Kildare County Council Arts Service
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Creative Writing Workshops Submission Call
Kildare 2012, An Economic, Social and Cultural Plan for County Kildare was launched in 2002. A specific action plan within the strategy is to build a sense of identity and belonging within the county: a vision for ‘A Sense of Place’.
"By 2012, Kildare will be a county where all traditions are celebrated and happily co-exist. All residents will feel a sence of identity with, and belonging to, their community and county where sporting, arts and cultural activities flourish".
The Library and Arts Service of Kildare County Council will host a series of creative writing workshops in libraries across Kildare in October 2003, to explore the theme ‘A Sense of Place’.
The workshops take place in association with the Ernest Shackleton Autumn School, a recently established school in Athy, South Kildare.
Submissions are invited from professional writers who would be interested in facilitating creative writing workshops for adults and/ or children and/ or who would be interested in producing prose or poetry on the themes.
The Kildare 2012 plan is available on the web:
www.kildare.ie/kcdb/kildare-2012-strategy/index.asp , or in Kildare libraries.
Submissions to and further details available from Kildare County Arts Service. Closing date for submissions is Friday 27th June 2003.
Cecil Day Lewis Short Story and Poetry Awards
The Cecil Day Lewis Awards Ceremony will take place in Athy Library on Thursday 10th April at 8.00p.m.
The Athy Town Council Cultural Committee initiated the awards, to celebrate the association of Cecil Day Lewis with South Kildare. The awards in poetry, short story and the one-act play are sponsored by Athy Town Council, in association with Kildare Library and Arts Service and will be presented by councillor Mark Dalton, Cathaoirleach of Athy Town Council.
Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-1972) was the son of a Church of Ireland Minister, then living in Ballinturbbert House, Athy, Co. Kildare. The family was moved to England when he was one year old, but returned to Ireland for holidays. C Day Lewis was educated in Wadham College, Oxford. It was during his time at Oxford that he became part of a group of left wing poets, of whom Auden was the acknowledged leader, and with whom he edited Oxford Poetry in 1927. He was professor of Poetry at Oxford from 1951–1956, a post that he enjoyed immensely. A talented and humorous man, he wrote An Italian Visit in 1953, (parodies on poets ranging from Hardy to Dylan Thomas). His autobiography was published in 1960 and in 1966, he was created Poet Laureate.
Cecil Day Lewis sat on committees, judged awards and his enthusiasm embraced children’s stories for radio and he wrote a number of children’s’ books including the popular ‘Poetry for You’. It is most appropriate therefore that this tradition is nurtured through these awards.
Winners in this year’s competition will be notified by post in advance of the award ceremony.
