaney reading at The National Concert Hall. I’ll be sitting side stage, scribbling furiously as this poetic genius addresses an eager crowd.

Of course, I’m excited about the whole festival but there are certain events I’m really looking forward to. These are my personal top picks:

• Peter Murphy, Ed O´Loughlin and Aifric Campbell on Wednesday 3rd June at 6pm in the project Arts Centre at 6pm, described as “one unmissable event for budding novelists”. Sold!
• The one-off Irish reading and book launch with Canadian poet Anne Michaels at 6pm on Thursday June 4th looks set to be as engaging as her Orange Prize winning novel Fugitive Pieces.
• Zoe Heller and Geoff Dyer’s combination of erotic love and spirituality has a strong pull on Friday June 5th at 6pm in the Project Arts Centre.
• I recently met Paula Meehan at the launch of No Soy Tu Musa, an anthology of Irish women’s poetry translated into Spanish. Having lived in Spain I felt a certain resonance with this project and her reading was inspired. I’m also looking forward to hearing Leanne O´Sullivan for the first time. They´re appearing together on Saturday June 6th at 6pm in the Project Arts Centre.
  
• My other must see is Brendan Kenelly on Sunday June 7th at 3pm in the Abbey Theatre. Anyone who spends their life wording, thinking and daring gets my full attention.

Labels: dublin writers festival, favourite picks