Dublin UNESCO City of Literature is delighted to announce the programme of events for this year’s One Dublin One Book which features The Coroner’s Daughter by Andrew Hughes (Transworld) following on from Nora by Nuala O’Connor in 2022.

This annual Dublin City Council initiative, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, encourages reading for pleasure. One Dublin One Book aims to encourage everyone in Dublin to read a designated book connected with the capital city during the month of April.

There will be free events including discussions, talks, walks, readings, music performances, book club events and lots more during the month in various venues across the city as well as in Dublin City Libraries, DLR Libraries, Fingal Libraries, South Dublin Libraries, and drawing on the connection with Andrew’s home county, a special event by Wexford County Council Library Service, will take place on 6^th April. There will also be One Dublin One Book online events with the Irish Embassy in Warsaw and Vancouver.

http://www.onedublinonebook.ie/whats-on/

Events will include:

Andrew Hughes in conversation with Niall MacMonagle in the beautiful setting of the Hugh Lane Gallery to discuss his journey from archivist to writer of historical fiction, and to explore the themes, settings, and characters in his novels. Accompanied by music from the Dublin String Quartet and dramatised readings by actors Julie Crowe and Shane O’Regan.

The Anatomy of Crime discussion with author Andrew Hughes and State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers and Deputy State Pathologist Dr Jill Roman.

James Scannell from the Old Dublin Society on the police intelligence reports from various newspapers around the 1800s.

Meteorologist Joanna Donnelly on freak weather events in Irish history.

Andrew Hughes, Nicola Cassidy and Sinéad Crowley on writing vivid and authentic female protagonists.

Download a pdf of the full programme here

Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy, who launched the programme at Hugh Lane Gallery, said “I’m a fan of the One Dublin One Book initiative inspiring people across the city to revel in the delights of reading every April. The canvas for this year’s selection is familiar city territory. Names may have changed but the buildings, squares and streets are still there, 200 years later.”

Andrew Hughes says “I’m so thrilled that The Coroner’s Daughter has been chosen for this year’s One Dublin One Book. The city has always been a huge source of inspiration, providing me with a setting and a cast of characters, and I love uncovering stories hidden in Dublin’s old houses. Although I’m from Wexford, I went to college in the city and have lived in Drumcondra for more than twenty years. My extended family are Dubliners, so it’s a huge source of pride to have my book celebrated in this way. I sincerely hope readers enjoy following Abigail and her forensic investigations. I can’t wait for the events to begin in April.”

Dublin City Librarian, Mairead Owens, says “The Coroner’s Daughter is a story rooted in Dublin city of the early 19^th Century with fascinating themes such as forensic science, religion, and the role of women in Ireland at the time. It is also an entertaining detective story, which I’m sure will engage the readers of Dublin and beyond. I’m looking forward to the discussions that will take place among readers this April.”

Copies of The Coroner’s Daughter have been purchased by Dublin City Libraries and are available to borrow from all public libraries nationwide, and on e-book format through the free BorrowBox library app. The e-audiobook will be available on 1^st April via Borrowbox. The new One Dublin One Book edition of The Coroner’s Daughter is also available to buy from all good book shops.

The NCBI Library Access Service have created a Braille version of The Coroner’s Daughter by Andrew Hughes. This title is also available in fully accessible digital formats (EPUB, BRF, DAISY and Word) from the NCBI Bookshare Ireland platform

Wonju City of Literature offers a chance for one writer from cities of literature to come to Wonju and stay at Toji Cultural Centre for eight weeks, as Wonju City of Literautre’s international level contribution to the cities of literature sub-network, designed to promote the understanding and the friendship of cities of literature. In the call of 2023, just like the call out in previous years, one writer from cities of literature and/or who has a close connection to cities of literature will benefit from the CoL Wonju Residency 2023.

Residency Call Details:

• Closing Date of Application: March 16

• Announcement of Successful Recipient: Before April 7

• Place for Residency: Toji Cultural Centre

• Residency Duration: Eight weeks

• Initiating Date of Residency: September 1

• Ending Date of Residency: October 31

• Round-trip Air Ticket Provided

• Transportation on arrival and departure dates provided

• Organic meals are provided at the cafeteria of Toji Cultural Centre (For other details, please refer to ※ Note below at the end.)

