Creative Writing Mentoring Programme.
Mentoring is one of the most effective supports artists can receive as they struggle to develop their talents and their crafts. In the tradition of the master craftsman and his apprentice the aspiring artist learns at first hand how to develop and hone his or her talents directly from an established artist.
Longford County Arts Office is currently offering the opportunity for a small number of poets and prose writers to participate in a ten week mentoring programme with the poet Noel Monahan and the novelist Caroline Barry.
The programme is not for beginners as each mentor will take a small group of not more than eight aspiring writers of some experience over a rigorous training course involving a considerable amount of writing exercises for an initial ten week period on Tuesday nights from 7.30pm to 9.30pm in Templemichael College Longford starting on Tuesday February 23rd.
Caroline Barry is a well know novelist and experienced facilitator will work with prose writers on such technical topics as: editing, critiquing, plot structure, character development, writing styles and preparing a manuscript for submission to a publishing house/agent’. Noel Monahan is the well-known, Granard born, national award winning poet and dramatist will work with poets on such topics as; the stirring of a poem, the line as a basic unit of a poem, the mass of language, word, syllables, editing , the final form of a poem and getting published and poetry outlets.
Places are strictly limited and will be apportioned on a competitive basis. To enter the competition for a place on this Creative Writing Mentoring Programme you simply complete the application form below and e-mail it along with, in the case of poetry: five poems and in the case of prose, a two thousand word submission (do not worry if the story is incomplete). The work must be the applicants own but need not have been written specifically for this programme. All applications should be e-mailed only to, fkennedy@longfordcoco.ie before 5.00pm Friday February 12th.
Application Form | Prose Descriptor | Poetry descriptor
About the Mentors.
Noel Monahan.
Noel Monahan’s literary awards include: The Sea Cat National Poetry Award, organized by Poetry Ireland, the RTE P.J.O’Connor Drama Award, The ASTI Achievements Award, The Hiberno-English Poetry Award and The Irish Writers’ Union Poetry Award. His poetry is prescribed text for Leaving Certificate English, due for examination in 2011 and 2012. Curve Of The Moon, Noel Monahan’s fifth collection of poetry will be published in April of this year.
His other collections of poetry include: Opposite Walls, Snowfire, Curse Of The Birds and The Funeral Game, all published by Salmon Poetry. His most recent play, The Children Of Lir, was performed by Livin Dred Theatre. Noel Monahan holds an MA in Creative Writing.
Caroline Barry
Caroline Barry is a published author living and writing in Westmeath. She has had two novels for teenagers published; The Rocket Girl and Isadora Elzbeth. She is currently working on her third novel, Receiver, for the Orion Publishing House in London.
She was writer-in-residence with Laois County Council and has worked for over eight years running creative writing projects for teenagers in Dublin and the Midlands. She has edited and published eight anthologies, taught adult creative writing classes, and is about to direct Neil Richardson’s play Through the Dark Clouds Shining, to be staged in the Civic Theatre, Tallaght in November 2009 and to tour in 2010.
She is a regular contributor to the Midlands Arts Magazine. She is currently working for Westmeath, Offaly and Longford County Councils.