Calling all writers to Cork literary gathering

Writers are gathering in Cork this week to launch a monthly event bringing local authors and budding writers together, writes Marjorie Brennan.

Writing, by its very nature, can be a solitary pursuit. Nobody knows this better than Madeline D’Arcy and Danielle McLaughlin, both established and highly regarded authors.

The two women are launching Fiction at the Friary, a monthly event, in the hope of bringing those interested in writing together to learn from each other in a fun and supportive environment.

“Writers spend a lot of time on their own. I have found it to be lonely — I even gave up writing for a while because of that. The fun went out of it,” says D’Arcy. “This event helps get the fun back into it… we don’t always have to be intense, solitary people.”

D’Arcy and McLaughlin were inspired by The Lightning Bug, another Cork event for writers run by Norma Burke.

“Danielle and I both read at that event and we were so impressed with what Norma was doing. Unfortunately, she moved away from Cork and couldn’t run it anymore. We missed it and thought there was a space for it,” says D’Arcy.

“We want to encourage people who are interested in fiction, whether they are writing it, reading it, or just coming along to listen to it. I think it is also very good for mental health. It is so different having a live event, it really brings fiction to life, and we have such wonderful writers here in Cork.”

It is perhaps no accident that D’Arcy and McLaughlin ended up being friends and collaborators, as both are qualified solicitors who came to writing in their forties. Following the release of her debut short story collection, Waiting for the Bullet, in 2014, D’Arcy is now working on a novel.

The same applies to McLaughlin, whose short story collection Dinosaurs on Other Planets was published in 2015 to widespread acclaim, with the title story given a prestigious berth in the New Yorker.

The event will be held at the Friary pub, located at the junction of North Mall and Shandon Street in Cork city. It is a fitting venue in more ways than one, as D’Arcy explains.

“My brother Mike D’Arcy runs the pub. He is a fun guy and really enthusiastic about putting on lots of different events. It’s a very welcoming environment.”

D’Arcy and McLaughlin plan to have a guest author reading at each event. First up is William Wall, with future guests including Eimear Ryan, co-editor of literary journal Banshee Lit, and Danny Denton, whose debut novel, The Earlie King and The Kid in Yellow, has been acquired by Granta.

There will also be the opportunity to take part in a writing exercise and an open-mic opportunity for people to read their work.

However, McLaughlin stresses that taking part in any of these is optional.

“It will be very informal and fun. Nobody should feel they will be put under pressure to read or write. People can write if they want, they can take the prompts, join in and have a go. They don’t have to share it.

"We would like it to be a place where they can hang out and meet other writers and find out what is happening, to have someone to bounce an idea off or discuss getting published and so on.”

D’Arcy and McLaughlin also hope to attract diverse voices.

“We were hoping that as the event develops, we would attract writers who are not necessarily Irish but who live here. It would be lovely to engage with more writers from different backgrounds,” says D’Arcy.

• Fiction at the Friary takes place this Sunday from 3pm-6pm at the Friary bar, Shandon Street