Local writers on Hot Press shortlist

Short story writers Rachel O'Dwyer from Borrisokane and Daniel Ryan from Nenagh have made the shortlist for a national award.

Hot Press Magazine and Creative Ireland have teamed up for all-Ireland short story competition, 'Write Here, Write Now', with the shortlist featuring entrants from across Ireland. Ahead of an awards ceremony next month, the finalist for 2018’s Write Her Write Now competition, on the theme of 'Social Media: A writer’s Tale', has been announced.

The first bit of good news is that this year’s competition received an incredible response, with students all over the island entering in huge numbers. That, of course, made the job of the judges a very difficult one – but we wouldn’t have it any other way!

The second bit of good news is that, as the voluminous entries were sifted, read, re-read and sorted, we were made aware once again of the fantastic wealth of extraordinary writing talent that exists throughout the land.

From Tipperary, the shortlist included young writers such as Rachel O’Dwyer from Borrisokane Community College, Dean Buckley from Cahir (NUI, Galway) and Daniel Ryan from Nenagh (DIT). 41 names were selected, across both Second and Third level. These were writers who had made it through rigorous scrutiny, and who are still in contention for the top prize.

This year’s panel of judges included some of the most eminent writers living in Ireland, including Booker Prize winner DBC Pierre, award-winning poet Rita Anne Higgins, crime writer extraordinaire Tana French, and recent winner of the Goldsmiths Prize, Mike McCormack, as well as Hot Press’ own senior editorial figures, Niall Stokes, Stuart Clark and Mairin Sheehy.

Run in conjunction with the Creative Ireland Programme, and supported by PayPal and Canon, Write Here, Write Now 2018 entrants were invited to explore the many ways in which social media can make us laugh, cry, shudder, or throw our hands in the air – whether that be via a tweet going viral, an Instagram post which reduces us to tears, a previously unheard voice getting the chance to speak up, or a Whatsapp message gone wrong...

One of the key objectives of the Creative Ireland Programme is to nurture new creative talent, making the organisation a perfect partner in this project for Hot Press, which has been doing just that for many years.

Log on to hotpress.com/WriteHereWriteNow to find out more!