(more pictures available on the official Bradshaw Books Facebook page)

PRESS RELEASE

Hundreds attend the World Book Festival Launch of Some Sort of Beauty, the début short story collection by Cork writer Jamie O’Connell, in Triskel Arts Centre

Event date: 21 April 2012, 8.30pm

Last Saturday, Triskel Arts Centre was thronged with guest for the World Book Festival launch of Some Sort of Beauty, the debut short story collection by Cork writer Jamie O’Connell (Bradshaw Books 2012). With two hundred guests attending the event, not a seat in Christchurch was empty.

The night opened with a wine reception and a performance on the grand piano by Michael Joyce of the Cork School of Music, accompanied by young clarinettist Sophie Creener, who, at sixteen years of age, is already making waves in music circles. Amongst the guests were many recognisable faces from the Cork literary and artistic circles: Patrick Cotter and Jennifer Matthews of the Munster Literature Centre, Liam Ronanye and Eamonn Kirwan of Cork City Libraries, Dr Flavio Boggi and Dr Sabine Kriebel from University College Cork, Councillor Lorraine Kinsgston, Nicki French Davis of Civic Trust House, and Eithne Egan and the team of Cork Midsummer Festival. Writer Greg Baxter, author of The Apartment (Penguin 2012), who read at an earlier World Book Festival event, was in the front row along with Susan Stairs, whose debut novel The Story of Before is being published  by Corvus in 2013.

Launching the book on the night was Dr Eibhear Walsh, Senior Lecturer in University College Cork. Speaking in glowing terms about the collection, he praised its ‘frankness, honesty and clarity’, saying that he had found it immensely enjoyable. Reading an extract from ‘Demain’, a story he particularly liked, he spoke of its self-reflective qualities and its celebration of writing: ‘for if the worst possible outcome was that my work remained unread on a disintegrating hard-drive, would it be so very bad if the simple process of writing had given my life meaning?’.

O’Connell read three extracts from Some Sort of Beauty. Most memorable of all was ‘The Believer’, a short story inspired by the death of his Grandfather (to whom the book is dedicated).  Having previously spoken to Colette Sheridan (Evening Echo 09 April 2012) about the effect his grandfather had on his life, there was not a dry eye in Christchurch as he read passages about his grandfather’s final night in Mallow Hospital.

The success of the night was immediately apparent as the reading was delayed 30 minutes due to the queue to buy the collection and get it signed by O’Connell. Concluding the launch, festival organiser Ann Luttrell, Literature Manger of the Triskel, spoke of how overwhelmed she was by the turnout, one of the biggest she had seen in recent times. Guests from as far as London, Paris and the USA were in attendance. The book, described as a ‘powerful set of stories’ by The Sunday Independent, is now fast on its way to making a major literary waves in 2012.

The night continued afterwards with canapés and drinks for guests in the Carlsberg room in Bodega till the early hours of the morning.  The first of many celebrations of this exciting young artist’s work, without doubt.

If want to know more about Some Sort of Beauty, Jamie O’Connell or the launch you can visit www.bradshawbooks.com or www.jamieoconnellwriter.com or send me an email at info@bradshawbooks.com

Emer Duane

Projects Manager

Bradshaw Books

Bradshaw Books, in association with Cork City Libraries and Triskel Arts Center, is happy to invite you to the launch of Jamie O’Connell’s debut short story collection Some Sort of Beauty, taking place on 21 April as part of World Book Festival 2012.

The event will begin at 8.30 in Triskel Arts Centre (Christchurch) with a wine reception; Cork pianist Michael Joyce will be playing on the grand piano accompanied by 16 year old Sophie Creener, who is already making waves as a consummate clarinet player . The set is to include a portion from Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. Afterwards Dr Eibhear Walshe (University College Cork) will officially launch the collection, followed by a reading by Jamie O’Connell. The night will continue with drinks in Gulped, Triskel’s Bar-Café, which is celebrating its first anniversary.

