Leaves Literary Festival 2018.qxp:Layout 1 - County Laois...Word scene in Ireland today, Stephen’s...

BOOKING BOX OFFICE: DUNAMAISE ARTS CENTRE, CHURCH ST., PORTLAOISE, CO LAOIS

TEL: 057 8663355 ONLINE BOOKING: www.dunamaise.ie

FESTIVAL OF WRITING & MUSIC

20187th–11th November

LEAVESCelebrating our 10th Anniversary

Leaves Literary Festival 2018.qxp:Layout 1 12/10/2018 14:01

FáilteThe Leaves Festival of Writing and Music celebrates the diversity and richness in today’s literary, music, theatre and film scene. Leaves aims to excite and engage with audiences young and old. This year the weekend-long programme will be held in Dunamaise Arts Centre and St Peter’s Church of Ireland, Portlaoise.

Speaking about the Leaves Festival Co-ordinator, Muireann Ní Chonaill said,“celebrating its tenth anniversary, the Leaves Festival is a great opportunity to hear from contemporary writers,enjoy the art of conversation, listen to musicians andappreciate film and theatre.”

The weekend programme includes spoken word, poetryreadings, book launch, workshops, music and conversations.

The programme of events at Dunamaise Arts Centreincludes cinema and theatre production. Welcome to Leaves Festival of Writing and Music and we look forward to sharing some of the magic that is in store.



LEAVES

Muireann Ní ChonaillArts Officer & Leaves Festival Coordinator


MUSIC & SPOKEN WORDwith Stephen James Smith featuring Enda ReillyJoin us for an entertaining evening with SpokenWord Artist Stephen James Smith as he reads fromhis debut collection, Fear Not (published by ArlenHouse) featuring music by Enda Reilly.

THE AUDITORIUM, Dunamaise Arts Centre / €12

FRIDAY 9th NOVEMBER 8pm

DUNAMAISE ARTS CENTRE EVENTS

WRITING WORKSHOPwith Helen CullenLondon based writer, Helen Cullen will share herwisdom and experience at a special workshop foradult writers.

BOARDROOM, Dunamaise Arts Centre / €20

SATURDAY 10th NOVEMBER 10.30am-12.30pm

BOOK LAUNCHES

THE LOST LETTERSOF WILLIAM WOOLFby Helen CullenHelen who grew up in Portlaoise has had greatsuccess with her debut novel, The Lost Letters ofWilliam Woolf.

GROWING PAINS &GROWING UPby John WhelanRepresents a journalistic memoir to mark 40 yearsof his working in media.

MEZZANINE & GALLERY, Dunamaise Arts Centre / FREE

SATURDAY 10th NOVEMBER 3pm


MUSIC & SPOKEN WORDAn intimate evening of music, writingand conversation with Dermot Bolger,Helen Cullen, Brian Keenan, KathleenLoughnane and Seán Ryan.ST. PETER’S CHURCH OF IRELAND / €15

SATURDAY 10th NOVEMBER 8pm

ST. PETER’S CHURCH EVENT

PUBLIC EVENT

“IN KATHLEEN LOUGHNANE’S HANDS(THE HARP) IS A PRECISION INSTRUMENT,SWIFT AND SPARKLING” Hot Press, 2002

GAEILGETAMAGOTCHIAn Irish performance installation by Manchán MaganIn Gaeilge Tamagotchi Manchán Maganinvites you to adopt an Irish word.Participants wind through a labyrinthof 30m of raw Irish linen to receive anendangered Irish word from the artist, whichthey agree to nurture, nourish and takeguardianship of. They each receive a wordunique to them and are given theopportunity to print or paint their word onstone, oak-wood or linen as a ritualisticcovenant.

LAOIS SHOPPING CENTRE / FREE8th Nov: 9.30am-12.30pm and 4-6pm9th Nov: 2.30-5pm and 6-8.30pm10th Nov: 11.30am-1.30pm and 2.30-5.30pmSuitable for all ages

THUR 8th – Sat 10th NOVEMBER


LEST WE FORGETWorld War One Spoken Word Remembrance EventThere will be a spoken word evening of remembrance forthose who lost their lives and fought from the Mountmellickarea in World War One, consisting of poetry, prose, newspaperarticles and narratives about those who fought in the war.Tickets will be available on www.eventbrite.ie.

