- 'On The Nail' Literary Gathering - Literature ~ Poetry ~ Fiction ~ Short Story ~ Creative Writing

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 6th Jan 2011 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 6th Jan 2011 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick . Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Month (Jan 2011) our guests are poet Teri Murray and author James Lawless. James Lawless was born in Dublin and divides his time between County Kildare and West Cork. His firs t novel, Peeling Oranges , a paternal quest set in the Liberties of Dublin and Franco’s Spain, was published in 2007 by Killynon House. Awards include the Scintilla Welsh Open Poetry competition in 2002, the Cecil Day Lewis Play Award 2005 for What Are Neighbours For? and a Hennessy Award nomination and the WOW Award for short stories in 2010. A second novel, For Love of Anna , a story of love, ideology and corruption, was p

The Winning Short Story in the LWC Flash Fiction Slam 2010 written by Barry Finegan Two of the five It all started with the flambéed Christmas pudding. Appearing innocent enough, it did possess two of the five ingredients most common to domestic disaster, fire and alcohol. Things could have turned out quite different. It was one of those typical white hot, furnace bright, clear sky, sluggish wind, African Christmas days. On such days every manner of creature finds the deepest shade it can and rests; all but homo sapiens. For us it was a day for friends and family; lots of friends, necessary family. A day for trestle tables on the back lawn struggling under the weight of turkeys, hams, steamed vegetables, Christmas puddings, buckets of ice bearing bottles of stein, and sweating cans of lager; many cans of lager. It was a day for streamers, and crackers, and silly little whistles, and short jokes printed in microscopic font onto tiny bits of paper, and crêpe hats that bleed blue, red, y

Limerick Writers’ Centre Christmas Literary Bash (incorporating the 2010 LWC Flash Fiction Slam Final) Thurs. 2nd Dec 8.00pm @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Come along to the Loft @ the Locke bar, George’s quay on Thursday, December 2nd at 8pm for a festive feast of fiction, poetry and a merry miscellany of all sorts of literary guff. On the night we will be hosting the awards for the 2010 LWC Flash Fiction Slam , with the field narrowed down to just 10 stories. Audience members will get the opportunity to vote for their favourite. The theme was Christmas and the shortlist ranges from the saccharine to the bizarre. The ten short-listed writers will read their pieces, short and attention-grabbing at just 300 words. A crack team of craic judges has been assembled, including Bob Burke (Bisto award winner – The Third Pig Detective Agency), Roisin Meaney (Love in the Making), Susanne O’Leary (Swedish for Beginners) and Helena Close (The Clever One) This is the first year that the competition

Limerick Writers’ Centre Presents An ‘On the Nail’ Special Tues. 9th Nov 2010 8.00pm @The Locke Bar, Limerick. All Ireland ‘limericks’ Slam Championship Calling all poets and writers! The All Ireland ‘limericks’ Championship takes place Tues 9th Nov in The Loft Venue at The Locke Bar, George’s Quay Limerick…start time 8.00pm! The slam will take the form of a two round contest (so bring at least two ‘limericks’) and the verse must strictly follow the ‘limerick’ formula, it must also be of the performers own construction. The winners will be chosen by an appointed three person panel. The prize on offer is a trophy for the winner and two runner up prizes. If you want to participate, all you have to do is arrive on the night to the Locke Bar and give your name to the M.C. Alternatively you can send on your name to the limerickwriterscentre@gmail.com requesting inclusion. We will be delighted to hear from you and your letter will be acknowledged. Once your name is on the list you will be c

Limerick Writers’ Centre Presents An ‘On the Nail’ Special Tues 19th Oct. 2010 8.30pm Munster Heat All Ireland Poetry Slam Performance poets and spoken word artists from Limerick, Cork, Kerry, Clare and Tipperary will battle it out at the Munster heat of the All Ireland Poetry Slam to be held at 8.30pm Tues Oct 19th- The Locke Bar, Limerick. For those of you who haven’t experienced one, a slam is a performance poetry competition in which poets perform for not more than three minutes. The winner will be chosen by an appointed three person panel. The prize on offer to the winner is the honour of representing Munster in the 4th All Ireland Poetry Slam to be held 3.00pm Oct 30th at the International Bar in Dublin. If you want to participate, all you have to do is arrive on the night to the Locke Bar and give your name to the M.C. Alternatively you can email your name to the limerickwriterscentre@gmail.com requesting inclusion. We will be delighted to hear from you and your letter will be

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 4th Nov 2010 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 4th Nov 2010 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick . Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Month (November) our Guest Readers are Grace Wells and Susanne O’Leary Grace Wells' first book, 'Gyrfalcon', a novel for children, won the Eilis Dillon Best Newcomer Bisto Award and was an International White Ravens' Choice. A second children's novel Ice-Dreams was published by the O'Brien Press in 2008, while 'One World, Our World' a development education book for Irish Aid, has recently been launched by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Her poetry and short stories have appeared widely and been broadcast on RTE. She was selected for Poetry Ireland's Introduc

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 7th Oct 2010 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 7th Oct 2010 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Month (October) we Launch Revival Poetry Journal No 17 plus Guest Readers Matthew Sweeney and Roisin Meaney ( new novel Love In The Making will be launched by Mags Haugh of Spotlight Stage School on the night). Matthew Sweeney was born Co Donegal, Ireland, 1952. Lived for many years in London, and more recently in Romania and Germany but returned to UK and Ireland frequently for work and earnings purposes. Since late 2007 he has been based in Cork. As well as publications mentioned elsewhere, work is increasingly appearing in translation. Has lived as a freelance writer since the mid 1980s. Roisi

