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What is a writer?
So for those of you that don’t keep a running calendar of all the international writing festivals taking place in Armagh City, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, this past Monday marked the beginning of the John Hewitt International Summer School, which is an international writers conference and seminar that features presentations, readings, and yours […]
Hotties, history and ducks
Today was a less productive day for me. I only went to one daytime activity, which was the lunchtime reading with Gavin Corbett who was fabulousssssss (and very attractive.) His latest book is titled “This is the Way.” Here is the excerpt from the back cover: “Anthony Sonaghan is hiding out in an old tenement […]
So Much Talent In A Small Space
I can’t say I’m surprised about the festival being full of talented individuals, but I also am having a hard time putting it into words. I’ve never been to anything like this. I’ve only been to the kind of festivals full of blaring music and drunken, sloppy young adults. Doesn’t really compare. Its been really […]
Enjoying the Festival?
So we’ve just been through Day One of the John Hewitt Festival. What are my first impressions? It was okay. I mean, the opening ceremony was interesting. I didn’t know there were any Indian people living in Ireland, so the Indian speaker was a bit of an eye-opener for me. The lunchtime reader had some […]
I’m basically just making stuff up
The Hewitt was awesome! I came into it with a very open mind. I had no idea how many people were going to be there, how the speeches were going to go, and especially what was going to be required of me at the historical fiction workshop. When I told one of my good friends […]
American food and farm transportation
I miss American food. And salt. And pizza. Armagh is pretty cool, but the fact that no food establishments stay open later than 8p.m. is very inconvenient. Thinking about it I am sure it’s a good thing people can’t access fast food so late at night, good for your overall health and what not. But […]
Americans Write for Americans. . .
. . .because an American writes for their self! Yes, Chloe McDaniel appeared in the dining area like a plot device and got Terri talking about ketchup and catching up and I’ve become acutely aware that I haven’t posted a blog update in God knows how long. Worse still, I haven’t posted a preachy, anti–American […]
Unprompted: The Flies of Vinegar Hill
They say you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar So why are there so many flies on Vinegar Hill? Black-bodied, red-eyed sons of Satan Buzzing, droning across the stones Tasting them with their feet Do they taste death still? Are these the children of 1798 Whose fathers crawled across rosy flesh grown pale […]
Home Is Where the City Is?
“So where are yiz from?” asks the girl behind the counter at the gas station as she rings up the total for my chocolate. I smile as I step back and turn to my friends. By this point, I have this explanation down pat. “I’m from South Carolina, those two are from Baltimore, she’s from […]
Where and Why?
Some people look at Armagh and say “why?” Actually, almost all people, as far as I can tell, look at Armagh and say “why?” One of the things that surprised me the most about interacting with the people of Armagh is how stunned they are that a group of eight American students would come here to study […]
