9 minute read
Arts
The Art of Reading
The Arts Council is delighted with the appointment of Enniscorthy’s Colm Tóibín as the Laureate for Irish Fiction 2022-2024. His three-year term began last month. In partnership with Libraries Ireland, the new Laureate is presenting The Art of Reading, a monthly book club for library book clubs across the country and it is offered as an online event for readers on the last Thursday of every month. Over the course of the year, Colm will discuss a selection of titles by Irish writers, highlighting outstanding Irish writing and celebrating the reader and book clubs. In some cases, the Laureate will be joined by the featured writer in conversation about their book. The first online book club event was made available for streaming on 24th February. In that event Colm was in conversation with Claire Keegan about her recent book Small Things Like These.
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Colm Tóibín
Readers, book lovers and book clubs everywhere are invited to join in the Art of Reading with the Laureate, to read these outstanding books and tune in every month for the discussion. Sign up for The Art of Reading Book Club monthly events via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LaureateIrishFiction/?ref=page_internal More details about these and other Laureate events and activities can be found on the Arts Council’s website, https://www.artscouncil.ie/laureate/ n
The Wexford Bohemian is a journal of writing, art and culture published out of Red Books, St Peter's Square, Slippery Green, Wexford.
The first issue was launched in August 2020. This 90page collection of 37 local writers and artists sold out within 24 hours. The second edition was a huge success also containing the work of 74 local creatives.
A third edition of Wexford Bohemian is in the pipeline and is now open for submissions until 1st April 2022. Make sure to send your essays, poetry, short stories, reviews and anything else (within 30 lines/1,500 words) to wexfordbohemian@gmail.com before 1st April. It is hoped to publish the new edition by the end of April. n
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Enniscorthy Library
A foretaste of Wexford Literary Festival 2022
Wexford Literary Festival is delighted to announce that things are beginning to hot up for this year’s Festival weekend from 1st – 3rd July. The hard-working Festival Committee are busy putting together a comprehensive, all embracing, wide ranging, Programme of Events incorporating the many forms of literature – Poetry, Prose, Drama, Film, Visual Art, and Spoken Word.
This year the Festival will be a Room & Zoom event, allowing viewing and participation from right around the world. The Festival Committee is also developing and expanding literary links begun in 2021 with writers and poets in Savannah, Newfoundland, and Wales, further enhancing our international status and appeal.
This year’s Festival’s theme, a century from the formation of the State, is historical, and our innovative Committee plan to incorporate the historic events of one hundred years ago into our Festival weekend.
The Battle of Enniscorthy, between the Free State garrison at Enniscorthy Castle and Anti Treaty snipers at St. Mary’s Church and the Courthouse, raged for four days on the streets of the town from 1st – 4th July, exactly coinciding with our 2022 Festival. We are currently engaged with developing a programme telling Enniscorthy’s story and the part it played in the birth of the Nation, through literature, visual art, and drama.
So, watch this space for further details of this exciting concept. Our 2022 Programme will also include events at the Wexford Arts Centre and Red Books, Wexford, and our annual Children’s Bookmark Competition kindly sponsored by Eason of Enniscorthy. Over the coming weeks and months, we will have details of the myriad of events planned for WLF 2022 but in the meantime, we are inviting submissions for all of our prestigious competitions:
n The Colm Tóibín Short Story Award, n The Anthony Cronin Poetry Award, n The Eoin Colfer Children’s Short
Story Award, n The Billy Roche One Act Play Award n Meet The Publisher Event.
This is an excellent opportunity for all you Scribblers out there to dust off that manuscript, or half-finished manuscript, that has been lying in the shoebox under the bed, or on top of the wardrobe and book a slot with the wonderful Paula Campbell of Poolbeg Press –who knows you could be the next Colm Tóibín, Eoin Colfer or Billy Roche.
