Non-Fiction & Memoir

Director: Molly McCloskey

Biog:

Molly was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Oregon. She moved to Ireland in 1989. Having spent ten years on the west coast of Ireland she now resides in Dublin. She is the author of a novel, Protection, and two short story collections – Solomon’s Seal and The Beautiful Changes. Her first work of non-fiction, Circles Around the Sun, was published in 2011. This memoir concerns her brother’s descent into schizophrenia and the effects of his illness on him and on the family. It was named the Sunday Times Memoir of the Year and was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards in the non-fiction category. As a journalist, essayist and reviewer, McCloskey is a regular contributor to The Irish Times and the Dublin Review, and her work has appeared in The Guardian and ELLE. She has served as Writer Fellow at Trinity College Dublin, and has worked for the UN in their Kenya-based office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for Somalia.

Course Theme:

This three-day workshop will combine discussion of short assigned pieces of non-fiction with reading and discussion of student work. Students will need to bring a short piece of non-fiction-in-progress to share with the class – either a self-contained piece or an excerpt from a longer work. (Please bring 16 copies.) The writing may take the form of memoir, personal essay, travel, reportage, or a combination of these. We will explore the boundaries of non-fiction, the ethical questions it poses and the fascinating range of writing styles, voices, subject matter and themes available to writers in this genre. Your work needn’t be polished – it is more important that you bring with you an open mind and an interest in non-fiction.

For Bookings:

Workshop Information

Each three-day Workshop will run from 9.00am – 12.30pm on:

Thursday 31^st May, Friday 1st June and Saturday 2^nd June 2012.

Places are limited to 15 per workshop.

Workshop Fee: €175.00 for each three-day workshop

Bookings can be made:

By Phone:
+353 (0)68 21074

By Post:
Cheque / Postal Order [Ireland Only] Payable to Writers’ Week Ltd.

In Person:
Call to Writers’ Week Festival Office, 24 The Square, Listowel, Co Kerry, Ireland.
Office Hours: 10.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday.

Credit/Debit Card – Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Laser, Tel: +353 (0) 68-21074

Please Note: Credit Card bookings are subject to a booking fee of €4 per transaction and Laser €2 per transaction.

There is NO booking fee for Cheque / Irish Postal Order purchases.