• Writing Room: One Room at Toji Cultural Centre provided 

How to Apply:

1. Let us know about yourself

2. Let us know about your literary works, achievements, awards, etc

3. Let us know about your literary world

4. Let us know about why you would like to come to Wonju

Please note that those interested in the Residency have to write only MS-Word document of more than 1,000 words but not more than 2,000 words(in font size 11 to 12), reflecting all the subjects numbered above. Disproportionate emphasis on only one or two subjects is not encouraged. Balanced approach to each subject is highly recommended.

Application not meeting 1,000 words or exceeding 2,000 words will result in a removal from the consideration. Besides, for fair assessment, additional portfolio and materials will not be accepted and they will not be either considered. Also, please do not forget to write in the document in which country and which city of literature you are currently living. If you are not currently living in a city of literature but if you are able to provide a reliable source of evidence suggesting you have lived in a city of literature and you are able to prove it, the application will be considered, all of which, however, will be verified through the contact with a focal point or coordinator of the city of literature once a final pick is done. And, the residency opportunity does not roll over to the next year even if the selected writer is not able to fly to Korea to stay at Toji Cultural Centre. In this case, the other writer that will be selected by Toji Cultural Centre will take the chance. 

Language and Level:

English is a must and applicants should possess the minimum command of B2 level for communication.

Selection and Notification:

We will go through the 2nd phase of assessment based on the submitted document. One final recipient for the Residency will be decided by an independent panel designated by Toji Cultural Centre. Final notification will be available to both the recipient and the coordinator before April 7.

Requirements during Residency:

There are no requirements whatsoever for a successful writer during his/her/their stay. We want the recipient just to relax and engage in his/her/their creative activity as much and comfortably as possible in such a tranquil environment around Toji Cultural Centre during the Residency. Korean writers and artists will stay at Toji Cultural Centre during the same period, and the writer is highly recommended to form friendship with them during his/her/their stay. Approximately sixteen up to nineteen writers and artists from Korea and also outside of Korea will stay at Toji Cultural Centre from September 1 to October 31. Just like other writers and artists, the selected recipient should follow the rules of living established at Toji Cultural Centre.

Please send your application only to wonjucityoflit@korea.kr no later than March 16.

※ NoteOnly lunch on Saturdays is provided but no prepared meals are available on public holidays. It is also a rule that writers and artists prepare a breakfast of their own preparation with light bread and beverage served at the cafeteria. Each writer’s room has a small fridge, thus writers and artists can buy some food and drinks and keep them for their own light meal. A microwave oven, a relatively big refrigerator, a TV, a water dispenser, and a drum washer are all for everyone’s use and they are readily available in the lounge.

In the spring of 2023, Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature is offering a writer-in-residence programme. Writers and storytellers can spend a month researching or working on a literary project, and you will be introduced to your Dutch and Frisian colleagues.

Proposals for the residency can be submitted before 20 February to Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature. The guest writer will be expected to give at least one literary performance or offer a (short) text for publication. During the residency, you will have a buddy, a fellow writer/poet from Leeuwarden. They will be your first point of contact and will help you find your way around the city and the Frisian literary and cultural sector.

Who and when

Poets, writers, biographers and literary translators living and working in one of the UNESCO Cities of Literature may apply. You should have at least one literary publication to your name with a mainstream publisher or have had at least one of your texts performed publicly. Candidates will be expected to send in their CV and their motivation as to why they want to work in Leeuwarden and on which literary project they plan to work. A letter of recommendation is optional.

The period of residency being offered is from 20 March to 15 April 2023.

The guest writer will receive an allowance of €2,000 and reimbursement of €35 a day for expenses. The rental costs of the apartment in Leeuwarden will be covered by Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature. Travel costs are at the guest writer’s expense.

Proposals from writers and translators should be submitted before 20 February. The selection will be made by the Leeuwarden UNESCO City of Literature team in collaboration with the team of Explore the North festival. The final decision will be taken by 27 February. The proposal should be to Leeuwarden City UNESCO of Literature: info@leeuwardencityofliterature.nl. You can contact project leader Tryntsje van der Steege for more information: tryntsje@leeuwardencityofliterature.nl.

