To: Creative Writing Groups in County Wexford.

From: Wexford Public Libraries

Please find attached information on two part-time / evening courses, in Modern Irish Literature and Creative Writing, which will be offered in September 2006 by the Wexford campus of Carlow I.T. in association with Wexford Public Libraries. I hope they may be of interest to you or to your friends.

If you require further information please contact Ann Tracey, campus secretary,

Wexford campus of Carlow IT, Summerhill Road, Wexford

E-mail: wexford@itcarlow.ie

Tel: (053) 9122992

Programme Code: LWX06/17

Course Accreditation: Institute of Technology Carlow (Special Purpose Award)

Course Duration: 20 weeks – 1 evening per week 7.00 – 9.00pm

Course Fee: €295.00

For Whom: This programme offers participants an introduction to Modern Irish Literature. It is a component element of the Bachelor of Arts – in Communications and Public Relations.
This course is designed to appeal to individuals with an interest in Irish literature and who wish to develop their appreciation of the novels, poetry and plays written by Irish authors since approximately 1950.

Previous Requirements: None

Starting Date: September 2006

Course Content: On completion of this course students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the poetry, drama and fiction produced by contemporary Irish writers. Learners will be encouraged to participate in discussions on the topics covered and to write a constructive critical analysis of the literary works dealt with on the course. Assessment is by way of three essays submitted during the course.

Writers covered in the course may include the following:

Drama: Brian Friel, John B. Keane, Tom Murphy, Samuel Beckett

Poetry: Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan, Eavan Boland, Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill

Fiction: John McGahern, Colm Toibín, Roddy Doyle, Edna O’Brien, Jennifer Johnston

This course is being offered in association with Wexford Public Libraries.

Programme Code: LWX06/18

Course Accreditation: Institute of Technology Carlow (Special Purpose Award)

Course Duration: 10 evening sessions of 3 hours each Course Fee:€275.00 For Whom:Those intending to take the course should be interested in literary fiction, be willing to write and rewrite their work, and prepare criticism on the work submitted to the workshops. Over the course of ten weeks, each writer will submit two pieces of writing which will be constructively criticized by the group and its tutor.

Entry Requirements: No formal qualifications required but applicants should be prepared to read, write and discuss all work submitted.

Starting Date: September 2006

Course Content: The course is designed for people who would like to write fiction: short stories or a novel. The tutor will discuss the structure of a story, points of view, character development, writing dialogue and pacing. Some stories by writers including John McGahern, Raymond Carver, James Joyce and Alice Munro will be read over the ten week course.

Course Tutor: Claire Keegan grew up on a farm in Clonegal on the Carlow/Wexford border. Her stories, Antarctica (Faber & Faber), have won many awards including The William Trevor Prize, The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and The McCaulay Fellowship. She was twice the recipient of The Francis MacManus Award. Keegan has twice been the recipient of an Arts Council Bursary and is a Wingate Scholar. She holds an M.A. in the Teaching & Practice of Creative Writing from the University of Wales, and an M. Phil from Trinity College. She was Writer in Residence in UCD during 2005/06. Her stories have appeared in many journals and anthologies including Best Irish Stories, The Paris Review and Granta. Recipient of the Wexford County Council Literature Bursary 2005, her next collection, “Walk the Blue Fields” will be published by Faber & Faber in Spring 2007.

This course is being offered in association with Wexford Public Libraries