Work in a public library and for a local publishing house - Guildhall Press * Derry - as well as write/perform own poetry; pen book reviews; enjoy a pint; smoke and walk the dog. Currently working on a book anthology, to be published later this year called Wonderful World of Worders involving short story writers from all over the world. Also run the monthly BBC RaW Poetry Place (open poetry readings & discussion night) held at the Central Library, Derry, and coordinated the WELB & BBC Breathing Places Poet-Tree Competition at the recent Springwatch Festival in June. Co-facilitator of Telling Tales: Story-Making & Story Sharing workshops with parents and toddlers in the local community.
*Recently compiled & published an anthology of work (as both book and CD in 2006) involving over 55 women (in poetry, fiction, music, art, photography, ceramics, drama & dance) from the North-West of Ireland. Collectively called the EVE Project, it has also grown into live poetry readings/performances with live music and exhibitions of the artwork and photography having toured the public libraries in the area.
EVE... a Celebration of Creative Women
Book: ISBN: 0946451915 £12.95 CD: 0946451923 £7.95
Part of the poetry performance group - Poetry Chicks - with Abby Oliveira & Pamela Brown, formed early 2006, having performed throughout the North of Ireland and recently at the launch of the latest issue of Citizen32 'Class' in Manchester as part of the May Day Celebrations.
Some live recordings can also be found on the PoetCasting site and a recent interview in the Belfast News Letter .
We are also partners of ACE: Artists in Creative Enterprise - Promoting the Written & Verbal Arts Worldwide having conducted creative writing workshops throughout Ulster and in Manchester with over 600+ primary and secondary-level school children.We recently performed at the OUT TO LUNCH Festival of Music, Theatre, Comedy & Literature in the Black Box, Belfast. (Read the REVIEW ).The accompanying book, AlphabeTitudeZ: Loose Letters , supported by Guildhall Press , is available to purchase for £5:
Was part of the Belfast Poets on-line writing group, who can be found here . Was one of the lucky seven to tour Australia this past August & September, and who, as a collective, called the Belfast Poets Tour Group , performed/read our own work at Poetry Festivals in Melbourne, Darwin, Brisbane, Cairns, Perth, Fremantle & Sydney and who recently toured Ireland. Chapbook available for £3/€5.
Also known as PenJen from the GW , MW and WD on-line writing communities - Aye, finally made it to My Space. Gawd help us...
Have had various work (poetry, articles, comment pieces, reviews etc) published in the following newspapers & magazines (as well as on BBC Radio Foyle & Radio Ulster):
the BBC GW Unoffical Tribute Anthology (Vol 1, 3 & 5); the Belfast News Letter; the Belfast Telegraph; Citizen (N Ire); Citizen32 (Manchester); the Derry Journal; the Derry News; Eve (Dublin); the Evening Herald (Dublin); Fingerpost (Derry); the Foyle News (Derry); Hot Press (Dublin); the (former) Irish Press; the Irish Times; Loreto Lore (N Ire); Magh Bhaile (Donegal); the Mourne Observer (third prize in the the Co Down Writers' Network Poetry Comp 2007); the Orbit (Dublin); Rag Order (Dublin); Sigla (Dublin); Speech Therapy (N Ire); Unquiet Desperation (UK); Verbal (N Ire); Witsnapper (London) and Young Writers (N Ire).
Books include:
AlphabeTitudeZ (Guildhall Press, 2007) Poetry Chicks poetry; Dock Leaves & Nettle Stings (Writers' Dock, 2007) two poems; EVE... a Celebration of Creative Women (Guildhall Press, 2006) project co-ordinator; Sailing On A Dream (Writers' Dock, 2006) two non-fiction pieces; Bad Christmas (Severnix Publishing, 2006) non-fiction piece; Irish Almanac & Yearbook of Facts (ArtCam Publishing, 1998-99) writer & researcher; Foyle Fisheries Commission by Alex Carlin (Guildhall Press, 1996) editor; and That Land Beyond (Guildhall Press, 1993) co-author.
Guildhall Press is currently running a Writers' Challenge . Feel free to check it out!