These words reflect the writing and career of Mary Krakow, a finalist in the flash fiction category of our ‘Wild Atlantic Writing Awards’ on the theme of ‘secrets.’ Mary, who now lives in the high desert of Oregon, was joined as a competition finalist by Dublin-based Lorcan Fidgeon who worked in the publishing field, Teresa Preziosi, a former university professor from Pennsylvania and Barbara Bridger from Yorkshire, who once taught theatre and performance writing. Before learning about more...

With autumn upon us, described by many as the more ‘thoughtful’ of the seasons, we’re delighted to launch our new ‘Wild Atlantic Writing Awards (WAWA) competition. Having considered various one-word themes, we felt a strong, intriguing phrase might make a better prompt. Thus, 'We Knew This Day Would Come.' The beauty of this phrase is that it is open to so many interpretations. It can be about Extraterrestrials taking over the Earth. It can be about love or loss. It can be about a tragedy. A...

We’re delighted to announce a special 'Early Bird' discount on all our retreats next year, exclusive for ‘Friends of Ireland Writing Retreat.’ Proud of having attracted more than 500 alumni over the last 13 years to our week-long retreats uniquely combining writing workshops with exclusive events and cultural excursions, we’d like you to take a moment to listen here to the experiences of past participants from many different countries and walks of life. In this way, you’ll know. What we...