The organizers of Writers’ Week have just announced its schedule of literary workshops and competitions and workshops for 2008 to take place in Listowel.

Workshops:

. short fiction

. writing (getting started)

. writing (advanced)

. writing a novel

. popular fiction

. poetry (getting started)

. poetry (advanced)

. writing for theatre

. writing for screen

. song writing

. thriller

. freelance journalism

. memoir

. writing funny

Competitions:

. kerry group irish fiction award

. bryan macmahon short story

. duais foras na gaeilge

. eamon keane full length play

. writers’ week originals

. writing in prisons

. single poem

. collection of poems

. “original writing” memoir

. irish post/stena line new writing

. creative writing for youth

. tell your story

Total prize funds exceed €30,000. The prize fund for the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award has increased to €15,000 for a published Irish novel; there’s also the Bryan MacMahon short story Award, Duais Foras Na Gaeilge, Kerry County council creative writing for youth, as well as prizes for original memoir, play, storytelling and poetry.

Writers’ Week, which takes place from May 28 to June 1, and the workshops will be hosted by well known figures from the Irish Literary scene includingauthors Carlo Gebler, Niall Williams, Billy Roche and John F Deane, writing poetry with Nuala Ni Dhomhnaill and John McAuliffe, screen writing with Eugene O’Brien, writing funny with Gerry Stembridge, memoir writing with Brian Dillon, crime writing with Glenn Meade and popular fiction with Denise Deegan.

As always, Listowel will lay on the glamour for a glittering line-up of distinguished writers among them Seamus Heaney, John Banville, Anne Enright, Per Petterson, Hugo Hamilton, John Boyne and Diarmaid Ferriter.

More details from the organizers of Writers Week.

In his own words: ‘…my story nights are about a man closing his bar for the last time as he remembers old times and funny events that happened in the bar over the years since his father left him the bar. It is a sad story full of comedy and most people are too busy laughing most of the time to notice how sad it really is … generally i find to my amazement that young and old are caught up in the story from the start—-it is has its fair share of sayings, songs and jokes to keep everyone happy and even though it is billed as a night of storytelling, it is more like a one man irish theatre play.

…Pa also entertains with music and tell jokes at the end of the night “to make sure that people get a bit of everything.” Contact Pa by email: teatheatre@hotmail.com

For those interested in more venues and and storytelling events visit or contact the Seanchaí Literary Centre in Listowel, Kerry (+353 68 22212) where they offer workshops and other resources and events for aspiring writers and lovers of the spoken word.