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SUMMARY:Space to Write\, Flowerfield Arts Centre\, Portstewart
DESCRIPTION:Are you a writer who’d like to meet up with other writers in the Causeway Coast & Glens area and have some time out to work in a new environment? \nSpace to Write is a free initiative through which we hope you will\, literally\, find the space and time to write. Flowerfield Arts Centre is offering writers a specific time that they can come together to network/meet and work on their writing in quieter spots in the centre – from the galleries to our reception café area to our ground floor corridor. \nWriters are invited to gather\, find a comfortable space in the arts centre and write quietly for an hour\, after which time we will meet in the café area for a cuppa and a chat before heading home. \nPlease note\, this isn’t a creative writing workshop. It offers space for individual writers to meet and network at a specific time each week and have some creative space. You may be a first-time or a published writer. You may be a writer working in any genre. You may like to take inspiration from the exhibitions in the galleries at Flowerfield\, or to continue with a work-in-progress. There will be no exercises or prompts offered\, no sharing of work or feedback given. This is quite simply an invitation to turn up and write\, and to make and renew connections with like-minded individuals in an atmosphere that is social and supportive. \nSpace to Write resumes at Flowerfield\, after a short break for essential maintenance work on the building\,  on Thursday 23rd June from 7-8.30pm and thereafter until the end of November. \nThere is no cost – we just want you to hang out and be inspired! Register by emailing info@flowerfield.org.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/space-to-write-flowerfield-arts-centre-portstewart/
LOCATION:Flowerfield Arts Centre\, 185 Coleraine Road\, PORTSTEWART\, Northern Ireland\, BT55 7HU\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20220928T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20230607T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20210625T145727Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220909T121758Z
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SUMMARY:Reading Round at Coleraine Library
DESCRIPTION:What is a Reading Round group?  \nReading Round is a unique type of reading group that differs in a number of ways from traditional-style book groups. Each group is run by a published author who has worked for at least two years in the Royal Literary Fund’s Fellowship scheme. Reading Round is funded by the Royal Literary Fund and is free for members to join. \nWhere and When will it happen? \nThe Reading Round group will meet in the Meeting Room at Coleraine Library starting again in September 2022. Provisional dates (28th September 2022 through to 7th June 2023) to be confirmed. \nWhat’s involved? \nEach week the group listens to a different piece\, or pieces\, of writing read aloud by the Group Lector. The piece might be a story or a poem though it might also be a speech\, memoir or piece of narrative non-fiction. The group then discusses the piece(s) at some length to really try to get under the skin of the text: What effects does it have on us as we read? How does it achieve those effects? Guided by a Lector\, the group considers the text in detail\, looking at tone\, choice of words\, viewpoint\, the effect of a certain image or turn of phrase\, and so on. There is no extra reading or ‘homework’ to be done either before or after the sessions. No prior knowledge of the texts is necessary\, or even desirable. All that is required of participants is a willingness to listen\, discuss and be open to new ideas. \nWho will lead the group? \nBernie McGill is the Lector for Reading Round at Coleraine Library. She was Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at Queen’s University\, Belfast from 2018 – 2020. Her published work includes novels The Butterfly Cabinet  and The Watch House and the short story collection Sleepwalkers. Her new short story collection This Train is For was published by No Alibis Press in June 2022. \nWhy Reading Round? \nThe broad aim of a Reading Round group is to familiarise its members with some excellent and inspiring writing and – for those who are already keen readers – to introduce them to a wider range of literature than they might have discovered alone. Alongside this aim\, it is hoped that attendance at a Reading Round group will help develop members’ critical thinking skills. As the weeks go by\, group members may well find their reading habits changing: they will almost certainly find themselves noticing more; appreciating why the text has been written as it has; perhaps also becoming aware of how the writer of the text is manipulating their readers. The goal is not to agree or to arrive at a definitive reading of the text under discussion; it is to gain a deeper understanding. For many participants\, the group may also provide a valuable opportunity to meet with other readers in a friendly\, stimulating and relaxed environment. To get a full sense of what it is like to be a Reading Round member\, watch the video on the Royal Literary Fund website: https://www.rlf.org.uk/education/reading-round/ \nHow do I join? \nReading Round is free to join and is for anyone who lives within a comfortable travelling distance of Coleraine Library and who is aged 16+. We are looking for participants from a broad range of backgrounds. We do ask that you can commit to the 30 weeks of weekly meetings. There is a limited number of places\, after which names will be added to a waiting list. To book your place\, please email Bernie McGill at bernie.mcgill@rlfeducation.org.uk and tell us where you heard about Reading Round and why it appeals to you.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/reading-round-at-coleraine-library/
LOCATION:Coleraine Library\, Queen Street\, Coleraine\, BT52 1BE\, United Kingdom
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ORGANIZER;CN="Royal Literary Fund":MAILTO:bernie.mcgill@rlfeducation.org.uk
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20230225T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20230225T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20230125T192945Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230125T192945Z
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SUMMARY:Flex Your Writing Muscles
DESCRIPTION:Have you always wanted to write but didn’t know where to start? Or have you been writing for a while and find yourself in need of a little creative workout? This workshop\, led by author Bernie McGill\, aims to flex your writing muscles through exercises\, prompts and suggestions that will help to strengthen your writing practice and develop your work in a new direction. \nAll levels of experience welcome\, from seasoned writers to first-timers\, poets and fiction writers alike. The workshop will be fully participative with participants taking part in writing exercises and sharing their work with other group members. Come with writing materials\, prepared to write. \nThere will be a short break for lunch (please bring your own). \nSuitable for 16y + \nBernie McGill is the author of two novels: The Watch House (nominated for the Ireland European Prize for Literature in 2019) and The Butterfly Cabinet (named by Julian Fellowes as his novel of the year in 2012). Her collection of short stories\, Sleepwalkers\, was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize in 2014. Her new collection\, This Train is For was published by No Alibis Press in 2022. \nBook for this workshop on the Burnavon website.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/flex-your-writing-muscles/