MORE DETAILS

With 70 books nominated by 84 libraries from 31 countries, 3 novels by Irish authors are in the running for the €100,000 prize sponsored by Dublin City Council.
 
Novels by three Irish authors are among the 70 books nominated by libraries around the world for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award, which is sponsored by Dublin City Council. Now in its 28th year, this award is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner.

Download the complete longlist of library nominations here

Download the Dublin Literary Award Longlist Brochure here

Nominations include 29 novels in translation, with works nominated by 84 libraries from 31 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, the US, Canada, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. 14 are debut novels. If the winning book has been translated, the author receives €75,000 and the translator receives €25,000.

Among the 29 translated books are novels originally published in Arabic, Bulgarian, Dutch, Hindi, Korean, Slovene, Icelandic and Japanese.

The Irish titles nominated for the 2023 Award are:

• Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan, published by Faber Books, and nominated by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Libraries Dublin, Galway Public Libraries, Waterford City and County Library, in Ireland, and Chicago Public Library, United States.
• 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard, published by Corvus (Atlantic Books) and nominated by Cork City Libraries, Ireland.
• The Magician by Colm Tóibín, published by Penguin Random House, and nominated by Bibliotheek Gent, Belgium.

dublinliteraryaward.ie     #DublinLitAward

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The shortlist will be unveiled on 28th March and the winner will be announced by Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Caroline Conroy, on 25th May 2023, as part of the International Literature Festival Dublin, which is also funded by Dublin City Council.

The novels nominated will be available for readers to borrow from Dublin City Libraries and from public libraries around Ireland, and some can be borrowed as eBooks and eAudiobooks on the free Borrowbox app, available to all public library users.

For more details visit www.dublinliteraryaward.ie 

Tartu is the second largest town of Estonia, but is widely considered its intellectual capital – vitally significant in developing the educational system, culture, science and literature in the Estonian language. In 2015 Tartu was designated UNESCO City of Literature which has further enhanced the vibrant literary scene. Tartu City of Literature residency program aims to increase international exchange and communication, contribute to the mobility of writers and translators, offer a creative and inspiring environment, and provide writers an opportunity to introduce their work to the Estonian readers. The programme is open to all writers and translators (translating from Estonian to other languages) from across the world, who meet the criteria described below. The residency program is coordinated by the Estonian Literary Society in cooperation with the Tartu Department of the Estonian Writers Union and in partnership with various other literary institutions. 

This residency period is 2 months – April-May 2023. One applicant will be selected.  

The deadline for applications is February 15th. The results will be announced by March 2nd the latest.

What we offer:

• 2-month stay at a small apartment in Supilinn (Soup Town), an old wooden house district close to the city centre. This one room apartment has all necessary amenities, fast Wi-Fi, shower and a small kitchen. 
• A scholarship of 600 euros per month
• Compensation of travel costs to and from Tartu up to 350 euros
• An opportunity to get engaged in the cultural scene of Tartu and to perform at different events, including Tartu International Literary Festival Prima Vista taking place May 8th-13th 2023.
• A contact person who is responsible for making arrangements for performances, meetings and tours and helps to engage in the local literary life

Required documents to be sent to the address eks@kirjandus.ee

Please use “Tartu residency spring 2023 application” as the subject line.

• Application form AVAILABLE HERE for downloading
• Fragment (up to 5 pages) of a published text (in Estonian or English) or a fragment of a published translation (from Estonian into another language)

Criteria

• Upper intermediate level of spoken English or Estonian.
• At least one published book (fiction or non-fiction), screenplay, theatre script or translation from Estonian into another language by the applicant.
  Interest in Estonian culture and literature.
• Readiness to participate in the local literary life, including events, meetings, interviews, festivals.
• Literary work during the residency.
• The candidate cannot be residing in Estonia while applying for the residency.

FULL DETAILS

Additional information:

Marja UntEstonian

Literary Society/Tartu UNESCO City of Literature focal point

eks@kirjandus.ee

The Slovenian Association of Literary Translators (DSKP) is announcing an open call for
residency programs for 2023 in two areas:

1. Literary translation from Slovenian into other languages
2. Literary translation of other language combinations

The deadline for application for both areas is January 5, 2023.

