Creative writing classes at Galway Arts Centre

Galway Arts Centre will offer aspiring writers a choice of three poetry workshops starting in September. All will facilitated by poet Kevin Higgins, whose first collection, The Boy With No Face, published by Salmon Poetry, was shortlisted for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish poet.

Kevin’s second poetry collection, Time Gentlemen, Please was published in 2008 and his third, Frightening New Furniture in 2010, both by Salmon. His poetry is discussed in The Cambridge Introduction to Modern Irish Poetry and his work appears in the anthology, Identity Parade –New British and Irish Poets. A collection of Kevin’s essays and book reviews, Mentioning the War, was published last year by Salmon. His next collection, The Ghost in the Lobby, will be published in early 2014, also by Salmon.

Kevin is an experienced workshop facilitator and several of his students have gone on to achieve writing success. One was awarded the prestigious Hennessy Award for New Irish Poetry, two have won the Cúirt New Writing Prize, one has received an Arts Council Bursary and yet another won the Cúirt Poetry Grand Slam, while several have published collections of their poems. Kevin is also co-organiser of the successful Over the Edge reading series which promotes new writing.

Each workshop will run for ten weeks, starting on the week of September 23 They will take place on Tuesday evenings, 7-8.30pm (first class September 24), Thursday afternoons, 2-4pm (first class September 26); on Friday afternoons, 2-3.30pm (first class September 27).  The Tuesday evening and Friday afternoon workshops are open to both complete beginners as well as those who’ve been writing for some time. The Thursday afternoon workshop is an advanced class, suitable for those who have participated in poetry workshops before or had poems published in magazines.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.