In her early 20s Maria was in a folk group, and she started writing lyrics, and some poetry. But it wasn’t until 2004, when she joined a creative writing group that she started taking writing seriously.

Tune in tonight to watch award-winning chef Neven Maguire create delicious dishes using ingredients from local producers.

ITALY:

The Outlaw Album

The Outlaw Album

What I do: Paint in oils. Lately I’ve been writing plays and acting (of sorts)

After university, Carol worked in America with elderly people with mental illness: she worked with men with head injuries, and for a time, living in British Columbia, she was a contributing copy editor for a newspaper.

An award-winning journalist in Alaska, Eowyn enjoyed her varied job, but being a reporter was never her passion. So she left, and worked in an independent bookshop; and it was there that she gained the energy and creative spirit to experiment with fiction. She spent five years working on a novel.

THERE is no question that books will eventually be bought almost exclusively online or that we are living through the end of an era for the printed book.

SPEAKING in Bantry last summer the wonderful American writer Annie Proulx said one of the things that fascinated her about Ireland was trying to understand why West Cork people who emigrated to Wyoming – where she then lived – in the 1850s were so utterly destructive of the environment around them.

IF a picture tells a thousand words, then one of John Minihan’s photos of his west Cork home would do instead of a sales brochure, or editorial write up.

RECLUSIVE author Annie Proulx arrived in Ireland yesterday to open a literary festival and will spend the next few days in west Cork researching a new book.

AWARD-WINNING author Annie Proulx has given her backing to a groundbreaking Irish festival celebrating creativity in older age.

Gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain was the big winner at the BAFTAs tonight on a night of disappointment for British Oscar hopes.

The writers of gay cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain and racial drama Crash were honoured at the Writers Guild Awards (WGA) on Saturday with one gong each.

COWBOY love story Brokeback Mountain led the Academy Awards field with eight nominations, including those for best picture, best actor and best director.

The cowboy love story Brokeback Mountain led the Academy Awards field today with eight nominations, including those for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

DRAMA Crash pulled off an upset win over previous Oscar-favourite Brokeback Mountain at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

THE organisers of the lucrative Frank O’Connor Short Story Award have criticised those short-listed for the €50,000 prize after only two of the six said they would turn up for the presentation ceremony.

Taiwanese director Ang Lee was honoured with the coveted Golden Lion award for his latest movie Brokeback Mountain at the climax of the 62nd Venice Film Festival in Italy at the weekend.

SENSE and Sensibility director Ang Lee’s controversial story of cowboys in love, Brokeback Mountain, has won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival.

SENSE And Sensibility director Ang Lee has risked the wrath of right-wing America with his latest film unveiled at the Venice Film Festival yesterday - Brokeback Mountain, the story of cowboys in love.

Sense And Sensibility director Ang Lee has risked the wrath of right-wing America with his latest film unveiled at the Venice Film Festival today - Brokeback Mountain, the story of cowboys in love.

SOME of the biggest names in literature are competing for the inaugural €50,000 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Prize, it emerged yesterday.