LOCATION:Burnavon Arts & Cultural Centre\, Burn Road\, Cookstown\, BT80 8DN\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20230724T144500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20230727T164500
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20230702T104653Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230702T132223Z
UID:2586-1690209900-1690476300@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Focus on Short Fiction with Bernie McGill at the John Hewitt International Summer School 2023
DESCRIPTION:A hands-on\, fully participative writing workout that allows you to explore the writing of short fiction\, to consider where your strengths as a writer lie and who you’re writing for. Wherever you are on your writing journey\, from beginners who are not sure how to proceed\, to more experienced writers open to new ways of working\, this course will offer exercises and prompts that will help to develop your work in new directions\, within a community of fellow writers. Come with an open mind\, prepared to write. \nBernie McGill is the author of two novels (The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet) and two short story collections (This Train is For and Sleepwalkers). Her work has been widely anthologised and has been produced by BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. She is an Associate Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund. \nThese workshops at the John Hewitt International Summer School in the Market Place Theatre\, Armagh\, run on Monday 24th\, Tuesday 25th & Thursday 27th July 2023 from 2.45pm – 4.45pm. Participants should attend all three workshop sessions. Spaces are limited – advance booking is essential. Book this workshop at the Market Place Theatre Box Office. \nFull information on events and workshops at the 2023 John Hewitt International Summer School here.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/focus-on-short-fiction-with-bernie-mcgill-at-the-john-hewitt-international-summer-school-2023/
LOCATION:Market Place Theatre\, Armagh\, Market Street\, Armagh\, Armagh\, BT61 7BW\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230920
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240121
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20231211T171906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T155747Z
UID:2640-1695168000-1705795199@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:This Train is For by Bernie McGill is shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize
DESCRIPTION:This Train is For by Bernie McGill\, published by No Alibis Press\, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Edge Hill Prize\, awarded annually by Edge Hill University for excellence in a published single authored short story collection. This is the second time that Bernie’s work has been shortlisted: her first collection Sleepwalkers was shortlisted in 2014. \nThis year the judges for the prize are Lucy Luck (Agent with CWA)\, last year’s winner Saba Sams\, and Edge Hill University lecturer and short story writer Andrea Ashworth. They will decide the winner between these wonderful shortlisted collections. Follow the links for interviews with the authors: \n\nTotal by Rebecca Miller (Canongate)\nLove in the Time of Chaos by Rosemary Jenkinson (Arlen House)\nCat Brushing & Other Stories by Jane Campbell (Riverrun)\nAnimals at Night by Naomi Booth (Dead Ink Books)\nThis Train is for… by Bernie McGill (No Alibis Press)\n\nThe literary world\, particularly fiction\, has long been dominated by the novel. To recognise the acceleration of what was once an overlooked art form\, Professor Ailsa Cox (the world’s only Professor of Short Fiction) founded the Edge Hill Short Story Prize in 2006\, highlighting the intricate craftsmanship of short story writing. The Prize remains unique as the only annually presented award that recognises excellence in a published\, single-authored collection of short stories in the UK and Ireland. \nNow in its 17th Year\, the prize money currently stands at £10\,000 and is judged by a selected panel of literary experts. An additional prize of £1\,000 is awarded for the ‘Reader’s Choice’\, traditionally judged by Edge Hill University BA (Hons) Creative Writing students. An additional category worth £500 acknowledges rising talents on the University’s MA Creative Writing course. \nPrevious years’ winners have been Colm Tóibín\, Claire Keegan\, Chris Beckett\, Jeremy Dyson\, Graham Mort\, Sarah Hall\, John Burnside\, Kirsty Gunn\, Jessie Greengrass\, Daisy Johnson\, Tessa Hadley\, David Szalay\, Shelley Day\, Kevin Barry and last year’s winner Saba Sams. \nThe winner will be announced at an event in the London Review Bookshop on 19th January 2024\, 6.3opm – 8.30pm. Spaces are limited but if you’d like to come and hear the writers read from their shortlisted collections please RSVP asap to Lyndsey Skeaping: 25201158@edgehill.ac.uk.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/this-train-is-for-by-bernie-mcgill-is-shortlisted-for-the-edge-hill-prize/
LOCATION:London Review Bookshop\, 14-16 Bury Place\, London\, WC1A 2JL\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20231112T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20231112T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20231105T164916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231107T172932Z
UID:2622-1699785000-1699794000@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:FREE Writing and Walking Workshop at Artlink Fort Dunree\, Buncrana\, Co. Donegal
DESCRIPTION:10.30am-1pm Sunday 12th November 2023\nJoin writer Bernie McGill for a writing workshop that takes inspiration from the history and natural environment of the site at Fort Dunree that overlooks Lough Swilly and the North Atlantic. This workshop will offer prompts and writing exercises to initiate ideas and will use as inspiration the works-in-progress in the Saldanha Gallery\, created by the artists and makers who have been working in response to the Sea Change project. We will also use as inspiration the work of writers from across these islands who have written in response to the sea. Participants will have the opportunity (weather permitting) to explore the site and to write in response to their surroundings at Fort Dunree. Dress for the weather and in comfortable walking shoes and bring writing materials\, preferably a hardback notebook (or equivalent) for note-taking outdoors. \nThis is a free workshop but numbers are limited. To book email info@artlink.ie \nInitiated through partnership work with ARTLINK Fort Dunree during 2023\, Sea Change offered three Causeway-based artists and three Donegal-based artists the unique opportunity to work collaboratively to explore our shared cultural heritage of living and working along this stunning island coastline – from the creative inspiration it provides to artists\, to our maritime heritage and also the current environmental crisis and its impact on coastal communities. \nSea Change is a long-term project which we hope will ultimately result in an ambitious touring exhibition potentially involving three venues/organisations on the island of Ireland – Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre\, Artlink and a venue yet to be identified. \nIn this pilot four-month project\, all six artists met on-site at Artlink Fort Dunree to discuss their individual practice\, discover mutual creative connections and influences and also collaborated through various mediums including technology and postal artwork/writings. \nFrom 8-15 November\, the group present elements of their ongoing project work at Artlink with a day of public participation on Sunday 12 November. \nFor full details of the Sea Change Project Showcase featuring artists Cliodhna Timoney\, Nicola Nimec\, Cathal McGinley\, Andrea Spencer and Tim Stampton follow this link to ARTLINK Fort Dunree. \n 
