Where: Aidan Heavey Library, Athlone
When: 10 September – 19 November (one week break for October midterm)
Time: 6pm-8pm
A 10-week creative writing course that aims to aid participants in writing their first novel. This course is geared towards those with an interest in fiction, who would like to try their hand at writing. It focuses on commercial and popular fiction, covering mainstream genres such as thrillers, romance, women’s fiction, crime and up-lit. This course will give participants a strong understanding of how these genres are differentiated, what they demand, and what readers are looking for. It will prepare participants to write their own novel, looking at everything from idea to plot to characters.
Eithne Shortall is the author of 5 bestselling, internationally published novels. Her work has been published in 13 global territories, translated into nine languages, and been optioned for the screen. Her books have won awards, such as Best Page Turner at the UK’s Big Book Awards, and been nominated for others, such as the Irish Book Awards. Her novels have been named in multiple Best Books of the Year lists and selected for the BBC Radio 2 book club. She is the former chief arts writer with the Sunday Times Ireland and now writes a weekly column for the Business Post newspaper. Eithne is the 2024 John Broderick Writer-in-Residence.
This is a free 10-week writing course. To apply for a place please fill out this online form with the following information;
Places are very limited, so please ensure you will be available to attend the course in full if you are selected.
John Broderick, born on 30 July 1924 in Athlone, was a distinguished author and literary critic. Throughout his lifetime, he authored 12 novels, with notable works including The Waking of Willie Ryan and the once-banned, The Pilgrimage. Broderick passed away in Bath, England, in 1989.
Alongside his career as a writer, Broderick was an avid supporter of the visual arts and music. Following his death, be bequeathed his estate to the Arts Council for “the benefit and advancement of the Arts in Athlone”. 2024 is the centenary of John Broderick’s birth. Centenary celebrations kicked off on Tuesday July 30th with a special event which saw author Eithne Shortall announced as this year’s recipient of the John Broderick writer’s residency. This was accompanied by the relaunch of John’s acclaimed novel, The Waking of Willie Ryan, in print and for the first time as an audio book.