Post by SarahW on Aug 18, 2008 9:31:42 GMT
Details of the Sunday Indo Book Festival
Myself and Sinead Moriarty are taking a workshop on Writing Popular Fiction - Sunday 7th Sept - if anyone is interested. More details below.
SarahX
A fizzy festival to put Dublin on the literary map
With a range of top writers booked, this autumn's Books 2008 promises to appeal to everyone, says Alison Walsh
Reading was once seen as a private, intimate conversation between reader and writer, more associated with the quiet hush of the library than the buzz of the live event. Increasingly, though -- and ironically in an age when we are all supposed to be glued to the internet -- that dialogue has become public, with an explosion in literary festivals and readings by our favourite authors.
A new arrival on the literary festival scene is the Sunday Independent's Books 2008, which will take place on September 5-7, and will feature a vibrant, varied list of writers across a broad range of genres, as well as creative writing seminars, debates and children's events.
Of course, while avid readers will eagerly take this new opportunity to meet their favourite writers, the Sunday Independent's new initiative won't be the first of its kind: festivals such as Edinburgh and Hay-on-Wye are now huge events attracting mass audiences, as do Listowel Writers' Week and Cuirt closer to home. Madeleine Keane, literary editor of the Sunday Independent explains how Books 2008 is different. "I know that there are other festivals, but I wanted something that would reflect the Sunday Independent ... I wanted intellect and froth. If you look at the books page, we cover everything from chick lit to serious writers. I wanted something for all readers that's city- centre based and very accessible to everyone." She enthuses, "I wanted a big, bright buzzy festival that would capture the imagination ... "
Bert Wright, organiser of the Hughes and Hughes Irish Book Awards, and Books 2008 programme director, has certainly helped pull out all the stops and deliver a popular, glamorous and wide-ranging programme. Bert, a former bookseller in his native Edinburgh (home to one of the finest book festivals in the world) as well as in the United States, has come up with a programme that will appeal to everyone: "All the literary festivals just play to the literary set ... rarely do they include really popular writers and that was part of my brief, to make it more popular and accessible."
The programme certainly delivers on its remit, opening as it does with Marian Keyes in conversation with Emily Hourican in the august surroundings of the National Gallery on Friday September 5, an encounter with the bestselling author of This Charming Man which promises to be funny and moving. A Meet the Author session follows where readers will have the chance to hear Hugo Hamilton -- whose new novel Disguise is out now -- and literary favourite Joseph O'Connor read and take questions.
Madeleine Keane is especially proud of her keynote literary speaker on Saturday September 6: "I'm so happy we persuaded Martin Amis -- everyone seems excited about him." Amis, who will be interviewed by playwright and writer Declan Hughes, is of course an iconic writer and newly controversial with his book The Second Plane: his appearance is bound to attract debate and interest in equal measure.
An equally glamorous double-bill follows as Isabel Fonseca, whose first novel Attachment attracted such attention earlier this year, appears alongside Wicklow resident Rebecca Miller, author of the hugely popular The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. And of course, there is our own John Banville, Booker prize-winner and now writer of crime fiction as Benjamin Black, always an entertaining and provocative speaker.
The serene surroundings of Trinity College Dublin would seem suited to all this erudition, but in keeping with the popular mandate of the festival, Books 2008 has plenty to offer a wider audience. The crime genre, for so long considered the provenance of anoraks, forensically dissecting every plot twist of Patricia Cornwell, is finally given its due at Books 2008, with an exciting programme of events. Bert Wright explains: "People forget that Ireland is good at literary fiction and at popular women's fiction but we are also hot at crime writing -- there are probably 20 writers making a living at writing about crime."
Books 2008's Crime Writing festival opens on Friday September 5 and celebrates all that is good about Irish crime writing. A series of themed debates will cover such intriguing topics as Sex and Violence, How far is too far, The Irish Private Eye and Under the Influence: Boston to Berlin, with a star-studded panel that includes brilliant newcomer Tana French, Alex Barclay, whose debut Darkhouse propelled her to instant stardom, doyen of crime writing John Connolly, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Brian McGilloway, author of Gallows Lane, Declan Burke, Declan Hughes, Mick Halpin and gritty bestseller Gene Kerrigan.