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/free-writing-and-walking-workshop-at-artlink-fort-dunree-buncrana-co-donegal/
LOCATION:Artlink Fort Dunree\, Fort Dunree\, Buncrana\, Co. Donegal\, F93 C424\, Ireland
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ORGANIZER;CN="Artlink Fort Dunree":MAILTO:info@artlink.ie
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20231125T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20231125T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20230805T192456Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231015T164706Z
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SUMMARY:(SOLD OUT) Between the Lights: Writing Workshop with Bernie McGill at Seamus Heaney HomePlace\, Bellaghy
DESCRIPTION:The Celtic festival of Samhain traditionally marks the end of the lighter half and the beginning of the darker half of the year. It was believed that at this time\, the division between this world and the otherworld was at its thinnest\, allowing spirits to pass through. As we head into the darker weeks of the year you are invited to join us for a half-day writing workshop around the theme of passing between the lights. \nThis will be a practical workshop on the everyday craft of writing with the aim of sparking ideas for new work. Open to all from experienced writers to first-timers\, poets and prosers alike. Come with writing materials\, prepared to write. \nBernie McGill’s latest publication is the short story collection This Train is For\, long listed in July 2023 for the prestigious Edge Hill Prize\, published by and available from No Alibis Press. \nBernie is author of The Butterfly Cabinet\, The Watch House and the short story collection Sleepwalkers (shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize in 2014). She is an experienced facilitator and mentor and an Associate Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund. \nBook this workshop on the Seamus Heaney HomePlace website* \nFull programme of events at Seamus Heaney HomePlace\, Autumn/Winter 2023. \n*Please note this workshop is now sold out but you may add your name to the waiting list.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/between-the-lights-writing-workshop-with-bernie-mcgill-at-seamus-heaney-homeplace-bellaghy/
LOCATION:Seamus Heaney HomePlace\, 45 Main Street\, Bellaghy\, BT45 8HT\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20231213T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20231213T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20231128T181448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231128T181448Z
UID:2636-1702472400-1702476000@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Michelle Gallen in Conversation with Bernie McGill
DESCRIPTION:The critically acclaimed author of Big Girl\, Small Town and Factory Girls\, Michelle Gallen\, joins us at The Linen Hall Library for an insightful conversation with Bernie McGill about her work. Fresh from her well-deserved Comedy Women in Print prize\, Michelle will delve into how her characters’ narratives are intricately shaped by her deep connection to place\, rural life\, Northern Ireland politics\, and her unique life experiences. \nCopies of the book will be available to buy on the evening of this event. \n\nABOUT MICHELLE GALLEN\nMichelle Gallen was born in Northern Ireland in the mid-1970s and grew up during the Troubles a few miles from the border between what she was told was the “Free” State and the “United” Kingdom. She studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin\, then survived what doctors now suspect was autoimmune encephalitis in her mid-twenties. Her debut novel\, Big Girl\, Small Town was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award. Her critically acclaimed second novel\, Factory Girls\, was published in 2022. She now lives in Dublin with her husband and kids. \nAbout Bernie McGill \nBernie McGill is the author of two novels: The Watch House (nominated for the Ireland European Union Prize for Literature in 2019) and The Butterfly Cabinet (named by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes as his novel of the year in 2012). Her most recent short story collection\, This Train is For\, was published in 2022 by No Alibis Press and has just been shortlisted for the prestigious Edge Hill Prize. Her first collection of stories\, Sleepwalkers\, was shortlisted for the prize in 2014 and she is a former winner of the Zoetrope:All-Story Short Fiction Award in the US. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies The Black Dreams\, Her Other Language\, Belfast Stories\, The Long Gaze Back\, The Glass Shore and Female Lines. \nBook tickets at the Linen Hall Library.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/michelle-gallen-in-conversation-with-bernie-mcgill/
LOCATION:Linen Hall Library\, Belfast\, 17 Donegall Square North\, Belfast\, BT1 5GB\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20240119T233000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250119T233000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20240126T155634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T155634Z
UID:2660-1705707000-1737329400@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:This Train is For by Bernie McGill wins the 2023 Edge Hill Short Story Prize
DESCRIPTION:This year’s winner of the Edge Hill Short Story Prize  is Bernie McGill with her short story collection This Train is For\,  published by  No Alibis Press. \nNow in its 17th year\, The Edge Hill Prize is the only annual UK-based award to  recognise  excellence in a single-authored short story collection\, with a first prize of £10\,000. \nBernie McGill is the author of two novels\, The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House\, and two collections of short stories\, Sleepwalkers and the Edge Hill prize-winner This Train is For (No Alibis Press). \nThe judges for this year’s prize were the winner of last year’s award Saba Sams; Lucy Luck\, agent at C&W Agency\, and short story writer and Edge Hill creative writing lecturer Andrea Ashworth. \nThe winner received her award at a ceremony at the London Review Bookshop in Bloomsbury. She said: “It’s such an honour to have won the Edge Hill Prize. I’ve been reading the winning collections for years. I’m a huge fan of the short story\, as both a reader and as a writer. When working on the longer form gets challenging\, I sneak off for a philander with the short form. I love the intensity of it\, and I love the buzz of finishing one.” \nNaomi Booth was the winner of the £1\,000 Reader’s Choice Award for her collection Animals at Night (Dead Ink Books). \nWill Clark\, a student on the Edge Hill MA in Creative Writing\, won the prize for best short story submitted by a student. \nFive collections made the shortlist\, namely: \n\nTotal by Rebecca Miller (Canongate)\nLove in the Time of Chaos by Rosemary Jenkinson (Arlen House)\nCat Brushing & Other Stories by Jane Campbell (Riverrun)\nAnimals at Night by Naomi Booth (Dead Ink Books)\nThis Train is for… by Bernie McGill (No Alibis Press)\n\nFounded in 2006\, the Edge Hill Short Story Prize attracts entries from new and established writers. Professor of short fiction Ailsa Cox founded the award to highlight the “artisanship of short-story writing” and acknowledge the wealth of published collections available. \nPrevious winners of the award include Sarah Hall\, David Szalay\, Tessa Hadley and Kevin Barry. \n\n\n\n\nBernie McGill’s award-winning stories have been widely praised for their emotional depth and lyrical language. \nShe is a writer of profound sensitivity and observation whose masterful deployment of linguistic precision and economy enables her to plumb the depths of human experience while neatly avoiding sentimentalism. \nThis new collection\, the first since 2013\, contains unpublished stories along with a number of previously published stories contained within award winning anthologies. \nThis Train is For is available from No Alibis Books.