Local writers Charlotte Buckley, Eoghan Carrick, and Caroline McEvoy have been selected by the Irish Writers Centre to receive professional literary mentoring over the next eight months from acclaimed Irish writers of their choice.
After a national call out, 37 writers have been selected from a total of over three hundred applicants.
Dublin UNESCO City of Literature and Dublin City Libraries funded the literary mentorship along with the Arts Council of Ireland to guarantee that the best applicants from the county would be selected. Their support will ensure that the chosen mentees receive this potentially life-changing support free of charge. It is also an investment in the long-term literary reputation of the region.
The mentoring process involves four meetings between the selected ‘mentees’ and their chosen professional writer. In advance of each meeting, the mentor reads up to 10,000 words / 180 lines of poetry of the awarded mentee’s writing, then shares their hard-earned critical feedback and advice.
The Irish Writers Centre’s mission is to support a vibrant and diverse community of writers of all types and talents to develop their craft, capacity and confidence to thrive as a writer in the world. The hope for the National Mentoring Programme is that the chosen mentees will go on to write great works of literature to match or best the quality of their mentors. It’s a form of peer to peer teaching that is increasingly popular in literature, formalizing the process whereby masters pass on their craft to students.
Running since 2017, the programme now has numerous published authors among its alumni, including Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Nidhi Zak/Aria Eipe, Fiona Scarlett, and Victoria Kennefick to name just a few.
Further details, or direct contacts for the writer or their chosen mentor, can got from Brendan at nmp@writerscentre.ie
- The selected mentee can also be contacted for interview through the Irish Writers Centre.
- Comment from the supporting _Arts Office/Centre_ is also available.
- More details available at: https://irishwriterscentre.ie/opportunities/national-mentoring-programme-2022/
Charlotte Buckley’s poetry has appeared in The Stinging Fly, Ambit, and The Rialto. Her work has been listed for the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize, the Poetry Book Society’s Women’s Poetry Competition, and the Basil Bunting Poetry Award. She lives in Dublin where she is doing a PhD in ecofeminist poetry.
Eoghan Carrick is a theatre and opera maker working in Ireland and internationally. He works on new and established texts with a focus on innovative interpretations and interdisciplinary collaboration. His prose poem A History of Multiplying was published in the Spring 2022 Belfield Literary Review.
Caroline has published short stories, flash fiction and non-fiction in The Guardian, Crossways, State of Matter, A New Ulster and Flash Fiction Magazine. She has a PhD in political science from Trinity College Dublin and has written articles for several academic publications, including an award winning article for the Journal of Common Market Studies. Caroline is currently finishing her MA in creative writing at DCU where she is working on her first novel.
IWC Website: irishwriterscentre.ie
Twitter: @IrishWritersCtr
Instagram: @IrishWritersCentre
Facebook: @IrishWritersCtr
Youtube: youtube.com/IrishWritersCentre
About the Irish Writers Centre:
As the leading support and development organisation for writers since 1991, the Irish Writers Centre carries out its work, online and in person, on an all island basis. The Centre works with writers of all types and talents, and actively encourages writers from all communities to engage in creative writing. It provides many ways and means for them to develop their skill, advance their ambitions and join a vibrant and diverse community of people who share their passion and purpose.
The IWC is also a membership organisation, always seeking new opportunities for members to grow as writers and to connect with each other through IWC programmes and supports.
Quotes from previous recipients:
“It has been a very positive experience for me and I am a lot more confident about my story now. Without it, I would have found it very difficult to return to the book, as I had spent so much time on it previously and I simply didn’t know what to do with it. Knowing that my mentor was expecting work by certain deadlines really concentrated my mind and pushed me forward.”
“It’s particularly helpful to have someone engage with your work critically and interrogate not just the MS but your intentions as author. I feel I’m being forced to address issues I took for granted before, which I think is a good thing to do before I start the journey to publication.”
“I expected to focus on the words, but virtually all of my effort has gone into structure and
character. I have been encouraged to develop a more global perspective on the work, while also attending to minute details about character and narrative voice.”
“The experience so far has been invaluable: having thorough, focused attention on my work has enhanced my knowledge, especially at this point in my writing journey.”
Contact: Laura McCormack, Irish Writers Centre Communications Officer
t: (+353) 1 872 1302 | e: events@writerscentre.ie
Direct contacts for writers or their chosen mentors, can got from Brendan Mac Evilly at nmp@writerscentre.ie