Novel
Novel Writing with Bernie McGill
The Playhouse Theatre & Arts Centre 5-7 Artillery Street, Derry, United KingdomThis 16 hour course will run on Saturday 9th & Saturday 23rd February and Saturday 9th & Saturday 23rd March 2019 from 10.00am-2.15pm each day at the Playhouse Theatre & Arts Centre, Artillery Road, Derry. In this course, participants will look at: structuring work; writing openings with impact; developing setting; creating credible characters; selecting point of view; writing dialogue; editing and redrafting; outlets for completed work. You will be invited to take part in writing exercises to further develop your work and to share your writing with other class members. Suitable for committed writers who are beginning or developing a novel. Participants should come with a 250 word outline for a novel. Works-in-progress are welcomed. Bernie McGill is the author of Sleepwalkers, a collection of stories short-listed in 2014 for the Edge Hill short story prize, and of the novels The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House. She has been published in the UK, the US and in translation in Italy and in the Netherlands. Her short fiction has appeared in acclaimed anthologies The Long Gaze Back, The Glass Shore and Female Lines, and for the theatre she has written The Haunting of Helena Blunden and The Weather Watchers. She works as a professional mentor with the Irish Writers Centre in Dublin and […]
Bernie McGill & Sheena Wilkinson – Northern Irish Fiction Event at IWHC, Manchester
Irish World Heritage Centre 1 Irish Town Way, MANCHESTERWe are delighted to welcome two fantastic Northern Irish writers, Bernie McGill and Sheena Wilkinson, to share their work at the Irish World Heritage Centre, Manchester, on Monday 1st April. Bernie McGill is the author of Sleepwalkers, a collection of stories short-listed in 2014 for the Edge Hill Short Story Prize, and of the novels The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House (a story of infidelity, secrets and murder in a small Irish island community, inspired by Marconi’s experiments in wireless telegraphy in the late nineteenth century). In 2012, Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey named The Butterfly Cabinet his novel of the year. She has been published in the UK, the US and in translation in Italy and in the Netherlands. Her short fiction has appeared in acclaimed anthologies The Long Gaze Back, The Glass Shore and Female Lines (all by New Island Books, Dublin), and for the theatre she has written, The Haunting of Helena Blunden and The Weather Watchers. She lives in Portstewart in Northern Ireland with her family, works as a professional mentor with the Irish Writers’ Centre and as a Writer in Schools for Poetry Ireland. She is currently Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary […]
Novel Writing: First Chapters with Bernie McGill at the John Hewitt International Summer School
Market Place Theatre, Armagh Market Street, Armagh, Armagh, United KingdomBernie McGill will take the Novel Writing: First Chapters workshops at the John Hewitt International Summer School at the Market Place Theatre, Armagh, on Monday 22nd, Tuesday 23rd and Thursday 25th July from 2.45pm-4.45pm on each of the three days. In response to audience feedback, we have extended the duration of our popular creative writing workshops to two hours per class and provided space in the Summer School programme for workshop participants to work on their creative writing outside of class time. Each workshop runs over three sessions and class sizes are kept to 15 or fewer to ensure everyone gets a chance to participate. Participants should attend all three workshop sessions. Our seven tutors are all experienced facilitators and published authors. For the full workshop schedule, including Short Story with Heather Richardson, Flash Fiction with Jan Carson, Memoir Writing with Ferdia MacAnna, Poetry with Siobhan Campbell, Poetry with Kathryn Maris, and Getting Started with Nessa O'Mahony, as well as full details of all Summer School events go to the John Hewitt Society website. Spaces are limited – advance booking is essential. To book Novel Writing: First Chapters go to the Market Place Theatre website or telephone the Box Office on 028 […]
Scribes at the Duncairn with Bernie McGill, Natalya O’Flaherty and Danny Morrison
Duncairn Cultural Arts Centre Duncairn Avenue, Belfast, United KingdomThis free event with wine reception (from 6.30pm) is part of the Feile Belfast 2019 programme. There will be readings from each of the three writers and a Q&A, chaired by Marnie Kennedy, as well as an opportunity for questions from the audience. Marnie is Shared Reading facilitator and coordinator of Stories@theDuncairn, a volunteer-led, community literature project in North Belfast. For more information, Tel. the Duncairn on 028 90 747 114 or turn up on the evening. No booking required. Bernie McGill is the author of two novels, The Butterfly Cabinet and The Watch House (shortlisted for the Irish European Union Prize for Literature in 2019) and of Sleepwalkers, a collection of stories shortlisted in 2014 for the Edge Hill short story prize. She has been published in the UK, the US and in translation in Italy and the Netherlands. Her short fiction has appeared in anthologies Belfast Stories, The Long Gaze Back, The Glass Shore and Female Lines. She is the Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow, based at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University, Belfast. Amazing spoken word artist Natalya O’Flaherty has shot to national prominence with bravura performances at the National Concert Hall and Electric Picnic, appearing twice on The Late […]
Author Visit – Bernie McGill – Carrickfergus Library
Carrickfergus Library 2 Joymount Court, Carrickfergus, County Antrim, United KingdomJoin Us in Carrickfergus Library for this special author visit! Bernie McGill's publications include novels The Butterfly Cabinet (2010) and The Watch House (2017) and a short story collection, Sleepwalkers (2013), shortlisted for the Edge Hill Prize in 2014. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for numerous awards and in 2008 she won the Zoetrope All-Story Award in the US. Her work has been anthologised in the award-winning collections, The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore and more recently in Female Lines and Belfast Stories. Booking essential - please ask in branch for more details To book contact Branch Manager Jillian McFrederick t: 028 9336 2261 e: carrickfergus.library@librariesni.org.uk
