1. Book early.
In life, we’re driven by people who inspire, move and nourish us. Whether they’re friends, families, singers or writers, it’s always galling when you miss out on the chance to spend time with them. Dublin Writers Festival gives us the opportunity to step away from the solitude of reading and share the wonder of language with those who shape it into something wonderful. Festival tickets are on sale now from various booking venues – make sure you don’t miss out.
2. Take advantage of freebies and discounts
Join in the celebrations for free with The Glor Session on Friday, June 4th, at the Project Arts Centre. Kicking off at 8.30pm, Dublin’s only weekly music and poetry event brings you an evening of no-nonsense entertainment with an energetic line-up of talented poets, musicians and actors. All other events offer discounted tickets for students, senior citizens and the unwaged, with discounts ranging from €2 to €5. Also keep your eye on this blog– there’ll be freebies available.
3. Know your writers
Many of the writers attending this year’s festival have released new work. Be enchanted by Hanif Kureshi´s first short fiction collection Collected Stories, or Yann Martel´s Beatrice and Virgil. Reminisce as you prepare for Neil Hannon´s enlightened discussion about songwriting, or get up to speed with Paul Brady´s latest album Hooba Dooba. I’ll be blogging about some of the writers and providing links to reviews and articles over the next three weeks to help you get a taster. I’d also suggest you prepare some questions. I met Edna O’Brien earlier in the year and got the chance to ask her opinions on breaking out as a novelist. These opportunities are rare – seize them.
Words finding breath on the air
Welcome to the Dublin Writers Festival 2010 blog. This is my second year writing for the festival and already the magic is beginning to take hold.
As Dublin waits to see whether it will be granted City of Literature status by UNESCO, the city is once again offered the chance to “draw strength and inspiration from the best of the nation’s contemporary writers” (Lord Major).
This year, the programme is particularly diverse, harnessing the power of language through a medley of sonic, visual and bi-lingual events. There’s an impressive line-up of writers, musicians and composers from home and overseas preparing to share their passion and insight into writing.
But as this year’s line up shows, it’s not just about how words behave on the page. It’s about how the words sound. A novel, a song, a poem; “needs the reader to bring it to life” (Joseph O´Connor). As readers, we usually venture out alone. We imagine, visualize and improvise, letting the words form into messages and aspirations.
The Dublin Writers Festival is a rare opportunity to make that journey with the faces behind those words. It lets us get intimate with the writers as they become readers; sharing their vision and expertise to give “voice to a living heritage that marks us as the richest of nations” (Lord Major).
Expect to be tantalized and inspired by some of the best writers and composers from Ireland and overseas as they bring their work to life – “their words finding breath on the air”. (Joseph O´Connor).
1. Book early.
In life, we’re driven by people who inspire, move and nourish us. Whether they’re friends, families, singers or writers, it’s always galling when you miss out on the chance to spend time with them. Dublin Writers Festival gives us the opportunity to step away from the solitude of reading and share the wonder of language with those who shape it into something wonderful. Festival tickets are on sale now from various booking venues – make sure you don’t miss out.
2. Take advantage of freebies and discounts
Join in the celebrations for free with The Glor Session on Friday, June 4th, at the Project Arts Centre. Kicking off at 8.30pm, Dublin’s only weekly music and poetry event brings you an evening of no-nonsense entertainment with an energetic line-up of talented poets, musicians and actors. All other events offer discounted tickets for students, senior citizens and the unwaged, with discounts ranging from €2 to €5. Also keep your eye on this blog– there’ll be freebies available.
3. Know your writers
Many of the writers attending this year’s festival have released new work. Be enchanted by Hanif Kureshi´s first short fiction collection Collected Stories, or Yann Martel´s Beatrice and Virgil. Reminisce as you prepare for Neil Hannon´s enlightened discussion about songwriting, or get up to speed with Paul Brady´s latest album Hooba Dooba. I’ll be blogging about some of the writers and providing links to reviews and articles over the next three weeks to help you get a taster. I’d also suggest you prepare some questions. I met Edna O’Brien earlier in the year and got the chance to ask her opinions on breaking out as a novelist. These opportunities are rare – seize them.
Get in the festival spirit: explore Dublin’s literary heritage
City of Literature by UNESCO
Take literary walks around St Stephens Green or visit the Oscar Wilde statue in Merrion Square park. The Chester Beatty Library is an enchanting (and free) haven for book lovers. If you visit the The Book of Kells in Trinity College, the Old Library is currently housing an exhibition on detective novels entitled “The Body in the Library”which should whet your appetite for our own murder-mystery event. For evening culture, Literary Pub Crawls are a huge hit, and Poetry Ireland offer regular evening events.
Birthplace of shaw or wilde or xxx.