About Some Sort of Beauty:

‘Go into yourself. Search for the reason that bids you to write… describe your sorrows and desires, passing thoughts and a belief in some sort of beauty’
Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Jamie O’Connell’s debut collection of short stories, Some Sort of Beauty, distils the experiences, memories, regrets and hopes of a miscellany of 21st-century private worlds. The collection explores issues of faith, sexuality, travel and modern urban culture, through voices as diverse as that of a Jehovah’s Witness father coping with the death of his rebel daughter, the monologue of a woman who abandoned her young family, drug-fuelled reminiscences and stark reflections on love and the quiet tragedy of everyday moments. Underlining these narratives is a powerful humanity guided by hope, forgiveness and the redemptive power of art.

‘a fresh, engaging and powerful set of stories’.
THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT

‘A stunning debut by a writer of great talent and courage’.
Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, author of Shelter of Neighbours

***

If want to know more about Some Sort of Beauty, Jamie O’Connell or the launch contact Bradshaw Books Projects Manager Emer at info@bradshawbooks.com. Alternatively visit www.bradshawbooks.com.

I’ve included (below) a link to the Bradshaw Books Autumn 2011 Brochure, which has been available throughout Ireland, Spain and the US as part of our Cork Literary Review, Eurochild and Translation Tours. However, if you weren’t able to pick a print copy up, here is a PDF version, which will let you know what is keeping us busy till mid-spring 2012!

Autumn 2011 Brochure

If you’d like any more information contact Jamie at info@bradshawbooks.com

Video includes interviews with Eugene O’Connell, Irish Ambassador James A Sharkey, and poets Gerard Smyth, James Harpur and Jennifer Matthews, as well as featuring a performance by Deja Vu, Ireland’s premiere female barbershop quartet. The filming took place at the Lord Mayor’s Presentation of the Cork Literary Review (28 October 2011), organised by Jamie O’Connell in Cork Vision Centre @ St. Peter’s.

The video can be viewed on the Bradshaw Books Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGefbo4wvw8

CORK LITERARY REVIEW VOLUME XIV

INTERNATIONAL TOUR

2011

LORD MAYOR’S PRESENTATION

AND

OFFICIAL LAUNCH

At Cork Vision Centre, North Main Street, Cork City

Thursday, 27^th October 6.30-8.30.pm

On Thursday 27 October Lord Mayor Cllr. Terry Shannon will be presented with the Cork Literary Review Volume XIV by its editor Eugene O’Connell. As part of this presentation, the Lord Mayor will officially launch the 2011 International Tour of the Review, which will see the acclaimed anthology of Irish poetry and essays tour five cities in the US, first stop San Francisco. The San Francisco launch is funded by Cork City Council Twinning, showing their continued commitment to the cultural exchange between the two cities, offering Cork writers an opportunity to be read by new audiences internationally.

The evening will begin with a wine reception for the Lord Mayor and invited guests at 6.30pm. Music accompanying the evening’s festivities will be performed by Déjà Vu, the Carrigaline Barbershop Quartet, who not only won the National Female Quartet Championship 2011 at the Irish Association of Barbershop Singers Convention, but ranked third in the world at the International Championships.

At 7.00pm, the Lord Mayor will be presented with Volume XIV, officially launching the International Tour, after which distinguished poet Thomas McCarthy will introduce the Review itself. Editor Eugene O’Connell, Ambassador James J Sharkey, along with Volume XIV’s contributors, Gerard Smyth, Jennifer Matthews, James Harpur, and Liam Ó Muirthile will read some brief highlights from the Review, while Paula McGlinchey and Rosie O’Regan will perform a short dramatic piece. Liam Ronayne of Cork City Libraries will close the evening’s readings and Déjà Vu will perform some of their classic songs, which have seen them recognised internationally.

This year’s Cork Literary Review is a deluxe 400-page hardback, celebrating 25 years of Bradshaw Books Publishing in Ireland. Highlights from Volume XIV include interviews with the Irish Ambassador, James J. Sharkey, a childhood friend of Seamus Heaney; and Liadain O’Donovan, the daughter of Frank O’Connor. The Review features an American section, edited and introduced by the poet Brian Turner, showcasing poetry from diverse writers across the US. To celebrate this, the Cork Literary Review is touring the US (San Francisco, Berkeley, Chicago, Boston, and New York) funded by Culture Ireland’s Imagine Ireland initiative and Cork City Council Twinning.

