Write-on

The big event this Thursday for Write-on is the virtual visit of Vanessa O’Loughlin, aka Sam Blake. Vanessa is a bestselling author of crime novels. We are looking forward to hearing her read from her latest book, THE DARK ROOM, and discussing various aspects of the writing process. Vanessa is very knowledgeable about all aspects of the publishing process. A lively and informative evening is guaranteed.

If time permits, we may have some presentations from our own members. If not, these will roll over into next week’s schedule.

POEM: Lavender Linoleum by Mary Faherty

POEM: Tuam by James Keogh

POEM: Catastray by Nollaig O’Donnell

POEM: Village Blacksmith by James Keogh

POEM: Fertility by Thomas MacMahon

STORY: The Horse Whisperer by Geraldine Warren

… plus much, much more.

Looking forward to meeting everyone at 7:00pm on Thursday.

Yes! It’s MUG OF THE MONTH time again (a little earlier this month because of our visiting author, Vanessa O’Loughlin, a.k.a. Sam Blake, next week!)

You’ll probably guess from many of the titles below that the Keywords for this month are START and STING.

We have ten fantastic entries and once again, Anne Murray has performed miracles curating the MOTM spot. It will be a difficult task for the judges to separate the entries. The destination of the coveted MUGSY will be in the balance until the very last vote is cast.

Don’t miss the excitement!

Mug Of The Month will be the first item on the schedule on Thursday.

MOTM 01 Always My Home by Mary Faherty

MOTM 02 Embryonic Artist by Jutta Rosen

MOTM 03 Life’s a Bitch by Elizabeth Hannon

MOTM 04 Heart Attack by Judith Geoghegan

MOTM 05 Shakespeare by James Keogh

MOTM 06 Start and Sting by Anne McManus

MOTM 07 Start Sting by Ciara Keogh

MOTM 08 Start the Sting by Anne Murray

MOTM 09 Summer Loving by Thomas McMahon

MOTM 10 Mothers and Babies by Mary Rose Tobin

Short Story: DDT by Anne Murray

Short Story: Brain Power by Elizabeth Hannon

Short Story: Mr Boopathy by Mary Rose Tobin

Poem: Nollaig na mBan by Anne McManus

Poem: Revisiting CATHEDRAL by James Keogh

DISCUSSION: Prepare some discussion points for the visit of novelist Vanessa O’Loughlin (aka Sam Blake) on Thursday 28 January 2021. Check out her website www.writing.ie.

Another exciting line up of new writing awaits on Thursday from 7pm-9pm on Zoom. Here are some of the highlights you can expect.

POEM: Remembering Kerry by Thomas MacMahon

POEM: Next in Line by Mary Faherty

STORY: Fort of Gold by Anne McManus

STORY: DOONASS EPISODE 6 THE WAKE by James Keogh

POEM: Mother’s Lament by James Keogh

POEM: Photograph by Frank Fahy

STORY: New Story from Mary Rose Tobin

DISCUSSION: Prepare some talking points to discuss with our guest author Vanessa O’Loughlin a.k.a. Sam Blake on Thursday 21 January.

DISCUSSION: Let’s look at the Table of Contents for Anthology 2022 and talk about any omissions or additions that may be required.

DISCUSSION: Do we need a presence on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM, etc.? Should we be doing more to promote Write-on on Social Media?

And many more items of interest.

https://folklorepublishing.co.uk

Due to the tremendous literary output of Write-on group members, we already have enough material for 180 pages of the Write-on Anthology 2022. (Target = 256 pages) Competition for the remaining spaces in the publication will be fierce, so please send your stories, poems, songs and memoirs in as quickly as you can. Once this year’s Anthology is full, we will begin putting material aside for Anthology 2023.

What’s On Write-on (WOWO) for Thursday 7 January 2021

Poem: Tainted by Mary Faherty

Story: Mostly Frozen by Anne McManus

Story: TBC by Mary Rose Tobin

Poem: Delicate Kiss by Thomas MacMahon

Poem: Urn by James Keogh

Poem: After the Rain by Mary Faherty

Story: Turkeys Don’t Fly by Anne Murray

Plus more new stories and poems on the night.

Discussion: First Draft Table of Contents for Anthology 2022. Are there obvious omissions? Are there withdrawals? Proofreading arrangements?

Discussion: Making contact with Galway City Arts Office, Galway County Council and Arts Council of Ireland. A Write-on member is required to contact these bodies and to be responsible for other fund-raising opportunities.

The Keywords are: START and STING.

Closing date for entries is Friday 22 January 2021.

Here’s hoping everyone in Write-on and their families have managed to avoid the dreaded Covid-19 virus over the festive season. We wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. We look forward to meeting you all again next Thursday when the Write-on sessions resume on Zoom. (Did ye see what I did there? Resume – Zoom!)

