GALWAY: The 2009 Cúirt Festival Over The Edge showcase reading

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009, 11am.
Town Hall Theatre,
Galway

The five featured authors this year are Orla Higgins, Noelle Lynskey, Noel Harrington, Jenny McCudden and Val Nolan.

The Over the Edge reading series began in January 2003. Each month, the Over the Edge: Open Reading puts the spotlight on emerging poets and fiction writers - sessions end with an open-mic, where anyone can get in on the act. Co-organisers Kevin Higgins and Susan Millar DuMars (host) are grateful for the continued support of Galway City Library, Galway City Council, The Arts Council, Poetry Ireland, The Cúirt Festival and, especially, the many talented writers who have taken part in the series during the past six years.

Orla Higgins lives in Galway city. After taking a number of creative writing classes with Susan Millar DuMars at Galway Technical Institute, she is currently studying on the MA in Writing programme at NUIG where she is working on her first novel. She also lectures part-time at the University with the Department of Marketing and the Huston School of Film. Orla was a Featured Reader at the September 2008 Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library.

Noelle Lynskey is from Roscommon, but now lives in Portumna. She is facilitator of Portumna Pen Pushers and The Maple Poetry Group. She is also anactive participant in BAFFLE, Loughrea. While juggling the joys ofmothering, her duties as a Community Pharmacist and organising ArtsEvents in Portumna, Noelle is working towards a collection of poetry. Previous publications include Cuirt, West 47, Crannog, Glance, Scriobh and Maple Leaves. Noelle was a Featured Reader, as part of the Maple Poetry Group, at the May 2005 Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library.

Considered one of Limerick’s White House Poets, Noel Harrington has been published in The Stinging Fly, Revival, The Flosca Winners’ Chapbook, Boyne Berries, Crannóg, Moloch, and The Stony Thursday Book. Revival Press published a chapbook of his poems in 2007. Noel was a Featured Reader at the October 2008 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

Jenny McCudden is originally from Naas in county Kildare. She now lives in Galway and works as Western Correspondent for TV3 News. Jenny began her career as a journalist working for the Sunday World and TV3 News. She spent five years working for the BBC, before returning to take up her current position with TV3. She has just completed a Masters in Writing at NUI Galway and is currently working on a non-fiction book Death on Irish Roads as well as other works of fiction. Jenny was a Featured Reader at the January Over The Edge: Open Reading in Galway City Library.

Val Nolan teaches contemporary literature and creative writing at NUI, Galway. He has been published in Ché in Verse, Crannóg, Southword, Revival, and Möbius. He regularly contributes criticism to publications including The Sunday Business Post, Poetry Ireland Review, PN Review, and The Stinging Fly. NUIG awarded him this year's Oliver St. John Gogarty scholarship. Val was a Featured Reader at the December 2007 Over The Edge: Open Reading.

If you, or a writers group you belong to, would be interested in taking part in the Over The Edge Cúirt showcase in the future contact Over The Edge c/o Galway Arts Centre, 47 Dominick Street, Galway or send a sample of six of your poems or two thousand words of your fiction to us at Over The Edge, 3 Carbry Road, Newcastle, Galway and we will consider you for a Featured Reading at one of the Over The Edge: Open Readings which will make you eligible for the shortlist for the subsequent Cúirt Festival Over The Edge showcase.