Since it first appeared in 1994, the Cork Literary Review has evolved from a slim anthology of winning competition entries into a widely respected, high-end literary journal. Down through the years, it has featured contributions from a host of noted Irish poets and writers, among them, Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan, Thomas McCarthy, Frank McGuinness, Jean O’Brien, Ian Wild, Brian Turner, Medbh McGuckian, Sheila O’Hagan, Eugene O’Connell, William Wall, John McAuliffe, Mary Rose Callan and Roderick Ford. Volume XIII received rave reviews in both The Irish Times and The Guardian.

The Cork Literary Review is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and Cork City Council.

To find out more, check out the Cork Literary Review Tour Brochure, or alternatively email Jamie at info@bradshawbooks.com or call 021 4215175.

Cliona O’Connell grew up in County Wicklow and currently lives in Dublin. She was selected for the 2010 Poetry Ireland Introductions Series and was shortlisted for the 2009 Hennessey Literary Awards for Emerging Poetry. She has previously been published in Poetry Ireland Review, Southword, The Stinging Fly, The Sunday Tribune and the Fish Anthology. She is currently studying for an MA in Poetry Studies at Mater Dei Institute, Dublin City University.

In selecting White Space, judge Jean O’Brien said the work was ‘innovative and ambitious’, ‘witty with some striking images’, with a ‘Muldoonish use and play with language’.

As prize-winner, we look forward to working with Cliona in publishing her first collection in the coming months.

We would also like to congratulate our runners up:

1^st Runner-up: Eileen Sullivan, Playing Dice with The Universe (St. Louis, US)

2^nd Runner-up: Natalie Scott, Berth (Stockton-on-Tees, UK)

Both will be featured, along with Cliona, in the Cork Literary Review Volume XV.

Cork Literary Review Manuscript Competition 2011

The judge for the 2011 competition was the poet, Jean O’Brien. Jean is the 2010 winner of the prestigious Arvon Competition, which attracted thousands of entries from more than 43 countries. She has published three collections of poetry: The Shadow Keeper (Salmon, 1997), Dangerous Dresses (Bradshaw Books, 2005) and Lovely Legs (Salmon, 2009). Her poetry has been described by Fiona Sampson writing in The Irish Times as ‘effortless writing, graceful and exact as any pirouette in its insight’.

This Year’s Entrants

Bradshaw Books would like to thank all of the entrants of this year’s competition for the time and effort they put into their submissions. Though entries came from all over Ireland, there was a strong international flavour to this year’s competition, with entries from the United States, Great Britain, Australia and the Mediterranean. The standard of this year’s entries was exceptionally high, Jean describing it as a ‘close call’ between the winner and runners-up.

If you would like more information about Cliona, the 2011 Competition, or the Cork Literary Review, please contact Jamie O’Connell, Commissioning Editor for Bradshaw Books (info@bradshawbooks.com).

Bradshaw Books – Tigh Filí would like to congratulate Tina Pisco on a fantastic review of her poetry collection, She be, in Southword. Check it out at www.munsterlit.ie/South​word/Issues/20/she_be.html.

She be is published by Bradshaw Books and is available to purchase here.

Bradshaw Books is happy to announce the shortlist for the Cork Literary Review Manuscript Competition 2011! The Manuscript Competition prize includes the publication of a first poetry collection by the winning author. The overall competition winner and two runners-up will also be featured in Volume XV of the acclaimed Cork Literary Review.

Irish short-listed entries came from Carlow, Cork, Galway and Dublin. There is also a strong international presence in this year’s shortlist, with entries from the United States and Great Britain.