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/this-train-is-for-by-bernie-mcgill-wins-the-2023-edge-hill-short-story-prize/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20240224T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20240224T120000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20240205T173436Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240205T173436Z
UID:2672-1708768800-1708776000@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Taster Workshop: Short Story Writing with Bernie McGill
DESCRIPTION:Focus on Short Story… with Bernie McGill\, a workshop for the North Belfast Festival 2024 \nIn this short participative creative writing workshop\, you will be offered a number of prompts and writing exercises to help get you started on (or help you to develop) your own short story. Come with an open mind\, prepared to write. \nBernie McGill is the author of two novels (The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet) and two short story collections (This Train is For and Sleepwalkers). She is the 2023 winner of the Edge Hill Short Story Prize for This Train is For (No Alibis Press).  www.berniemcgill.com \nThis event will take place at the Women’s TEC\, 29 Chichester Avenue\, Belfast\, BT15 5EH. Cost: £5. To book go to Taster Workshop on the North Belfast Festival website. \nFor the full programme of the North Belfast Festival (23rd – 25th February 2024)\, including tours\, exhibitions\, talks\, performances and workshops visit Look North! The North Belfast Festival.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/taster-workshop-short-story-writing-with-bernie-mcgill/
LOCATION:Women’s TEC\, 29 Chichester Ave\, BELFAST\, BT15 5EH\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20240722T144500
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20240725T164500
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20240621T171802Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240621T171802Z
UID:2711-1721659500-1721925900@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Short Story Writing with Bernie McGill at the John Hewitt International Summer School\, Armagh
DESCRIPTION:Join writer Bernie McGill in an investigation of the short story and the ways in which short story writers can make one thing seem to cause the next. This course will offer exercises\, prompts and discussion that will help you to develop and revise your work within a community of fellow writers. Come with an open mind\, prepared to write. \nThis course will take place during the John Hewitt International Summer School at the Market Place Theatre\, Armagh. Workshops are scheduled for Monday 22nd\, Tuesday 23rd and Thursday 25th July 2024 from 2.45 pm to 4.45 pm and cost £70 in total. Participants should attend all three sessions. All levels are welcome. Spaces are limited – advance booking is essential. \nTo book go to the Market Place Theatre. \nBernie McGill is the 2023 winner of the prestigious Edge Hill Prize for her short story collection This Train is For. Her first collection\, Sleepwalkers\, was shortlisted for the prize in 2014. She is the author of two novels (The Butterfly Cabinet (2010) & The Watch House (2017)) and is a Fellow of the Royal Literary Fund. \nFor the full programme of the John Hewitt International Summer School taking place from Monday 22nd to Saturday 27th July 2024\, including workshops\, readings\, panel discussions\, performances and art exhibitions visit The John Hewitt Society.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/short-story-writing-with-bernie-mcgill-at-the-john-hewitt-international-summer-school-armagh/
LOCATION:Market Place Theatre\, Armagh\, Market Street\, Armagh\, Armagh\, BT61 7BW\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20240809T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20240809T203000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20240628T174946Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240628T175331Z
UID:2736-1723228200-1723235400@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Scribes at the Duncairn: Bernie McGill\, Jan Carson & Paul McVeigh chaired by Marnie Kennedy
DESCRIPTION:Featuring Paul McVeigh\, Bernie McGill & Jan Carson at Duncairn Arts Centre\, Duncairn Avenue\, Belfast.  \nChaired by Marnie Kennedy\, Shared Reading facilitator. This event is hosted by Stories@theDuncairn\, a volunteer-led\, community literary project\, in partnership with the Greater New Lodge Community Festival and Féile an Phobail. Café at the Duncairn open for tea\, coffee and refreshments. Wine Reception. All welcome! \nDoors open at 6.30pm \n \nPaul McVeigh’s short stories have been in numerous anthologies including ‘Being Various’\, ‘The Art of the Glimpse’ and ‘Common People’. They have also been printed in ‘The London Magazine’\, ‘The Stinging Fly’ and ‘The Irish Times’\, on radio at BBC 3\, 4\, 5; RTE 1\, and Sky TV. His ten-part short story series\, ‘The Circus’\, appeared on BBC Radio 4 in 2023. Paul co-founded the London Short Story Festival and is associate director of Word Factory\, ‘the UK’s national organisation for excellence in the short story’ The Guardian.  Paul’s debut novel\, ‘The Good Son’\, won The McCrea Literary Award and The Polari First Novel Prize. His writing has been translated into seven languages. \n  \n \nBernie McGill is the 2023 winner of the prestigious Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection This Train is For (No Alibis Press). She is the author of two novels: The Watch House (nominated for the Ireland European Union Prize for Literature in 2019) and The Butterfly Cabinet (2010) and of one further short story collection\, Sleepwalkers (2013). Her work has appeared in a number of anthologies and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. Bernie works as a Mentor for the Irish Writers’ Centre and is an Associate Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund. \n  \nJan Carson’s critically acclaimed writings explore themes related to identity\, place and belonging\, but also to angst and alienation\, in such works as The Fire Starters (winner EU Prize for Literature\, 2019) and The Raptures. She is also very funny! About her latest collection of short stories\, Quickly\, While They Still Have Horses\, the Irish Times said: ‘Long after the reader has closed the book\, these tales linger in the mind: vivid\, original and moving.’