And if crime isn't your thing, you can take your children to see bestselling writer Anthony Horowitz, whose appearance Bert Wright considers a real coup: "Anthony Horowitz presented the children's award at the Irish Book Awards and had such a good time, he said he would come back, so that was serendipity."' And more for the children is promised with the appearance of another hugely popular writer, Derek Landy, whose exuberant and funny Skulduggery Pleasant series has attracted such acclaim and droves of junior fans; Judi Curtin, whose warm, humorous Alice books are growing in popularity, will also appear, as will perennial children's favourite Marita Conlon McKenna, and Niamh Sharkey, author of the charming Ravenous Beast, among other books for younger readers.
There is something to suit everyone's taste at Books 2008, but as Madeleine Keane says: "This festival is for writers and readers," so if you would like to learn, and hopefully emulate, your writing heroes, Sunday 7th's programme is for you. A programme of writing seminars is planned, featuring Martina Devlin, columnist with the Independent and author of Ship of Dreams, Lia Mills, whose memoir In Your Face was so moving, along with best-selling women's fiction writers Sinead Moriarty, Sarah Webb and Anita Notaro, to encourage prospective writers. The jewel in the crown will be the morning-long masterclass given by poet and head of the MPhil in Creative Writing at Trinity College, Gerald Dawe.
And, whilst Books 2008 isn't yet "Glastonbury for literary folk" as Bert Wright colourfully refers to the Hay on Wye behemoth, Madeleine Keane has high hopes for the future: "It would be wonderful if this became a keynote event every September.
"People are looking for things at the beginning of the school year, and it's an arty time of the year. I would like to follow the model of the Edinburgh festival ... vivid, fizzing with excitement, unmissable." Bert Wright agrees: "When I was working in Waterstones at the first Edinburgh festival there weren't many people at it, but two decades later there are 800 authors." With this wide-ranging programme, Books 2008 will certainly fulfil Madeleine Keane's wish that it be a popular family book event right in the heart of the city.
For further information on Books 2008, visit www.book events.ie for details of events, venues and ticket prices.
Myself and Sinead Moriarty are taking a workshop on Writing Popular Fiction - Sunday 7th Sept - if anyone is interested. More details below.
SarahX
A fizzy festival to put Dublin on the literary map
With a range of top writers booked, this autumn's Books 2008 promises to appeal to everyone, says Alison Walsh
Reading was once seen as a private, intimate conversation between reader and writer, more associated with the quiet hush of the library than the buzz of the live event. Increasingly, though -- and ironically in an age when we are all supposed to be glued to the internet -- that dialogue has become public, with an explosion in literary festivals and readings by our favourite authors.
A new arrival on the literary festival scene is the Sunday Independent's Books 2008, which will take place on September 5-7, and will feature a vibrant, varied list of writers across a broad range of genres, as well as creative writing seminars, debates and children's events.
Of course, while avid readers will eagerly take this new opportunity to meet their favourite writers, the Sunday Independent's new initiative won't be the first of its kind: festivals such as Edinburgh and Hay-on-Wye are now huge events attracting mass audiences, as do Listowel Writers' Week and Cuirt closer to home. Madeleine Keane, literary editor of the Sunday Independent explains how Books 2008 is different. "I know that there are other festivals, but I wanted something that would reflect the Sunday Independent ... I wanted intellect and froth. If you look at the books page, we cover everything from chick lit to serious writers. I wanted something for all readers that's city- centre based and very accessible to everyone." She enthuses, "I wanted a big, bright buzzy festival that would capture the imagination ... "
Bert Wright, organiser of the Hughes and Hughes Irish Book Awards, and Books 2008 programme director, has certainly helped pull out all the stops and deliver a popular, glamorous and wide-ranging programme. Bert, a former bookseller in his native Edinburgh (home to one of the finest book festivals in the world) as well as in the United States, has come up with a programme that will appeal to everyone: "All the literary festivals just play to the literary set ... rarely do they include really popular writers and that was part of my brief, to make it more popular and accessible."
