Ben Okri, in his essay 'The Joys of Storytelling'* has written about how important story has always been in our lives, how the great storytellers kept the darkness at bay from around the fire, how they made the stories real to their listeners. Too often we overlook the importance of concrete, everyday, ‘real' imagery in writing - we think we need to write about the exotic, about what is outside of our own experience, when what we need to do, I think, is examine our own lives, and see what we can use from that. A practical one-day workshop on the everyday craft of writing at the home of international storyteller Liz Weir. All levels of experience welcome. Come prepared to write. Cost includes lunch at the barn. To book please contact Liz Weir liz@lizweir.net *published in A Way of Being Free (Phoenix, London, 2002)

The key to being a commercially successful writer is learning how to get yourself and your book the exposure it deserves. Writers are often responsible for attracting their own audience and it is through the power of publicity that the media, and more importantly readers, will become attracted to your work. Join Mary Byrne (PR Director, Harper Collins Ireland), Patricia Hamilton (Director of the Aspects Festival), Michelle Mac Mullan (Senior News Anchor, Newstalk) and Bernie McGill (author of The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet), during this highly practical, one-day series where they will discuss their own experiences with publicity and offer advice on gaining recognition in the industry. All sessions will allow for Q&A. Running Order 10.30 – 11.40 | Patricia Hamilton, Director of the Aspects Festival, offers insight into how to connect with relevant curators and organisers, and the etiquette of ‘getting out there’. 11.50 – 1.00 | Bernie McGill, author of The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet shares her experiences of working with publishers and publicists as well as navigating the highs and lows of self-promotion. 1.00 – 2.00 | Lunch 2.00 – 3.10 | Mary Byrne, PR Director at Harper Collins Ireland, will discuss book promotion from a publishers perspective including how publishers aim to achieve maximum impact […]

In solidarity of writers who are in prison or otherwise at risk around the world, five Northern Irish writers will read from the work of some of the incredible individuals supported by English PEN’s Writers at Risk Programme. The event will be introduced by Hannah Trevarthen, Events and Development Manager at English PEN. English PEN supports the freedom to write and the freedom to read in the UK and around the world. 

This very special evening of words and music features three artists of exceptional talent presenting poetry, songs and story on the theme of small town living. This will be an intimate and memorable performance not to be missed. Joshua Burnside was born in Ireland, but cites the music of Colombia, Eastern Europe and North America as the greatest influences on his unique sound. Deftly blending folk textures and melodies with elements of electronica, he has made it difficult for pundits to put him in a box. Bernie McGill’s novel, The Watch House, was published in 2017 by Tinder Press. She is also the author of Sleepwalkers, a collection of stories short-listed in 2014 for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, and The Butterfly Cabinet. Her work has been placed in the Seán Ó Faoláin, the Bridport, and the Michael McLaverty Short Story Prizes and she won the Zoetrope:All-Story Award in 2008. Damian Smyth’s five collections are Downpatrick Races (2000), The Down Recorder(2004), Lamentations (2010), Market Street (2010) and Mesopotamia (2014). English Street is due later this year. He is Head of Literature & Drama at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. This event is part of the first ever Hillsborough […]

Sue Hubbard and Bernie McGill arrive at this year's festival with two novels that have garnered rave reviews from every corner.  Tonight they will read from Rainsongs and The Watch House. Sue Hubbard’s Rainsongs conjures the rugged beauty of County Kerry’s coastline and the inner landscapes of its characters in richly poetic and painterly language. It unfolds as a compelling tale of grief, art, and the fragile, quiet ways in which time and place can offer a measure of redemption. In Bernie McGill’s The Watch House, during the summer of 1898, on the small Irish island of Rathlin strangers have arrived from the mainland, laden with mysterious radio equipment. When native Nuala Byrne is sent to cook for the Italian engineer Gabriel, she becomes enthralled by the world of knowledge that he brings from beyond her own narrow horizons. It is  a gripping novel, beautiful and lyrical, tender and fierce. Book at Belfast Book Festival.

A day-long intensive fiction writing and editing workshop for committed writers facilitated by two of Northern Ireland’s most acclaimed fiction writers. Come prepared to write, share your work and learn how to take your skills to the next level. From the first spark of inspiration to sending your work out into the world, Bernie and Sheena will guide you through the process, drawing on their own experiences in publishing and offering practical advice for the submission process. The day will be broken down as follows: 10.00am  – 1.00 pm SPARK Generating ideas 2.00pm – 4.00pm SHAPE Editing techniques 6.00pm – 8.00pm SEND Outlets and advice on submission To book go to On the Same Page at the Belfast Book Festival.   About the tutors Bernie McGill is the author of Sleepwalkers, a collection of stories short-listed in 2014 for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, and of two novels: The Watch House and The Butterfly Cabinet (named in 2012 by Downton creator Julian Fellowes as his novel of the year). Her work has been placed in the Seán Ó Faoláin, the Bridport, and the Michael McLaverty Short Story Prizes and she won the Zoetrope:All-Story Award in the US in 2008. […]