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/scribes-at-the-duncairn/
LOCATION:Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre\, Duncairn Avenue\, Belfast\, BT14 6BP\, United Kingdom
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241005T153000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241005T173000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20240913T162442Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240913T162442Z
UID:2759-1728142200-1728149400@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Writing for Wellbeing with Tanya Gillen and Bernie McGill
DESCRIPTION:Join yoga teacher Tanya Gillen and writer Bernie McGill in the beautiful surroundings of the Arcadia\, Portrush in this taster session that will combine somatic exercises with writing prompts to aid mindfulness and wellbeing. Whether you’re a practicing writer looking for inspiration or a complete novice\, this is an opportunity to relax and write freely. This will be a seated workshop with some gentle movement. Wear comfortable clothing and bring writing materials. No other equipment needed. No previous experience of yoga or writing required. Suitable for 16+. For more details on events happening at Swell Festival the weekend of 3rd – 6th October 2024 see the Swell Facebook Page. \nNumbers limited. To book\, visit Eventbrite. Tickets £6.13 (including booking fee).
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/writing-for-wellbeing-with-tanya-gillen-and-bernie-mcgill/
LOCATION:The Arcadia\, Portrush\, East Strand\, Craig Vara\, Portrush\, BT56 8JE
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/B28C1518-345D-4A73-91EB-52508E6A28FF-scaled.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241120T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241120T110000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20241001T132040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241001T134424Z
UID:2770-1732095000-1732100400@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Mums Meet and Make: Creative Writing with Bernie McGill at Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre\, Limavady
DESCRIPTION:MOMENTS IN MOTHERHOOD | CREATIVE WRITING WITH BERNIE MCGILL\nWednesday 20 November | 9.30-11am\nRoe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre\, Limavady\nCost: £8 \nWith prompts and support from Bernie you’ll create a poem or piece of prose about your motherhood journey\, about your baby\, or about yourself. After the workshop we invite you to stay for refreshments. \nThis workshop is suitable for those with children under 1 who are not yet mobile or who will sit in a pram and car seat throughout. \nRoe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre is proudly breastfeeding-friendly and baby-changing is available. \n  \nABOUT MUMS MEET & MAKE \nThis series of creative workshops is specifically designed for new parents with immobile infants under 1\, giving you the opportunity to tap into your creativity\, relax\, and practice mindfulness. \nThese workshops are enriching\, enjoyable and budget-friendly and offer new mums the chance to foster friendships that will last a lifetime. \nBook at this link. \n  \nABOUT BERNIE McGILL \nBernie McGill is an award-winning novelist and short story writer and winner of the 2023 Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her short story collection This Train is For\, published by No Alibis Press. Her novel The Watch House was nominated in 2019 for the Ireland/European Union Prize for Literature and The Butterfly Cabinet was named in 2012 by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes as his novel of the year. Her first short story collection\, Sleepwalkers\, was short listed in 2014 for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her short fiction has been nominated for numerous awards and in 2008 she won the Zoetrope:All-Story Short Fiction Award in the US. Her work has been anthologised in award-winning collections The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore and more recently in The Black Dreams\, Her Other Language\, The Danger & the Glory\, Belfast Stories and in Female Lines. She is a recipient of a number of Arts Council of Northern Ireland Awards\, including an International Artists’ Development Fund Award to attend the Vittore Branca Centre at the Giorgio Cini Foundation in June 2023. She is a former Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) at the Seamus Heaney Centre and at the School of Computer Science\, Queen’s University\, Belfast and is a current Writing for Life Fellow with the RLF. She offers One-to-one Mentoring for fiction writers via the Irish Writers’ Centre and is available for school visits via Poetry Ireland’s Writers in Schools Programme.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/mums-meet-and-make-creative-writing-with-bernie-mcgill/
LOCATION:Roe Valley Arts & Cultural Centre\, 24 Main Street\, Limavady\, BT49 0FJ\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/green-chameleon-s9CC2SKySJM-unsplash-scaled-e1629562762417.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241127T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20241127T110000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20241001T133821Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241001T134351Z
UID:2776-1732699800-1732705200@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Mums Meet and Make: Creative Writing with Bernie McGill at Flowerfield Arts Centre\, Portstewart
DESCRIPTION:Wednesday 27 November | 9.30-11am\nFlowerfield Arts Centre\, Portstewart\nCost: £8\nWith prompts and support from Bernie you’ll create a poem or piece of prose about your motherhood journey\, about your baby\, or about yourself. After the workshop we invite you to stay for refreshments. \nThis workshop is suitable for those with children under 1 who are not yet mobile or who will sit in a pram and car seat throughout. \n\n\n\nABOUT MUMS MEET & MAKE \nThis series of creative workshops is specifically designed for new parents with immobile infants under 1\, giving you the opportunity to tap into your creativity\, relax\, and practice mindfulness. \nThese workshops are enriching\, enjoyable and budget-friendly and offer new mums the chance to foster friendships that will last a lifetime. After each workshop\, we encourage you to stay and enjoy some refreshments. \nFlowerfield Arts Centre is proudly Breastfeeding-friendly and baby changing is available. \nBook at this link. \n\nABOUT BERNIE McGILL \n\nBernie McGill is an award-winning novelist and short story writer and winner of the 2023 Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her short story collection This Train is For\, published by No Alibis Press. Her novel The Watch House was nominated in 2019 for the Ireland/European Union Prize for Literature and The Butterfly Cabinet was named in 2012 by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes as his novel of the year. Her first short story collection\, Sleepwalkers\, was short listed in 2014 for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize. Her short fiction has been nominated for numerous awards and in 2008 she won the Zoetrope:All-Story Short Fiction Award in the US. Her work has been anthologised in award-winning collections The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore and more recently in The Black Dreams\, Her Other Language\, The Danger & the Glory\, Belfast Stories and in Female Lines. She is a recipient of a number of Arts Council of Northern Ireland Awards\, including an International Artists’ Development Fund Award to attend the Vittore Branca Centre at the Giorgio Cini Foundation in June 2023. She is a former Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund (RLF) at the Seamus Heaney Centre and at the School of Computer Science\, Queen’s University\, Belfast and is a current Writing for Life Fellow with the RLF. She offers One-to-one Mentoring for fiction writers via the Irish Writers’ Centre and is available for school visits via Poetry Ireland’s Writers in Schools Programme.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/mums-meet-and-make-creative-writing-with-bernie-mcgill-at-flowerfield-arts-centre-portstewart/