‘Strung on Air’: A St Brigid’s Day Celebration at Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy
Seamus Heaney HomePlace 45 Main Street, Bellaghy, United KingdomFeaturing Moyra Donaldson, Bernie McGill and Maria McManus, with music from Brigid O’Neill ‘As if St Brigid once more Had rigged up a ray of sun Like the one she’d strung on air To dry her own cloak on’ Seamus Heaney, ‘The Clothes Shrine’ As a celebration of St Brigid’s Day, HomePlace is delighted to present three of Northern Ireland’s leading women writers, reading their work alongside the beautiful music of Brigid O’Neill. Bernie McGill is the author of two novels and one short story collection and her work has been anthologised in the award-winning collections The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore. She is currently Writing Fellow with the Royal Literary Fund at the Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen’s University, Belfast. Maria McManus is a poet and playwright. Her most recent collection is Available Light and she has published three other collections of poetry. Maria is currently a poetry mentor for the Poetry Society and the creator of Ireland’s first Poetry Jukebox. Moyra Donaldson is a poet, creative writing facilitator and editor who has published four collections. Her most recent collection, Carnivorous, was published by Doire Press in 2019. Critically acclaimed artist Brigid O’Neill is a genre-spanning […]
Novel Writing: First Chapters at the Virtual John Hewitt International Summer School
On ZoomAs part of the 2020 John Hewitt International Summer School, Bernie McGill will facilitate 3 x Two Hour Online Workshop sessions on Novel Writing: First Chapters. The workshops will be hosted online using Zoom meeting software on the following dates. Monday 27th July 2020, 1430hrs to 1630hrs Wednesday 29th July 2020, 1430hrs to 1630hrs Friday 31st July 2020, 1430hrs to 1630hrs These workshops will look at: structuring work; writing openings with impact; creating credible characters; selecting point of view, as well as outlets for completed work. Suitable for writers who are beginning or developing a novel. Participants should prepare a 250-word synopsis of their novel in advance. Works-in-progress are welcomed. Workshop fee is £60 per person. To book go to the Novel Writing link on the John Hewitt Society page. After booking your place the tutor will email you with the meeting link a week before the workshop begins. You will require a device capable of running Zoom Meeting Software with a functioning screen, microphone, speakers and a stable connection to the internet. All workshop students are advised to test their Zoom connection prior to the workshop. Refunds will not be given for issues caused by your hardware, software or internet connectivity. Online workshops are available on […]
Online Workshop: What’s a short story?
Online , United Kingdom*Please note this workshop is now fully booked What’s a short story? In these online Zoom sessions, hosted by Ballyeamon Barn and led by writer Bernie McGill, we will ask what makes a good short story, and in practical and participative writing exercises, look at the ways in which we might attempt to combine those elements in our own writing. What’s the story about? How does it begin? Where and when is it set? Who is in it? Who’s going to tell it? What happens? Why do they do that? How does it end? Come with a place or a person or an event in mind and we’ll begin. Maximum no. of participants: 10 Saturday 29th August 10.30am – 12 noon and 2pm – 3.30pm Sunday 30th August 2pm – 3.30pm (4.5 hours in total) Facilitator Bernie McGill is the author of the short story collection Sleepwalkers, shortlisted in 2014 for the Edge Hill Prize. She has written two novels: The Butterfly Cabinet, and The Watch House which was nominated in 2019 for the Ireland/European Union Prize for Literature. She has been published in the UK, the US and in translation in Italy and in the Netherlands. Her short fiction has appeared in […]
Online Creative Writing Workshops hosted by Burnavon Arts Centre, Cookstown*
Online , United Kingdom*Please note this workshop is now fully booked. You are welcome to join these two practical online workshops led by writer Bernie McGill on the everyday craft of writing, with the aim of sparking ideas for new work. The workshops will take place over 2 weeks: on Saturday 3rd October and on Saturday 10th October 2020, 10.30 am - 12 noon on each day. All levels of experience welcome, from experienced writers to first-timers, poets and fiction writers alike. The workshop will be fully participative with attendees taking part in writing exercises online, developing work at home and sharing their work with group participants. Come with writing materials and be prepared to write. £20 fee includes both dates After booking your place the tutor will email you with the meeting link a few days before the first workshop begins. You will require a device capable of running Zoom Meeting Software with a functioning screen, microphone, speakers and a stable connection to the internet. * Please Note: The tutor will require your email address for the purpose of this workshop * All workshop participants are advised to test their Zoom connection prior to the workshop. Refunds will not be given for issues caused by your […]
Online Fiction Writing Surgery
Online , United Kingdom*Update The Irish Writers Centre is offering bursaries on its courses to writers based in, or from, Northern Ireland, and to Irish language writers. Apply by 1st October. Full details on The Irish Writers Centre's News Page. Course Level: Emerging Maximum no. 12 Course Summary: Grab a seat. Pull up to the virtual table. Would you appreciate some up-close and detailed feedback on your work? Would you be prepared to share up to 2000 words of your fiction writing with a professional writer and with a group of other writers, at a similar writing stage to you? This short course will offer participants the opportunity to have their writing read and workshopped by writer Bernie McGill, and by a peer group of emerging fiction writers. Course Outline: Participants should submit a maximum of 2000 words of their fiction writing (short story or novel excerpt) at least two weeks prior to the course commencing. The course will consist of 6 x two hour weekly workshops in each of which the work of two participants will be discussed. The work will be circulated to all twelve participants in advance. Participants will be provided with guidelines by the tutor and encouraged to […]