MOUNTMELLICK LIBRARY Booking Essential / FREE

SUNDAY 11th NOVEMBER 7.30pm

LAOIS LIBRARIES PRESENTS

STORYTELLING TRAININGwith Simone SchuemmelfederFor parents, grandparents and carers, Join Laois Reader-in-Residence Simone Schuemmelfeder for tips, stories andinspiration.

PORTLAOISE LIBRARY / Booking essential: [email protected]

THURSDAY 8th NOVEMBER 4.30-7.30pm

CHILDREN’S WORKSHOP ON

STORYTELLINGwith Simone SchuemmelfederRATHDOWNEY LIBRARY / Booking essential: [email protected]

VISITS TO SCHOOLS BY

GRAPHIC NOVELIST& CHILDREN’S WRITERBarry Keegan & Caroline Busher

SCHOOL EVENT

LIBRARY EVENTS

Booking essential: [email protected]

FRIDAY 9th NOVEMBER 12 noon


CINEMATHE HAPPY PRINCEby Edward AlbeeThe last days of Oscar Wilde – and the ghoststhat haunted them – are vividly evoked in thispoignant, dignified and career defining tribute.

DUNAMAISE ARTS CENTRE / €7/€5

WEDNESDAY 7th NOVEMBER 8pm

ContributorsSTEPHEN JAMES SMITH is a Dublinpoet and playwright central tothe rise of the vibrant SpokenWord scene in Ireland today,Stephen’s poetry videos have

amassed over 2.5 million views, including 2017’sMy Ireland and the recent commission by Aviva,Bring it Home highlighting this year’s EnglandVs Ireland rugby final. Stephen has performedat high profile events and venues such as ElectricPicnic, Glastonbury, Other Voices, The NationalConcert Hall, The Barbican and London Palladium(alongside Glen Hansard); The Oscar WildeAwards in L.A. and many more. Stephen was ourArtist in Residence earlier this year, commissionedby Laois Arts Office, and facilitated poetryworkshops in Laois secondary schools. His poetryhas been recently added to the LC syllabus andhas been translated into multiple languages.

BRIAN KEENAN was born inBelfast in 1950. His books includeAn Evil Cradling, (Hutchinson,1992), his internationallyacclaimed account of his

experiences of being held hostage for fourand a half years in the Lebanon, which is regardedas a modern classic. Other books include a novel,Turlough (Jonathan Cape, 2000); Four Quartersof Light: An Alaskan Journey and I’ll Tell My Ma:A Belfast Memoir. In a relaxed and intimateconversation with poet Dermot Bolger he willdiscuss his experience of being held hostage ina time of war and his more recent experiencesof exploring present day Lebanon, as a free mannow hopelessly captivated by that city.

DERMOT BOLGER was born inDublin in 1959, and is one ofIreland’s best known writers.His fourteen novels include TheJourney Home, Tanglewood, The

DUNAMAISE ARTS CENTRE EVENTS

THEATRE

HOLY MARY by Eoin ColferIn typical Colfer fashion, the characters arevery real and very funny, brilliantly portrayedin this hilarious and heartbreaking tale ofCommunion, confusion and consternation

DUNAMAISE ARTS CENTRE / €18/€16

TUESDAY 6th NOVEMBER 8pm


Lonely Sea and Sky, The Family on ParadisePier and his just published, An Ark of Light,which he will read from. His first play, TheLament for Arthur Cleary, received the SamuelBeckett Award. Numerous other plays includean adaptation of James Joyce’s Ulysses, stagedby The Abbey Theatre – Ireland’s NationalTheatre. His New and Selected Poems, ThatWhich is Suddenly Precious, appeared in 2015.He devised the bestselling collaborativenovels, Finbar’s Hotel and Ladies Night atFinbar’s Hotel, and edited The Vintage Book ofContemporary Irish Fiction. A former WriterFellow at Trinity College, Dublin, Bolger writesfor Ireland’s leading newspapers, and in 2012was named Commentator of the Year at theIrish Newspaper Awards.