LOCATION:Flowerfield Arts Centre\, 185 Coleraine Road\, PORTSTEWART\, Northern Ireland\, BT55 7HU\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/green-chameleon-s9CC2SKySJM-unsplash-scaled-e1629562762417.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250219T183000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250219T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20250131T120941Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T120941Z
UID:2788-1739989800-1739995200@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Reading at Edge Hill University
DESCRIPTION:The Arts Centre at Edge Hill University\, Ormskirk welcomes Northern Irish short story writer and novelist\, Bernie McGill for a reading from her collection\, This Train is For\, winning collection of the Edge Hill Prize in 2023. \nBernie will be joined by writers from Edge Hill’s Fiction Writers’ Network who will be reading new work-in-progress. \nAll are welcome for this celebration of stories and storytelling. \nAdmission £5; free to Edge Hill University students \nTo book\, visit The Arts Centre’s event page
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/reading-at-edge-hill-university/
LOCATION:The Arts Centre\, Edge Hill University\, Edge Hill University\, St Helens Road\, Ormskirk\, Lancashire\, L39 4QP\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/417687284_7345136768858321_5700978698393375788_n-e1738324623223.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250505T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250505T160000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20250305T154003Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250305T154736Z
UID:2812-1746453600-1746460800@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Writing Workshop with Bernie McGill at Dromore Book Festival
DESCRIPTION:Have you always wanted to write but didn’t know where to start? Or have you been writing for a while and find yourself in need of a little creative workout? This workshop aims to flex your writing muscles through exercises\, prompts and suggestions that will help to get you started\, strengthen your writing practice or develop your work in a new direction. \nAll levels of experience welcomed\, from seasoned writers to first-timers\, poets\, memoirists and fiction writers alike. Come with writing materials\, prepared to write. \nSuitable for 16yrs + \nBernie McGill is the 2023 winner of the Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection This Train is For (published by No Alibis Press). She is the author of two novels: The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet and of one previous short story collection\, Sleepwalkers which is due to be republished in 2025. Her work has appeared in a number of award-winning anthologies and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. Bernie works as a Mentor for the Irish Writers’ Centre and is a Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund. \nCost: £20. To book visit Bridge Books on Ticket Source. \nThe first Dromore Book Festival is hosted by Bridge Books Dromore and features a stellar line-up of events including Crime Queens Liz Nugent\, Sharon Dempsey and Hannah King; an evening with Donal Ryan; Brian McGilloway in conversation with Stuart Neville; Brian Rowan with Mike Philpott; Claire Allen with Emma Heatherington and much more. \nFull programme and booking details here.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/writing-workshop-with-bernie-mcgill-at-dromore-book-festival/
LOCATION:Dromore Book Festival\, c/o Bridge Books\, 3 Bridge Street\, Dromore\, Co. Down\, BT25 1AN\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/129639-17408540385941-m-e1741187190485.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250628T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20250628T133000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20250418T155719Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250614T112743Z
UID:2829-1751106600-1751117400@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Writing Workshop with Bernie McGill at Seamus Heaney HomePlace\, Bellaghy*
DESCRIPTION:*This workshop is now sold out. \nJoin Edge Hill Prize-winning writer Bernie McGill for a workshop in the Moyola Hall and Sensory Garden at Seamus Heaney HomePlace. This will be a practical workshop on the craft of writing with the aim of sparking ideas for new work. Prompts and exercises will take inspiration from the words\, sights\, sounds and smells of the garden and surrounds. \nAll levels of experience are welcome\, from experienced writers to first-timers\, poets and fiction writers alike. Participants will have the option to find a spot outdoors in the Sensory Garden\, weather permitting\, or indoors in the Moyola Hall. Come with writing materials\, prepared to write. \n10.30 am – 1.30 pm \nBooking opens on 23rd April at 10am at this link.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/writing-workshop-with-bernie-mcgill-at-seamus-heaney-homeplace-bellaghy/
LOCATION:Seamus Heaney HomePlace\, 45 Main Street\, Bellaghy\, BT45 8HT\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/green-chameleon-s9CC2SKySJM-unsplash-scaled-e1629562762417.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250728
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250803
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20250614T112618Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250614T113448Z
UID:2878-1753660800-1754179199@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:The John Hewitt International Summer School 2025