Hopefully, people will have new material to read out at the session. Please send any stories or poems to Frank or Anne Murray as early as possible before Thursday if we are to prepare videos for you.

We have made a start on compiling material for Anthology 2022. The deadline for submissions is 1 June 2021 but at the rate that we are going, all of the pages will be filled long before that date. So, start thinking about the stories or poems you would like to see published in this year’s Anthology and submit early and often to be in with a chance of seeing your work in print. The Anthology will be launched on Culture Night in September 2021.

As well as that, we can look forward to the publication of Anne McManus’ Collection of Short Stories which we hope will be published around about Easter 2021.

A busy year ahead! Looking forward to meeting up with everybody next Thursday on Zoom from 7:00pm – 9:00pm.

What a wonderful way to bring the 2020 Write-on sessions to a close! More than 20 videos on display; the launch of our Christmas Covid Song BEAT THE VIRUS; magical new stories and poems; comedy inserts; surprise guests with gifts; and a brand new Mug of the Month Winner, NOLLAIG O’DONNELL, our birthday girl!

A huge ‘Thank You’ to Anne Murray for her brilliant work gathering and presenting the MOTM entries. She has brought the monthly competition to a new level; interest in winning the coveted Mugsy is at fever pitch at the moment. Watch the MUG OF THE MONTH entries for yourself and you will see that Nollaig was a deserving winner. The fact that it happened on her birthday was just a charming piece of serendipity.

Nollaig’s story MAM’s LITTLE CLOWN was one of the highlights of the evening. There wasn’t a dry eye left in the house after her beautiful reading.

But the night was full of highlights: Anne McManus’s poem about her Christmas Memory; Judith Geoghegan’s evocative description of Manhattan Christmas Magic; Mary Rose’s Santa’s Secret; Sean McGrath’s Nonsense Poem; Thomas MacMahon’s Thoughts Before Christmas and Warm a Heart; Nollaig’s Advent, Snow, In Memory of Bells; and all the contributions from Elizabeth, James, Mary, Ciara, Geraldine, Anne Murray and Frank.

We had a wonderful evening of fun and celebration. Enjoy sharing the Write-on Website with your friends and family over Christmas. There are loads of videos, stories, poems and songs to watch to remind us that even during a pandemic, people are resilient, strong and creative. If we work together, we can overcome any difficulty.

Let the Write-on spirit of Christmas carry you all safely through to the end of 2020 into a sparkling new year, filled with promises of better days to come.

Happy Christmas to everyone! See you all in the New Year!

Our last session of 2020. And what a send-off we have planned! Lots and lots of new poems, Christmas Stories, our collective song, and MUG OF THE MONTH as well! Can you contain your excitement?

Some of the highlights that we know about so far:

Song: BEAT THE VIRUS – by the collective warblers of Write-on

Mug of the Month — Eight contestants vie for MUGSY with keywords DUST & Light — but will the reigning champion let him go?

MOTM (1) I Dream of Christmas by Nollaig O’Donnell

MOTM (2) Division of Labour by Anne Murray

MOTM (3) Light Beats Dust by Thomas MacMahon

MOTM (4) See the Light by Anne McManus

MOTM (5) Suspicion, Specks and Sparkles by Mary Faherty

MOTM (6) Light and Dust by Elizabeth Hannon

MOTM (7) Live Wire by James Keogh

MOTM (8) Dust and Light by Frank Fahy

Poem: Sean McGrath’s Nonsense Poem

Song: Mary Rose sings Silent Night

Story: Mum’s Little Clown by Nollaig O’Donnell

Poem: Thoughts Before Christmas by Thomas MacMahon

Poem: Childhood Memory by Anne McManus

Poem: Merry Christmas by Mary Faherty

Poem: Snow by Nollaig O’Donnell

Poem: Advent by Nollaig O’Donnell

Poem: Warm a Heart by Thomas MacMahon

Poem: In Memory of Bells by Nollaig O’Donnell

Poem: Manhattan Christmas Magic by Judith Geoghegan

Story: Revealing Santa’s Secret by Mary Rose Tobin

And much, much, more….

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE! THANK YOU FOR MAKING WRITE-ON SUCH FUN!

Thomas MacMahon’s poem WARM A HEART will be published in Ireland’s Own New Year Annual. The poem has some beautiful, loving sentiments and is particularly appropriate for this time of year, especially in the strange Covid-19 times that have affected all of our lives. It is a poem about communicating with our loved ones, through traditional methods such as writing a letter, or by more modern methods, such as using a mobile phone. Whatever devices we use, we should make time and take the opportunity to express our affection for our loved ones.

Well done to Thomas! He becomes the first member of Write-on to be published in Ireland’s most revered magazine. Perhaps other members will be inspired to submit their works to the magazine for consideration, and follow in his footsteps.

To celebrate Thomas’s achievement, we have highlighed WARM A HEART on the FEATURES section of our website.