The programme certainly delivers on its remit, opening as it does with Marian Keyes in conversation with Emily Hourican in the august surroundings of the National Gallery on Friday September 5, an encounter with the bestselling author of This Charming Man which promises to be funny and moving. A Meet the Author session follows where readers will have the chance to hear Hugo Hamilton -- whose new novel Disguise is out now -- and literary favourite Joseph O'Connor read and take questions.
Madeleine Keane is especially proud of her keynote literary speaker on Saturday September 6: "I'm so happy we persuaded Martin Amis -- everyone seems excited about him." Amis, who will be interviewed by playwright and writer Declan Hughes, is of course an iconic writer and newly controversial with his book The Second Plane: his appearance is bound to attract debate and interest in equal measure.
An equally glamorous double-bill follows as Isabel Fonseca, whose first novel Attachment attracted such attention earlier this year, appears alongside Wicklow resident Rebecca Miller, author of the hugely popular The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. And of course, there is our own John Banville, Booker prize-winner and now writer of crime fiction as Benjamin Black, always an entertaining and provocative speaker.
The serene surroundings of Trinity College Dublin would seem suited to all this erudition, but in keeping with the popular mandate of the festival, Books 2008 has plenty to offer a wider audience. The crime genre, for so long considered the provenance of anoraks, forensically dissecting every plot twist of Patricia Cornwell, is finally given its due at Books 2008, with an exciting programme of events. Bert Wright explains: "People forget that Ireland is good at literary fiction and at popular women's fiction but we are also hot at crime writing -- there are probably 20 writers making a living at writing about crime."
Books 2008's Crime Writing festival opens on Friday September 5 and celebrates all that is good about Irish crime writing. A series of themed debates will cover such intriguing topics as Sex and Violence, How far is too far, The Irish Private Eye and Under the Influence: Boston to Berlin, with a star-studded panel that includes brilliant newcomer Tana French, Alex Barclay, whose debut Darkhouse propelled her to instant stardom, doyen of crime writing John Connolly, Ruth Dudley Edwards, Brian McGilloway, author of Gallows Lane, Declan Burke, Declan Hughes, Mick Halpin and gritty bestseller Gene Kerrigan.
And if crime isn't your thing, you can take your children to see bestselling writer Anthony Horowitz, whose appearance Bert Wright considers a real coup: "Anthony Horowitz presented the children's award at the Irish Book Awards and had such a good time, he said he would come back, so that was serendipity."' And more for the children is promised with the appearance of another hugely popular writer, Derek Landy, whose exuberant and funny Skulduggery Pleasant series has attracted such acclaim and droves of junior fans; Judi Curtin, whose warm, humorous Alice books are growing in popularity, will also appear, as will perennial children's favourite Marita Conlon McKenna, and Niamh Sharkey, author of the charming Ravenous Beast, among other books for younger readers.
There is something to suit everyone's taste at Books 2008, but as Madeleine Keane says: "This festival is for writers and readers," so if you would like to learn, and hopefully emulate, your writing heroes, Sunday 7th's programme is for you. A programme of writing seminars is planned, featuring Martina Devlin, columnist with the Independent and author of Ship of Dreams, Lia Mills, whose memoir In Your Face was so moving, along with best-selling women's fiction writers Sinead Moriarty, Sarah Webb and Anita Notaro, to encourage prospective writers. The jewel in the crown will be the morning-long masterclass given by poet and head of the MPhil in Creative Writing at Trinity College, Gerald Dawe.
And, whilst Books 2008 isn't yet "Glastonbury for literary folk" as Bert Wright colourfully refers to the Hay on Wye behemoth, Madeleine Keane has high hopes for the future: "It would be wonderful if this became a keynote event every September.
"People are looking for things at the beginning of the school year, and it's an arty time of the year. I would like to follow the model of the Edinburgh festival ... vivid, fizzing with excitement, unmissable." Bert Wright agrees: "When I was working in Waterstones at the first Edinburgh festival there weren't many people at it, but two decades later there are 800 authors." With this wide-ranging programme, Books 2008 will certainly fulfil Madeleine Keane's wish that it be a popular family book event right in the heart of the city.
For further information on Books 2008, visit www.book events.ie for details of events, venues and ticket prices.