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 2nd Sept 2010 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 2nd Sept 2010 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick. Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Months (September) Guest Readers are Nuala Ní Chonchúir (in association with Poetry Ireland) and Gerard Stembridge. Nuala Ní Chonchúir was Born in Dublin in 1970, and is a full-time fiction writer and poet, living in Galway county. She has published three collections of short fiction, three poetry collections - one in an anthology, and one novel. Nuala holds a BA in Irish from Trinity College Dublin and a Masters in Translation Studies (Irish/English) from Dublin City University. She has worked as an arts administrator in theatre and in a writers' centre; as a translator, as a bookseller

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 5th Aug 2010 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 5th Aug 2010 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick. Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Months (August) Guest Readers are Dave Lordan and Elaine Feeney Dave Lordan was born in Derby, England, in 1975, and grew up in Clonakilty in West Cork. In 2004 he was awarded an Arts Council bursary and in 2005 he won the Patrick Kavanagh Award for Poetry. His collections are The Boy in The Ring (Salmon Poetry, 2007), which won the Strong Award for best first collection by an Irish writer and was shortlisted for the Irish Times poetry prize; and Invitation to a Sacrifice (Salmon Poetry, 2010) is just published. Eigse Riada theatre company produced his first play, Jo Bangles, at the Mill Theatre, D

REVIVAL PRESS In association with THE LIMERICK WRITERS’ CENTRE is pleased to announce the launch of Gleanings by John Liddy Monday 12th July 2010 at 8.00pm at The Locke Bar (Upstairs). All Welcome!

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 1st July 2010 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 1st July 2010 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick. Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Months Guest Readers are Noel King, Tim Cunningham and Richard Halperin. Richard W. Halperin is an Irish/U.S. poet who lives in Paris. Since 2005, he has been widely published in journals, mainly in Ireland, e.g., Revival, The Stony Thursday Book, The Shop, Cyphers, The Stinging Fly (Featured Poet, Summer 2009), Poetry Ireland Review, Ropes Galway. He will be reading from his debut collection Anniversary (Salmon Poetry Limited). [optional:] He gave his first reading in 2007 at Glenstal Abbey. Noel King is a writer, actor and musician, native of Tralee, Co. Kerry. His poetry, haiku, short stori

Lunchtime reading at THE HUNT MUSEUM, LIMERICK, Tuesday 25th May - A LIMERICK MISCELLANY with Mae Leonard at which she will read some of her Sunday Miscellany pieces.

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 3rd June 2010 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 3rd June 2010 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick. Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Months Guest Readers Knute Skinner and John Walsh . Knute Skinner was born in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2000 he retired from teaching and now, along with his spouse, Edna Faye Kiel, is resident year round in Killaspuglonane, County Clare. His first book of poetry, Stranger with a Watch, appeared in 1965 and contained early poems written in Iowa. His second collection, A Close Sky over Killaspuglonane (1968), showed the influence of the people and the landscape of rural Clare. Since then, he has published eight more books and six chapbooks. His poems, which have appeared widely in serial publicati

Walk and Workshop Presents Poets: Maighread Medbh, Mags Treanor, Susan Millar DuMars, Elaine Feeney and Mary Mullen. June 5th, 1PM in a field on a farm above a turlough in Co. Galway. Event not weather permitting. Email for details and directions: walkandworkshop@yahoo.ie

Celebrating 21 years at the heart of Limerick city this year, The Locke Bar recently marked the occasion by announcing details of its new venue, The Loft, which will play host to theatre, music, literature, comedy, and be available for parties and corporate functions. The Limerick Writers' Centre are already in residence there since last year with their 'On The Nail' literary reading series and now Limerick’s Bottom Dog Theatre Company have taken up residency in the new venue, which is ‘themed’ with memorabilia from Limerick’s theatrical and musical past. Richard Costello proprietor of the Locke Bar has managed, even in these recessionary times, to create a new cultural hub for the city. Also in residency are Limerick Songwriters who have a weekly open-mic session for new and aspiring songwriters. The Locke Bar is now undoubtedly the new home of poetry, literature, theatre and creative and artistic endeavours in Limerick.

'On The Nail' Reading @ The Locke Bar, Limerick Thurs. 6th May 2010 8.00pm The next monthly 'On The Nail' literary reading takes place Thursday 6th May 2010 at 8.00pm in The Locke Bar, George's Quay, Limerick. Organised by The Limerick Writers' Centre this popular monthly reading and open-mic continues to attract audiences with a mix of poetry, prose and music. This Months Guest Readers Kevin Higgins, Mary Madec and Susan Millar DuMars. Kevin Higgins is co-organiser of Over The Edge literary events in Galway, Ireland. He has published three collections of poems The Boy With No Face (2005), Time Gentlemen, Please (2008) and Frightening New Furniture (2010) all published by Salmon Poetry. His work also features in Identity Parade – New British and Irish Poets (Ed Roddy Lumsden, Bloodaxe 2010). Mary Madec was born in County Mayo. She started writing poetry about six years ago and since then has published in Crannóg, West 47, The Cúirt Annual, the SHOp, The S