The short-listed entrants are:

1. Eileen Sullivan (St Louis, United States)

2. Natalie Scott (Stockton-on-Tees, England)

3. Lorraine V O’Reilly (Sheffield, England)

4. Tom Lavelle (Knocknacarra, Galway County, Ireland)

5. Cliona O’Connell (Dublin, Ireland)

6. Maurice Devitt (Dublin, Ireland)

7. Marie Coveney (Monkstown, Cork County, Ireland)

8. Marie Cadden (Spiddal, Galway County, Ireland)

9. Derek Coyle (Carlow, Ireland)

Cork Literary Review Manuscript Competition 2011

The judge for the 2011 Cork Literary Review Poetry Manuscript Competition is the poet, Jean O’Brien. Jean O’Brien is the 2010 winner of the prestigious Arvon Competition, which attracted thousands of entries from more than 43 countries. She has published three collections of poetry: The Shadow Keeper (Salmon, 1997), Dangerous Dresses (Bradshaw Books, 2005) and Lovely Legs (Salmon, 2009). Her poetry has been described by Fiona Sampson writing in The Irish Times as ‘effortless writing, graceful and exact as any pirouette in its insight’.

2010 Competition Winner

Shirley McClure’s winning collection, Who’s Counting?, was published in August 2010. It was launched by the poet Katie Donovan for Poetry Ireland in Dublin on 9th September 2010. She is currently on her third print run of Who’s Counting?, touring Ireland with the dynamic poetry performance group, Catch the Moon.
History of the Cork Literary Review journal

Over the past 15 years, the Cork Literary Review has evolved from a slim anthology of winning competition entries, to a widely respected, high-end literary journal. Over the past decade and a half, it has featured contributions from noted poets and writers, among them, Seamus Heaney, Paul Durcan, Thomas McCarthy, Frank McGuinness, Jean O’Brien, Ian Wild, Brian Turner, Medbh McGuckian, Sheila O’Hagan, Eugene O’Connell, William Wall, John McAuliffe, Mary Rose Callan and Roderick Ford, along with many others.

Autumn 2011 will see the launch of the Cork Literary Review Volume XIV, under the editorship of Eugene O’Connell. As we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bradshaw Books, we will be publishing a deluxe 400-page hardback edition, featuring a host of Ireland’s premiere poets and writers.

This year, for the first time, the Cork Literary Review will also tour the United States. With the support of Culture Ireland, Volume XIV will be launched at the New York Irish Arts Centre, the IBAM Festival in Chicago and Moe’s Books in San Francisco.

Best of luck to our shortlist!

Hi Everyone,
A quick note to let you know about our funding drive in July/August on Fundit.ie to help fund the launch tour of the Cork Literary Review Volume XIV around the US in November 2011.
Contributions can be as small as €10 and gifts include: FREE copies of the 400-page hardback special edition of Volume XIV (RRP €35), your name on the book itself as a sponsor, your name or logo on our tour brochure and our website, advertising space, and much more!!
Check it out at:
<a href=”http://www.fundit.ie/project/cork-literary-review-vol-xiv-us-tour”>http://www.fundit.ie/proje​ct/cork-literary-review-vo​l-xiv-us-tour</a>
This year’s book is particularly special, as it showcases poetry from writers on both sides of the Atlantic. And as always, new voices in poetry rub shoulders with the likes of Seamus Heaney and Brian Turner.
Culture Ireland have agreed to fund part of the costs of the US Tour, giving us an unprecedented chance to present the best of Irish poetry to American audiences. The funding is only partial though, so we are asking all of you wonderful people if you can help us make up the difference!
Many thanks!
Maíre and all the team at Bradshaw-Tigh Filí

Tigh Filí are delighted that Brian Turner will be reading at the West Cork Literary Festival this week. He is reading from his collections Phantom Noise and Here, Bullet. It takes place at 6.30pm in The Mariner Restaurant, Bantry (€5 entry).

Brian Turner’s poetry has been published in Poetry Daily, The Georgia Review, and other journals. He received a USA Hillcrest Fellowship in Literature, an NEA Literature Fellowship in Poetry, the Amy Lowell Traveling Fellowship, the Poets’ Prize, and a Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation. His work has appeared on National Public Radio, the BBC, Newshour with Jim Lehrer, and Weekend America, among others. He teaches at Sierra Nevada College.

This year Brian Turner will be the editor of the inaugural American section of the Cork Literary Review, published by Bradshaw Books, Tigh Filí. Volume XIV of the Cork Literary Review will be launched for the first time in three U.S. cities as part of Culture Ireland’s Imagine Ireland initiative. To find out more about this year’s Cork Literary Review click here.