Contact: dskp@dskp-drustvo.si, +386 (0)30 745 333 (Tuesday and Thursday between 10:00
and 13:00)

1st OPEN CALL AREA: Translation of literature, humanities and social sciences from
Slovenian into other languages

Location: Trg borcev NOB 12, 1431 Dol pri Hrastniku, Slovenia; loft apartment in the third
floor of a building without an elevator

Duration: 4 weeks (1 month)

2nd OPEN CALL AREA: Translation of literature, humanities and social sciences of other
language combinations

Location: Trg borcev NOB 12, 1431 Dol pri Hrastniku, Slovenia; loft apartment in the third
floor of a building without an elevator.

Duration: 2-4 weeks

More Details

2022 was a busy year as we started to have events again in person following two years of hosting programmes online.

Our 4 year membership monitoring report was evaluated by the UNESCO Creative Cities Network during this year with the following comment:

“The main strength of Dublin lies in the fact that it has all the elements of a successful city of literature: a vibrant literary scene, a competent managerial office, a supportive city council, and a reservoir of creative ideas.”

This year we invited new partners from the literary sector to join the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Network to steer the city in the next few years with representatives from poetry and literary institutions, children’s books, theatre, publishing, libraries, academia and government. Together, we will create a new plan in 2023 with the aim to inspire people of all ages and cultures to embrace Dublin’s thriving literary scene.

Approximately €60,000 was granted to innovative literary projects from individuals and organisations under DUCoL’s Small Grant Scheme.

Grants were issued to new theatre writing & performance, climate action writing intiatives, Ulysses Centenary events and festivals such as Octocon.  Audiences certainly had plenty of choice with so many cultural programmers offering different strands and it was great to support some of these.

Every year we select a book from an author for the One Dublin One Book programme.   

Nora by Nuala O’Connor, a re-imagining of the relationship between James Joyce and his beloved wife, Nora Barnacle was the choice for this historic year.

“As a native Dubliner, Nuala commented, One Dublin One Book was a unique, wonderful opportunity to engage with library users and readers, all over my home city, in April 2022.”

300 attended the flagship event at St. Ann’s Church, Dawson street where Nuala was in conversation with RTE’s Paula Shields.

As life returned to normal this year after the pandemic, it was lovely to experience the range of events at both International Literature Festival Dublin in May and Dublin Book Festival in November with local and international authors  regaling readers.  We celebrated the lives and work of Eavan Boland and Thomas Kinsella, two iconic Dublin poets at the ILFD in May.  Pillars of the City was a special curated programme by Vincent Woods which included a panel of poets and artists complemented by readings from actors Barry McGovern, Jane Brennan and Stephen Rea.

In May, Alice Zeniter and Irish man Frank Wynne were presented with The Dublin Literary Award  by Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland for The Art of Losing. This family saga on migration was nominated by The Pompidou Centre library and shortlisted by an expert judging panel chaired by Prof. Chris Morash (TCD).  Nora and The Art of Losing were the most borrowed books throughout Irish libraries in 2022 illustrating that awards and campaigns do have an impact.

Every year the UNESCO Cities of literature meet together and this year the annual conference was held in Melbourne in early September to coincide with Melbourne Writers Festival. 22 cities met to discuss projects, share proposals on programmes, highlight concerns on under- represented areas of the world on the network, the war in Ukraine and countries with low human rights records. Meeting face to face after 2 years was a chance to get to know people in other countries who are at the heart of literature and ambitious for everyone to access it.

In October, the office supported 2 events highlighting a Ukrainian author, Victoria Amelina who is writing a diary on women looking at war. She was in conversation with the Chair of Irish Pen and author, Lia Mills at Smock Alley discussing her decision to stay in the Ukraine to support the war effort. Victoria also read one of her own stories to Ukrainian children and parents at Pearse Street Library as part of Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival.

In November, it was wonderful to participate in the Dublin Book Festival at Dublin Castle. This festival had a bumper number of events and a lively mix of discussions, interviews, music, trade day, professional courses and activities for children.  DUCoL supported 3 events and were happy to see 400 people over the few days during the festival with a large audience at Library Readers’ Morning where Niall McMonagle interviewed Sinead Crowley, Michelle Gallen, Damien Owens, and John Banville.

