by Rose Rushe
CITY of Culture funding to the strength of €30,000 enabled a Visiting Writers Programme to begin this Summer that is seeing a score of writers of national and international class come to Limerick.
Set to give workshops, readings and engage in the occasional launch – US’ Richard Blanco will see to CUISLE’s on September 5 – it is the Arts and Artists’ pillar who are behind this meaningful initiative. Specifically, the Literature and Writing sub-group chaired by Caroline Graham is organising the packed, glamorous diary with help from other unpaid volunteers of such as CUISLE’s Bertha McCullagh.
They are placing artists such as Colin Barrett, Louis de Bernieres and UL’s new writer in residence Joe O’Connor in venues from Pery Square to Askeaton.
“This Visiting Writers Programme is what is called a legacy project. There is one for the various art forms through City of Culture,” explains Graham. “It was formed to give the opportunity to readers and writers in to hear some of the writers with whom they are familiar and to engage with them. The workshops are to support emerging writers and that, we hope, will be the legacy”.
Note that said workshops are free and with places filling quickly, book now on visitingwriterslimerick2014@gmail.com. There is Mike McCormack’s two day workshop this Saturda August 16 and Saturday 23 at Limerick Writers Centre, Barrington Street and Blanco on August 28 and September 5 is at the Coach House of No. 2 Pery Square, now operating as Culture House.
McCormack will read with China’s Sun Wei in Dooradoyle Library on Friday August 22 at 7pm, no need to book. Richard Blanco is in Granary Library, August 28 and in Newcastle West’s Desmond Hall on September 5 as part of his fortnight residency.
“We also are working with community for closed group workshops, and the energy and generosity that we got in their response was wonderful,” Bertha McCullagh makes clear. “We have had terrific co-operation from the libraries where a lot of events are placed, from Limerick Writers Centre and from Friars’ Gate in Kilmallock”.
The Literature and Writing corps are passionate about the work(s) in progress, thrilled with the wide span of venues, and the exposure to emerging writers and writers that is being achieved.
Back to Blanco. Caroline Graham makes the point that US Democratic presidents have kept the tradition of selecting an inaugural poet since Robert Frost composed for John F Kennedy in the ’60s. President Barack Obama asked Cuban American Richard Blanco to write and read for his second inauguration and in January 2013, and thus a magnetised world heard ‘One Day’.
More reports anon as this roll call of honour is heard across Limerick city and county.