Maria Nolan, Secretary, Wexford Literary Festival
So, get those entries into us now to be in with a chance to be among our 2022 award winners – details on our website www.wexfordliteraryfestival.com
– Maria Nolan
Major bursary award for Eoghan
Eoghan Rua Finn
Wexford County Council, in partnership with Wexford Arts Centre, is delighted to announce Eoghan Rua Finn as the recipient of the Wexford Playwright Commission Award themed around commemoration of the period 1916-23. This award provides a €10,000 bursary to the playwright to research and develop a new theatre work, addressing themes of commemoration of the period 1916–23. This commission forms part of Wexford County Council’s Decade of Centenaries Programme (2012–2023) and is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under their Community Strand. The aim of this new work is to respond, with sensitivity, to the historical context of the revolutionary period in County Wexford and to promote a deeper understanding of the significant historical events of one hundred years ago. The new work will encourage reflection today about the multiple identities, traditions and perspectives that are part of the overall Irish historical experience. Eoghan Rua Finn was chosen as the recipient of the award from an open call attracting a significant number of very strong submissions.
Over the year, Eoghan will further research and develop his script in relation to historical context of the period in County Wexford and will have full access to Wexford County Council Library and Archives with their extensive digital archives relating to this period. In addition, Eoghan will have access to work produced by Barry Lacey, Wexford Public Library Service’s Historian in Residence, during this commemoration period. Eoghan’s script will also receive further development support from Ben Barnes, former Abbey Theatre Director and Director of Four Rivers production company, leading towards a workshop reading by end of year and a full production to be produced in 2023 in association with Wexford Arts Centre and Wexford County Council. n
Wexford Libraries App
Wexford County Council Public Library Service now has its own Library App. The Library App is user-friendly, so you can discover new experiences, online content, and so much more, quickly and easily. Access your library 24/7. Online resources include eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, eNewspapers, eComics & Graphic Novels, music, take eLearning or language courses, business, education and research databases and more.
The new app offers access to the library catalogue and to the library user's account, so you can reserve and renew items from anywhere once you have internet access. Families with numerous cards can keep the entire family’s account details in one place, with loans and requests for everyone available at a glance. The online library and library social media platforms, news and the library events calendar are available in one place. eBooks, audiobooks, music, magazines, courses as well as other resources can be downloaded directly to your device. Using the app, it is easy to find your nearest library, with directions via Google Maps along with opening hours and contact details.
The app is contactless, safe and hygienic. It allows library members to simply tap the item they wish to borrow with their smartphone and the item details are registered to their account. The Library App is available on both Google Play and the Apple Store, just search for 'Wexford Libraries' and download for free. You can also find the app by visiting http://www.yourlibraryapp.com/WexfordLibrary n
with Maria Nolan
Book Review: Meet Me in Monaco:
The book I am reviewing this month is a beautiful novel written by my friend Hazel Gaynor, who has joined us here in Enniscorthy on many occasions at the Wexford Literary Festival, and her co-author Heather Webb.
I am a huge fan of Hazel’s historical novels, and as soon as I saw the cover of Meet Me in Monaco and read the blurb I was hooked.
Set in the 1950s, on the exotic Cote d’Azur, against the backdrop of a real life fairytale, the whirlwind romance and glamorous marriage of American actress Grace Kelly to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
What’s not to like, sounds like my kinda book so far – pure escapism, travel, history, and romance, all bound together in very pretty packaging.
In 1955, actress Grace Kelly attends the Cannes Film Festival. In a desperate effort to escape a rather persistent British photographer, she slips into a perfume boutique owned by the lovely Sophie Duval.
Grace and Sophie strike up a relationship over the bond of perfume and later when Grace falls in love with the debonair Prince Rainier, she requests Sophie Duval to create a scent for her wedding day, which of course will be the making of Grasse perfumery, as every female on the planet will want to wear the same scent as the elegant actress turned Princess.
Meanwhile, the persistent London photographer James Henderson falls for the French perfume maker, but already having, albeit, an estranged wife, returns to London to be with a dying friend and to be close to the daughter he loves dearly.
However, the lovely Grace Kelly unintentionally brings both Sophie and Henderson together again, when he is commissioned by his paper to travel on the S.S. Constitution from New York to Monaco to cover the wedding the whole world is talking about.
Two epic romances in one novel, sprinkled with all the glitz and glamour of the silver screen.
I simply loved the way the authors weaved the magic of French perfume making into the wonderful love story that captured the imagination of the entire world, instead of the Princess and the Frog it was the Prince and the American actress, made for Hollywood.
For any of you who were fans of Grace Kelly, as I was, this book is a must read and for those of you too young to remember her, it gives an inspired glimpse into one of Hollywood’s most famous and favourite actresses.
A lovely book, eloquently written and an easy and enjoyable read, one I have no hesitation in recommending.
Hazel Gaynor