DESCRIPTION:The much-celebrated John Hewitt International Summer School will run in 2025 from Monday 28th July – Saturday 2nd August at the Market Place Theatre & Arts Centre in Armagh.  The theme this year\, inspired by John Hewitt’s poem ‘The Colony’ is ‘Our country also: difference and belonging’.  The Summer School will feature writing workshops\, author readings and talks\, panel discussions\, exhibitions and evening performances\, as well as an open mike and creative writing showcase. The full programme is available at the John Hewitt Society website. \nBernie McGill will facilitate the Short Story Writing workshops taking place on Monday 28th\, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 31st July from 2.45 pm to 4.45 pm. (Attendance is required at all three workshops. Fee: £75.) Full details and booking at the Market Place Theatre. \nBernie will be in conversation with internationally acclaimed author Tessa Hadley at the Market Place Theatre\, Armagh on Friday 1st August at 1.30pm. Tessa Hadley has penned eight novels including Accidents in the Home (longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award) and more recently\, The Past\, Late in the Day and Free Love. She has published four short story collections: Sunstroke\, Married Love\, Bad Dreams and After the Funeral which won the 2024 Edge Hill Short Story Prize\, following her previous win with Bad Dreams in 2018. Her most recent book\, The Party\, was published to critical acclaim at the end of last year. She won the Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction in 2016\, and The Past won the Hawthornden Prize for 2016. (Tickets £12.) Booking and details at the Market Place Theatre. \nTickets are available for all individual events; daily tickets are priced at £45; weekly tickets (excluding workshops) are £240; weekly tickets (including a workshop course) are £305. \nBursary applications for the John Hewitt International Summer Scheme covering admission to all events and workshops are open until Wednesday 14th June. Full bursaries include accommodation. Half-bursaries without accommodation are available to those from the Armagh\, Banbridge and Craigavon (ABC) Council Area. For full information on eligibility and how to apply visit the John Hewitt Society. \nSee you there! \nBernie McGill is the 2023 winner of the Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection This Train is For\, published by No Alibis Press. Her first short story collection Sleepwalkers\, originally shortlisted for the Edge Hill\, has just been republished by No Alibis\, now including a new short story commissioned by BBC Radio 4. She is the author of two historical novels: The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House. \n 
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/the-john-hewitt-international-summer-school-2025/
LOCATION:Market Place Theatre\, Armagh\, Market Street\, Armagh\, Armagh\, BT61 7BW\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/R-1.jpeg.pagespeed.ce_.ZSicL2NQlz-scaled-e1749899924958.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251023T150000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251023T163000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20250920T130207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250920T130930Z
UID:2907-1761231600-1761237000@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Meet the Author: Bernie McGill at Suffolk Library\, Belfast for Book Week NI
DESCRIPTION:Join award-winning writer Bernie McGill at Suffolk Library in Belfast on Thursday 23rd October (3pm) for readings and reflections on her evocative fiction. Known for her lyrical style and deep sense of place\, Bernie’s work has touched readers across Ireland and beyond. \nBernie McGill is the author of novels The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House and of the short story collections Sleepwalkers and This Train is For which won the prestigious Edge Hill Prize in 2023. She is an Honorary Member of the Linen Hall Library in Belfast in which building her writing archive is held. \nThis is a free event but booking is advisable. Contact Suffolk Library on 028 9050 9235\nEmail suffolk.library@librariesni.org.uk \nBook Week NI takes place this year in libraries across Northern Ireland from Monday 21st to Sunday 26th October 2025. For events near you\, check out the Libraries NI website. \n 
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/meet-the-author-bernie-mcgill-at-suffolk-library-belfast-for-book-week-ni/
LOCATION:Suffolk Library\, Stewartstown Rd\, Belfast\, BT11 9JP\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/3905fa0533a430e723ee4962289d196c7a552a9e72e5dad8c078d344de567cda-e1755094126870.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251107T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20251107T143000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20250813T141243Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250813T141951Z
UID:2893-1762520400-1762525800@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Launch of Literary Archive at the Linen Hall Library\, Belfast
DESCRIPTION:In 2025\, acclaimed writer Bernie McGill was invited to donate her literary archive to The Linen Hall Library. To mark the occasion\, Hugh Odling-Smee talks to her in the library about her archive and about her writing career\, from her novels The Watch House (nominated for the Ireland European Union Prize for Literature in 2019) and The Butterfly Cabinet (2010) through to her most recent publication\, This Train is For\, for which she won the 2023 Edge Hill Short Story Prize. \nA selection of items from the archive will be on display at the event. \nThis event is included in the programme for the 2025 Belfast International Arts Festival. Admission is free but booking is essential. Please book here. \nThe 2025 Belfast International Arts Festival takes place from 14th October – 9th November and features Talks & Ideas\, Music\, Theatre & Dance\, Visual Arts and Special Events in 30 venues across the city. The full programme is available to view here. \nSupported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/launch-of-literary-archive-at-the-linen-hall-library/
LOCATION:Linen Hall Library\, Belfast\, 17 Donegall Square North\, Belfast\, BT1 5GB\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/3905fa0533a430e723ee4962289d196c7a552a9e72e5dad8c078d344de567cda-e1755094126870.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260225T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260225T140000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20251228T173247Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251228T173247Z
UID:2970-1772024400-1772028000@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Mary Beckett: A Belfast Woman at Look North! Festival at the Linen Hall Library
DESCRIPTION:Born in 1926\, Mary Beckett is regarded as one of Belfast’s finest writers. Widely acclaimed for her novels and short stories\, especially A Belfast Woman\, A Literary Woman and Give Them Stones\, her work did much to capture and explore the lives and experiences of women\, especially working-class women. To mark the centenary of her birth\, The Linen Hall Library in partnership with Look North!\, brings together two acclaimed Belfast writers\, Anne Devlin and Wendy Erskine\, to talk about Beckett’s work and her enduring legacy. This session will be chaired by award-winning novelist and short story writer\, Bernie McGill. \nSupported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. \nThis event will be hosted by The Linen Hall Library\, Belfast on 25th February at 1pm. Tickets £5. Booking details here.