HELEN CULLEN is originallyfrom Portlaoise, Co. Laois andis an Irish writer who workedat RTÉ for seven years beforemoving to London in 2010

where she established a career as an eventsand engagement specialist. Following freelancework with the BBC and The Times, she joined theGoogle UK marketing team in 2015. Helen wrotethe first draft of this novel while completingthe Guardian/UEA novel writing programmeunder the mentorship of Michele Roberts. Shealso holds a M.A. in Theatre Studies fromUCD and is currently completing a M.A. inEnglish Literature at Brunel University. Helenis now writing full-time and working on hersecond novel. Her debut novel, The LostLetters of William Woolf will be published in2018 by Graydon House in America, PenguinRandom House in the UK and in translationin other foreign territories.

JOHN WHELAN is a journalistof forty years. He has writtenextensively for many of thecountry’s leading provincial andnational titles on current affairs,

social and environmental issues and the arts.From Portlaoise, he also served in the Senatefor five years until 2016. Today he continues towork as a columnist, commentator, broadcaster

and blogger. He is also the author of The Buddhaof Ballyhuppahaun (2010). His latest work GrowingPains and Growing Up, published by LaoisToday, is an anthology of articles, immersedin his own personal experiences, which explorethe major political, social and cultural issuesof the past four decades. The author has alsogiven the book a novel ‘soundtrack’ as hesays, “Music is the constant backdrop in ourlives and marks the mundane and humdrumin our daily routines as well as the stand-outand memorable moments. Music is the audio-emotional screen-saver to our every wakingmoment, whether we are aware of it or not.”

BARRY KEEGAN is anIndependent Comic BookCreator who launched The BogRoad graphic novel in 2018which is set in County Laois.

The tale brings the land to life through thespirits of nature and highlights theuniqueness of the county. The book wascreated in Portarlington when Barry was livingin Laois. The sequel to The Bog Road iscurrently underway which will see the spiritsof Laois being brought forward to helpanother county of Ireland.

KATHLEEN LOUGHNANE iswidely acclaimed for herarrangement, playing andteaching of Irish harp music.The moods in her playing

range from the exuberant lift of her dancemusic to the haunting beauty of her slow airs.

SEAN RYAN is one of Ireland’sbest known tin whistle players,his unique style, makes hisplaying easily recognisable. Afull time musician, Seán has

toured across Europe, the U.S.A., Tasmania,and enjoys an annual tour of Japan. A Tutoreach year at the Willie Clancy SummerSchool, Seán enjoys sharing his repetoire ofdance music and slow airs. He plays a regularSunday session, now in it’s 37th year in theCrane Bar, Galway.


ENDA REILLY, Dublin singer-songwriter writes in both Irishand English and has hadappearances on TG4, BBC2Northern Ireland and the

Franco-German TV network ARTE’s Metropolisshow. His album New Songs In Irish which isa collection of his songs and co-writes in theIrish language is now available fromendareilly.com. Arise and Go!, a collaborationwith the Irish contemporary poet StephenJames Smith, goes from strength to strengthwith their video of W.B. Yeat’s September1913 being aired both on RTÉ’s TV show TheWorks and the IFTA Award Winning NoCountry For Old Men documentary.

CAROLINE BUCHER graduatedwith a First Class Honours MAin Creative Writing from UCD.She is the Irish Times bestselling author of The Ghosts

of Magnificent Children and The Girl Who AteThe Stars (Poolbeg Press) and is representedby Trace Literary Agency, USA. Her highlyanticipated second novel The Girl Who AteThe Stars was published by Poolbeg Press inMarch 2018 and has received much criticalacclaim. Caroline is the current Reader inResidence with Wexford Public Library Services.

FESTIVAL TEAM: Muireann Ni Chonaill Arts OfficerBernie Foran Laois LibrariesBridie Keenan Assistant Arts OfficerPatricia O’Rourke Clerical OfficerMichelle de Forge Director ofDunamaise Arts Centre

The Arts Office acknowledges the financial support of the ArtsCouncil and Creative Ireland.

Thanks to the Manager and Staffof Dunamaise Arts Centre.

For more information on the Leaves festival & the Laois Arts Programme contact: THE ARTS OFFICE, LAOIS COUNTY COUNCIL, ÁRAS AN CHONTAE, PORTLAOISE, CO. LAOIS

Tel: 057 8664033/13 Email: [email protected]

DESIGN &

PRINT: B

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A PRESS090 6454327



LEAVES


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