MUNSTER LITERATURE CENTRE
IONAD LITRÍOCHTA an DEISCIRT

MLC books

Welcome to the Munster

Literature Centre

Founded in 1993, the Munster Literature Centre (Ionad Litríochta an Deiscirt) is a non-profit arts organisation dedicated to the promotion and celebration of literature, especially that of Munster. To this end, we organise festivals, workshops, readings and competitions. Our publishing section, Southword Editions, publishes a biannual journal, poetry collections and short stories. We actively seek to support new and emerging writers and are assisted in our efforts through funding from Cork City Council, Cork County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland.

Originally located in Sullivan's Quay, the centre moved to its current premises in the Frank O'Connor House (the author's birthplace) at 84 Douglas Street, in 2003.

In 2000, the Munster Literature Centre organised the first Frank O'Connor International Short Story Festival, an event dedicated to the celebration of the short story and named for one of Cork's most beloved authors. The festival showcases readings, literary forums and workshops. Following continued growth and additional funding, the Cork City - Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award was introduced in 2005, coinciding with Cork's designation as that year's European Capital of Culture. The award is now recognised as the single biggest prize for a short story collection in the world and is presented at the end of the festival.

In 2002, the Munster Literature Centre introduced the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize, an annual short story competition dedicated to one of Ireland's most accomplished story writers and theorists. This too is presented during the FOC festival. The centre also hosts the Cork Spring Literary Festival each year.

Workshops are held by featured authors in both autumn and spring, allowing the general public to receive creative guidance in an intimate setting for a minimal fee. In addition, the centre sponsors a Writer in Residence each year.

We invite you to browse our website for further information regarding our events, Munster literature, and other literary information. Should you have any queries, we would be happy to hear from you.

LITERARY LINKS

Blogs

Consultancy Services

Writing Courses

Writing Competitions

Competition listings websites

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Blogs

Anti-Laureate of the People's Republic of Cork (Cork, Ireland)--by Munster Literature Centre Director Patrick Cotter

Billy Ramsell (Cork, Ireland)--by the author of Complicated Pleasures

Quillfyre (Canada)--Written by a poet and member of the League of Canadian Poets published in Ottawa journals and online.

Tania Writes (UK)--By UK writer Tania Hershman, who is also a previous editor of Southword Journal and a longlistee in the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award

Women Rule Writer (Ireland)--By poet and writer Nuala Ní Chonchúir, who is also a previous editor of Southword Journal and a longlistee in the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award.

Consultancy Services

Dave Lordan

Writing Consultancy Service

Now offering manuscript appraisal, editing, and proofreading services for writers at any stage of their career who are working on a book project and/or cannot commit to regular class attendance. Please contact me for further details if you would like honest, constructive and professional feedback on your work. Rates are very reasonable.

Contact:

Ring: 087 092 1117, email: dlordan@hotmail.com , or visit: www.davelordanwriter.com.

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Poetry Courses online with Hennessy-winning poet Afric McGlinchey

*One-to-one tuition
*Levels: beginners, intermediate & advanced

More details: www.africmcglinchey.com

Afric McGlinchey’s début collection, The Lucky Star of Hidden Things, was published by Salmon in May 2012, and evokes her upbringing in Africa. Her poems have been published in Moth, the SHOp, Poetry Ireland Review, Magma, Acumen and numerous other journals. She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize (2011), was selected to read at the Cork Spring Festival (2012), and has been highly commended for several poetry prizes, including the Magma poetry award (2012) and the Dromineer poetry award (2011). She won the Hennessy Emerging Poetry Award in 2011. Afric lives in West Cork.

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James Harpur Workshops

James Harpur

On the Right Lines

Writing Courses and Tutoring

Award-winning poet, translator and editor James Harpur is offering online poetry courses. They will be designed for beginner and advanced writers and include integrated modules on themes, form, reading and writing. He is also offering a tutorial service for poets and short story writers. For more information visit James’s website here.

Writing Courses

Creative Writing Ink

Cork-based company Creative Writing Ink offers online creative writing classes to writers around the world together with editing and critique services. Our courses include beginners, intermediate and advanced creative writing, poetry, screenwriting, writing for teenagers, writing for children and blogging.

Online courses are through email correspondence, so participants just need internet access. They will also receive weekly feedback on their work from their tutor. There is an editing service for anyone who would like feedback from an experienced editor. Interested parties can sign up to a free montlhy email newsletter which includes the latest publishing news, writing competitions and updates on freelance writing markets. You can sign up at www.creativewriting.ie

For further information, please visit www.creativewriting.ie, email info(AT)creativewriting(DOT)ie or call 087-2028310.

Writing Competitions

Bridport Prize

International Writing Competition for Short Story, Poetry and Flash Fiction

Poetry judge: Wendy Cope
Short Story judge: Michèle Roberts
Flash Fiction judge: David Swann

Closing date: 31st May 2013

Entry fees: £6 per flash fiction, £7 per poem, £8 per short story

Prizes: For each of the Short Story and Poetry sections:
1st prize £5,000, 2nd prize £1,000, 3rd prize £500
+ 10 highly commended prizes of £50 each

Flash Fiction:
1st prize £1,000, 2nd prize £500, 3rd prize £250
+ 3 highly commended prizes of £25 each
The Dorset Award of £100 for the best local winner or runner-up

All winning entries published in anthology

Entry forms from: Frances Everitt
SAE required Competition Administrator
The Bridport Prize
PO Box 6910
Bridport
Dorset DT6 9BQ

or enter online: www.bridportprize.org.uk

Competition Listings Websites

Ascent Aspirations

Canadian Authors Association--Ottawa

Competitions For Writers (Australia)

Just a Contest (USA & Canada)

Kudos Writing Competitions: Formerly Competitions Bulletin, these listings are a convenient, up-to-date and accurate means (every item double checked - where possible) to make use of all the information you need to know, allegedly: current UK writing competitions plus an increasing number of overseas contests. Also includes news items and information about markets, outlets and opportunities for all kinds of writing.

The Pulse (New Zealand)

Writers Reign (UK)

Writing Workshops
at the MLC