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/mary-beckett-a-belfast-woman-at-look-north-festival-at-the-linen-hall-library/
LOCATION:Linen Hall Library\, Belfast\, 17 Donegall Square North\, Belfast\, BT1 5GB\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://berniemcgill.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Unknown-1.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260228T103000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260228T153000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20251114T162209Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251114T162553Z
UID:2950-1772274600-1772292600@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Writing Workshop at Ballyscullion Park\, Bellaghy with Bernie McGill
DESCRIPTION:Writing Workshop: Setting and Place\nwith Bernie McGill\nat Ballyscullion Park\, Bellaghy\nSaturday\, 28th February 2026\n10.30am – 3.30pm with a break for lunch* \nJoin writer Bernie McGill for a one-day workshop at Ballyscullion Park on the beautiful shores of Lough Beg. The workshop will focus on writing about setting and place. This will be a practical and participative workshop with the aim of developing existing work or sparking new ideas. \nPrompts and exercises will take inspiration from the garden and surrounds. All levels of experience are welcome from published writers to first-timers\, poets and fiction writers alike. Participants will have the option to find a spot outdoors in the walled garden\, weather permitting\, and to write indoors in the historic 18th century stable block. Come with writing materials\, prepared to write. \nBernie McGill is a novelist and short story writer and the winner of the 2023 Edge Hill Prize for her short story collection This Train is For. She is a Writing for Life Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund and an Honorary member of the Linen Hall Library in which building her writing archive is held. Her work has been widely anthologised and broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. She works as a Writing Mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre. \nwww.berniemcgill.com \n*Tea and coffee will be provided. Please bring a packed lunch. \nBook via Ballyscullion Park’s Eventbrite Page. \nSee the full 2026 schedule of writing workshops at Ballyscullion Park here. \n\nShow less
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/writing-workshop-at-ballyscullion-park-bellaghy-with-bernie-mcgill/
LOCATION:Ballyscullion Park\, 61 Ballyscullion Road\, Bellaghy\, Derry\, BT45 8NA\, United Kingdom
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260411T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Dublin:20260412T150000
DTSTAMP:20260403T185958
CREATED:20260126T143325Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260126T165743Z
UID:2983-1775901600-1776006000@berniemcgill.com
SUMMARY:Short Story Writing Weekend with Bernie McGill at YARN\, Ballycastle
DESCRIPTION:When & Where\n11th April 2026\, 10 am – 4 pm\n12th April 2026\, 10 am – 2 pm\nYARN Ballycastle\, 24-26 Ann St\, Ballycastle\, BT54 6AD\, UK \nAbout\nHave you always wanted to try writing a short story? \nDo you already have an idea? \nDo you write in other genres and are interested in the form?  \nWhether you’re a first-timer looking for guidance and inspiration or a seasoned writer seeking a fresh challenge\, this Short Story Writing Weekend is for you.  \nJoin award-winning short story writer Bernie McGill for an enjoyable weekend of participative writing that will help to get your writing on track. Please bring your preferred writing materials (pen/pencil\, notebook/laptop\, etc.) If you’re already working on a short story\, feel free to bring a copy for workshopping. Participants will be encouraged to share their work only if they are comfortable doing so. \nSaturday 11th April: 10 am – 4 pm \n\nWhat is a short story? How to get started with focus on structure\, character and setting. \nParticipants will be offered prompts and exercises to help develop their work.\nThere will be a lunch break\, with lunch provided on the day. Tea/coffee & snacks will also be provided.\n\nSunday 12th April: 10 am – 2 pm \n\nWhat next? What’s happening under the surface of your story? What more does it need? This workshop focuses on how to dive a little deeper and how to revise. \nWe’ll finish with a Q&A and information-sharing on opportunities and outlets for work.\nThere will be a short break mid-session. Tea/coffee & snacks will be provided.\n\nAccommodation\nFor those travelling from further afield\, Yarn offers gorgeous on-site accommodation\, with a special discount for retreat participants. Use code BERNIE20 when booking for 20% off your stay. \nWho is Bernie McGill?\nBernie McGill is the 2023 winner of the prestigious Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection This Train is For. She is the author of two novels: The Watch House (nominated for the Ireland European Union Prize for Literature in 2019) and The Butterfly Cabinet (2010). Her short stories have been widely anthologised\, and her work has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. Bernie was co-judge of the Edge Hill Prize in 2024 and of the Michael McLaverty Short Story Award in 2023. She is a Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund\, a Mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre and an Honorary Member of the Linen Hall Library\, where her writing archive is held. Her first short story collection\, Sleepwalkers (2013)\, was re-published in 2025 by No Alibis Press. \nFor full details and to book tickets please visit YARN\, Ballycastle
URL:https://berniemcgill.com/event/short-story-writing-weekend-with-bernie-mcgill-at-yarn-ballycastle/
LOCATION:YARN\, Ballycastle\, 24-26 Ann St\, Ballycastle\, BT54 6AD\, United Kingdom
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