No Alibis
Novel Writing – First Chapters with Bernie McGill at the John Hewitt International Summer School
Market Place Theatre, Armagh Market Street, Armagh, Armagh, United KingdomIn this practical and participative course on novel writing you will focus on structuring work; writing openings with impact; creating credible characters and selecting point of view, as well as opportunities for further developing and submitting work. Suitable for writers who are beginning or developing a novel. Participants should prepare a 250-word synopsis of their novel in advance. Workshops will take place at the Market Place Theatre, Armagh during the John Hewitt International Summer School on Monday 25th, Tuesday 26th and Thursday 28th July from 2.45 pm - 4.45 pm. Bernie McGill is the author of two novels, The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House (short-listed for the Ireland European Union Prize for Literature in 2019) and two short story collections, Sleepwalkers, and This Train is For, published by No Alibis Press, June 2022. Book for this series of workshops here. Bernie will be in conversation with Wendy Erskine and Paul McVeigh at the Market Place Theatre, Armagh on Wednesday 27th July at 1.30pm. Full details here. You can view the full programme for the John Hewitt International Summer School, from 25th - 30th July 2022, including all workshops, talks and evening events here.
Celebrating the Short Story with Wendy Erskine & Bernie McGill
Market Place Theatre, Armagh Market Street, Armagh, Armagh, United KingdomCelebrating the Short Story with Wendy Erskine & Bernie McGill in conversation with Paul McVeigh. Wendy Erskine’s first collection, Sweet Home (2018), was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and the Republic of Consciousness Prize and won the 2020 Butler Literary Award. In her new collection, Dance Move, we meet characters who are looking to wrest control of their lives, only to find themselves defined by moments in their past. In these stories – as in real life – the funny, the tender and the devastating go hand in hand “Truly magnificent. These stories buzz with life and verve and humour… reminds us how glorious the short story can be.” Danielle McLaughlin. Bernie McGill's latest collection of short stories This Train is For, was published by No Alibis Press in June 2022. She has written two novels, The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House, shortlisted for the 2019 Irish/European Union Prize for Literature. Her first collection of stories, Sleepwalkers was shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and her short fiction has been widely anthologised in a number of publications including the award-winning The Glass Shore and The Long Gaze Back. "Wonderful stories of journeys geographical and of the inner kind." Bernard MacLaverty Paul McVeigh is the […]
Sand, fire, glass, sea: a creative writing and glassmaking workshop at Flowerfield Arts Centre, Portstewart
Flowerfield Arts Centre 185 Coleraine Road, PORTSTEWART, Northern Ireland, United KingdomLed by Author Bernie McGill and Glass Artist Andrea Spencer of Benefield Spencer Glass, this half-day workshop will take inspiration from the landscape of the north coast. Following introductions and a short writing exercise, participants will alternate in two groups between a creative writing session and a glassmaking session, during which time there will be a break for lunch (please bring your own packed lunch). At the end of the creative writing and glassmaking workshops, you will have created a piece of creative writing and flameworked glass, ending the session with a sharing of work. No previous experience is necessary. Andrea Spencer maintains a studio in rural Ballintoy on the North Antrim Coast. Her work is inspired by nature, drawing on natural forms and structures to create pieces which correlate with aspects of the human condition. Bernie McGill’s most recent short story collection, This Train is For, was published in June 2022 by No Alibis Press. Her novel The Watch House was nominated in 2019 for the Ireland/European Union Prize for Literature.
FLive Book Club with Bernie McGill and This Train is For at Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen
Ardhowen Theatre, Enniskillen 97 Dublin Rd, Enniskillen, United KingdomWhether you are an avid reader and in a book club, or have no time to read and are simply looking for inspiration then come and join us for the FLive Book Club at the Ardhowen Theatre Studio, Enniskillen. To take part read Bernie McGill’s newly published collection of stories, This Train is For (released by No Alibis Press on 1st June 2022), within your book club or individually, then buy a ticket for the FLive Book Club and come and chat with Bernie*. Book online for FLive Book Club on the FLive Festival website. *Bernie will facilitate a Creative Writing Workshop at the Ardhowen Theatre Studio from 10 am - 12 noon on Saturday 8th October. Full details and booking on the FLive Festival website. Praise for This Train is For: ‘This Train is For portrays the complexities of the heart with sensitivity and acute psychological insight. Rendered in the most perfect prose, Bernie McGill presents lives in physical and emotional transit, uncertain of the journey’s destination, understanding that sometimes the most important moments in our lives involve travelling not forward, but to moments we thought we had left long behind.’ David Park ‘Bernie McGill is one of the most […]
Book Week NI Author Panel: John Self hosts Bernie McGill and Wendy Erskine
Chichester Library 109 Salisbury Avenue, Belfast*This event is now available to view online. Renowned international literary critic John Self will host a panel with authors Bernie McGill and Wendy Erskine to discuss their recent short story collections This Train Is For and Dance Move, and the importance of the short story genre. Bernie McGill is the author of two novels, The Watch House, (2017, Tinder Press), nominated for the Ireland/European Prize for Literature, and The Butterfly Cabinet, (2011, Headline Review), and one previous short story collection Sleepwalkers, (2013, Whittrick Press), shortlisted 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 USA. Her work has been anthologised in award-winning collections including The Long Gaze Back, The Glass Shore, Her Other Language, The Danger & the Glory, Belfast Stories, and Female Lines. She has been the recipient of numerous Arts Council of Northern Ireland Awards, and is a former Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Belfast. She now works as a Lector and Associate Fellow for the Royal Literary Fund, and offers One-to-one mentoring via the Irish Writers’ Centre. This Train is For was published […]
This Train is For by Bernie McGill is shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize
London Review Bookshop 14-16 Bury Place, London, United KingdomThis 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. This 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: Total by Rebecca Miller (Canongate) Love in the Time of Chaos by Rosemary Jenkinson (Arlen House) Cat Brushing & Other Stories by Jane Campbell (Riverrun) Animals at Night by Naomi Booth (Dead Ink Books) This Train is for… by Bernie McGill (No Alibis Press) The 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 […]
(SOLD OUT) Between the Lights: Writing Workshop with Bernie McGill at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy
Seamus Heaney HomePlace 45 Main Street, Bellaghy, United KingdomThe 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. This 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. Bernie 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. Bernie 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. Book this workshop on the Seamus Heaney HomePlace website* Full programme of events at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Autumn/Winter 2023. *Please note this workshop is now sold […]
Taster Workshop: Short Story Writing with Bernie McGill
Women's TEC 29 Chichester Ave, BELFAST, United KingdomFocus on Short Story… with Bernie McGill, a workshop for the North Belfast Festival 2024 In 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. Bernie 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 This 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. For 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.
Short Story Writing with Bernie McGill at the John Hewitt International Summer School, Armagh
Market Place Theatre, Armagh Market Street, Armagh, Armagh, United KingdomJoin 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. This 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. To book go to the Market Place Theatre. Bernie 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. For the full programme of the John Hewitt International Summer School taking place from Monday 22nd to Saturday […]
Scribes at the Duncairn: Bernie McGill, Jan Carson & Paul McVeigh chaired by Marnie Kennedy
Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre Duncairn Avenue, Belfast, United KingdomFeaturing Paul McVeigh, Bernie McGill & Jan Carson at Duncairn Arts Centre, Duncairn Avenue, Belfast. Chaired 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! Doors open at 6.30pm Paul 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. Bernie McGill is the 2023 winner of the prestigious Edge Hill Short Story Prize for her collection This Train is For (No Alibis […]