Literature

How to count as a child (correctly) By Alice Kinsella Count patterns on the wallpaper  at night, ignore the stars outside in their billions, as many as grains of microplastic on every beach. Count the…

A wonderful aspect with most radio plays is their ability to jump from location to location, and also across different time periods. Emily Gilmar Murphy's The Horror Writer was a huge success when it opened in The Ireland Institute…

The Unevolved Cactus By Lauren Anne Cassidy I take on love Like a boat Takes on water And hold it  In my body Like the belly  Of a cactus. It does not help me During the dry months Or drought – …

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Scottish poet Jen Hughes. Hughes lives in Glasgow where she is a writer and co-host of open mic night 'Words and Music' with Gayle Smith. She is also a regular contributor to Outlet Publishing's …

Locus  By Kevin Graham You ask for clarity so I set  a glass of water on the counter,  look at the clock and count  backwards from a hundred  with my eyes closed, listening  to you breathing very slowly  from a…

A country of storytellers, poets and writers, Ireland has always been a rich breeding ground for language lovers but never before has Irish literature been this prolific. John Patrick McHugh, Naoise Dolan and Megan Nolan are just a few of…

Colson Whitehead is an American literary lion. Scion of a wealthy New York family, educated in a private school and an elite university, he lives and works in Manhattan. He has written seven novels, all of them well-received, a number of…

The Rover By Jen Hughes Opportunity Has been lost to the dust storms. Spirit crashed On the punishing terrain below. So now there’s just me Curiosity Finding out as much as I can About this cold, aloof…

Googling Her Jim Ward ‘Will you have a glass of something? Jameson?’ me Ma asked. ‘Naw. Can’t’ he said ‘whiskey don’t agree with me.’ ‘Oh’ she said, considering her next move ‘a bottle of stout then?’ ‘Yes please.’…

Fox By Fionnuala Ní Gheannáin Wintered Fox Soft fur tufted Conversation interrupted Harsh winters slumber pale echo of transitory memory Juicy carcass Lush fruit of frosted morn cracks and bursts In Narrow maw and then…