In the first quarter of 2023, we look forward to the longlist for the Dublin Literary Award, the annual UNESCO City of Literature lecture with Prof.Chris Morash and the launch of The Coroner’s Daughter by Andrew Hughes.

This is a city with plenty more stories to be told and we are excited to play a part.

We would like to thank all our partners during the year and all in the literary community for your continual engagement.

From all of us at Dublin UNESCO City of Literature, we hope you have a Happy Christmas and every good wish for 2023.

Anne-Marie Kelly

Director

Faith, Hope and Humour

The Raptures is Jan Carson’s most autobiographical novel, dealing with a child raised in an evangelical Christian community in 1990s Northern Ireland – which mirrors her own background.

In her book, a class of children from the same village fall prey to a mysterious and deadly epidemic. Only one pupil seems to be avoiding the effects of the disease: Hannah, a girl from a born-again Christian background.

“There is a lot of me in this book and for that reason it was both very easy to write because I know this world very well, there wasn’t a lot of research to do, but quite difficult to write – to go to the hard places,” Jan tells Martina Devlin in the latest City of Books podcast.

“It’s very easy to pastiche this world. It’s very easy to pastiche Protestant culture in the North full stop. It’s much more difficult to have a nuanced look at it.”

In her books, Jan gives readers a strong sense of the Protestant experience, especially for those from the ‘born again’ community.

“I grew up absolutely immersed in the King James Bible,” she says. “That is not a bad literary document to be immersed in as a writer. It’s got everything from poetry and prophecy to magical realism and beautiful, beautiful language. I’m very glad for those things.”

But she is not happy about other elements. “I was brought up in a community that thought politics was dirty…so we didn’t vote in our family. And I’m not particularly grateful for that.

“It’s an apolitical stance. We don’t go to the cinema – the cinema is worldly. We don’t get involved in politics because politics is of the world. You trust God to sort out those things.”

The Raptures by Jan Carson is published by Doubleday.

LISTEN HERE

Writer in the Park
Ljubljana UNESCO City of Literature International Literary Residency

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, was a World Book Capital in 2010. After being awarded a UNESCO City of Literature in 2015, it joined a growing world-wide network of cities and committed to actively promote literature, reading culture, and engage in activities that would strengthen the collaboration in the field of writing and publishing. 

Ljubljana bursts with a vibrant art scene and offers an array of diverse literary events from alternative performances to big international festivals. The highly regarded residency, established in 2018, offers peace and quiet for uninterrupted writing, yet it also offers the possibility to actively engage in the city’s literary life.

Note: Part of the application is a mandatory letter of recommendation, signed by an organization from your chosen City of Literature. A Google account is required for the file upload to work.

Deadline for submissions: January 7, 2023

Apply here: https://forms.gle/DHhLMDmaAx65Y1KN9

 
What
Ljubljana, a UNESCO City of Literature since 2015, offers two one-month residencies for writers at the Švicarija/Swisshouse Creative Centre, which is part of the International Centre of Graphic Arts.

When
One month per residency/applicant. Possible periods are as follows (dates cannot be changed, but a shorter stay is possible if necessary as a result of travel arrangements):
June 1–30, 2023
October 17 – November 17, 2023 

Who
The residency is aimed at foreign published writers with a palpable, factual relation with any of the other UNESCO Cities of Literature that has to be apparent and described as part of the application. This means the applicant was or has been living in one of the other cities of literature or is related to a city of literature through work. For reference, consult the list of eligible cities.

The applicant must have published at least one book of fiction (be it prose, poetry or drama) in their language. There are no restrictions regarding age, race, gender, nationality or other personal/aesthetic preferences. Though writers of all genres are currently welcome to apply, a specific focus might be chosen for calls in the following years.

What we offer
Each resident will get a sum amount of the grant and travel expenses of €1000 gross in total (details regarding potential wire-transfer charges and other expenses can be found in the contract that can be sent to the applicant upon request). Each resident will stay in their own, separate and fully equipped apartment with a kitchenette at Švicarija, along with other artists-residents, artists, and exhibitions hosted at the premises.

More Details