Latest news with #ArklowWritersGroup
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
The Prompt - imagining 'A World Without' with Sinéad Moriarty
This week on The Prompt on RTÉ Radio 1, guest writer Sinéad Moriarty's writing prompt is 'A World Without'. Sinead chose three pieces blind from the shortlist: C B Dunne - Looking At You Like You Were Unbreakable D Black- Ground G Faller - Birdsong J Godsil - A World Without Me Is Now Impossible T Mixon- A Pile Of Hurt A Pembroke - The Fractured Nest S Schlecht - Seed On Fertile Ground The first of the pieces selected for broadcast is by Jillian Godsil from Arklow Writers Group – her piece is a crafty take on the prompt imagining how it is now almost impossible to be forgotten with AI and digital tools to preserve us. "I used to imagine the world without me as something noble," she says. "A quiet vanishing. A gentle fade into the background hum of memory and mismatched stories. The kind of disappearance people toasted with bittersweet wine and said things like "They were one of the good ones"..." Jillian imagines "A world where "gone" is negotiable. Where you don't die, you just get archived. Where your kids don't light candles, they just ping your avatar and say, "Mum, quick one, how do I cook a ham?"" Sinéad Moriarty and The Prompt's presenter Zoë Comyns discuss the pros and cons of persisting as digital versions of ourselves. With a completely different approach to the prompt, Sebastian Schlecht imagines a being who accompanies and almost haunts the narrator from within: 'There is a little man. He lives in my heart. His favourite pastime is playing the drums. He likes to play in the middle of the night - once I fall asleep, when all is calm inside of me. Only when nothing but my blood is humming quietly does he start his act.' Sinead felt this piece handled that feeling of when 'you're in the grip of whatever worries you have and you can't think straight'. Schlecht said he 'woke up one night with my heart racing — almost like a mild panic attack. At first, my thoughts went into panic mode, but I was able to calm myself quickly. It wasn't a new feeling to me. I recognised it as a stress response rather than something dangerous — something happening in my body, not something that is me. "That sparked the image of a little person living inside my body. With the image of the little man came the thought that fear might not actually be mine. That it is sometimes inherited — a kind of generational fear, passed down from the people who came before me. That expanded the emotional world of the piece." Listen to last week's edition of The Prompt with guest writer Edel Coffey The final piece for this episode is written under the pen name Alice Pembroke. The author is a professional writer with several published books, currently parenting two small children while living in a nesting situation that inspired this work. She told The Prompt she would use a pen name due to legal sensitivities. "Family law proceedings in Ireland are subject to the in-camera rule," she says, "meaning that cases are heard behind closed doors to protect families' privacy. However, this also restricts discussion of matters like maintenance, access, and custody. Court-ordered reports, where assessors interview family members to recommend arrangements, are particularly sensitive. 'Nesting' (where children stay in the family home while parents move in and out) is often proposed but, due to the housing crisis, can leave separated parties stuck without secure accommodation." Alice's piece The Fractured Nest is a mix of fiction and memoir but outlines the complexities and psychological stress caused by this nesting arrangement. 'This is the court's solution. A "bird nest" arrangement. A home that stays steady, with parents drifting in and out like weather.' This piece moved Sinéad, who 'feels viscerally the story of love and loss, in the world that she now has to navigate.' 'Every week, I carry my life in the boot of my car—half a wardrobe, a laptop, charger, shampoo, and a book I am always too tired to read. On the other weeks, I disappear. I rent a room, small and scentless, with laminate floors and a humming radiator. I keep the blinds closed. I speak to no one. I wake up with the shape of them still pressed into my arms, their voices echoing in the crumple of the pillow. I wonder if they notice. The absence of my coat in the hall, the missing clutter of my tea mugs by the sink. Do they scan the house for me and find it flat, colourless?' "It transports you into another person's life," Sinéad says. "The power of this is that without having experienced it you feel every single bit of pain and loss that she's experiencing." Sinéad Moriaty's most recent novel Good Sisters is out now and her next book The In-Laws will be out in July, both published by Sandycove.
Irish Independent
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Member of Wicklow writers' group gains national recognition in RTÉ competition
Selected from hundreds of submissions to feature on the show, which aims to bring bold, new voices to a wide radio audience, Jillian's self-narrated piece explores the theme of digital identity and twin technology. An author and journalist, Jillian joined the Arklow Writers Group in 2024 shortly after moving to the town. The group, which meets regularly at Arklow Library under the guidance of local literary legend Noline Foley, has become a vital space for creativity, encouragement, and shared craft. 'I will be thrilled to hear my story on the radio,' Jillian said. 'But honestly, it wouldn't have existed without the support and inspiration of the Arklow Writers Group. There is something really powerful about writing alongside others who are also pouring their hearts into their work.' The Arklow Writers Group has grown into a vibrant community of emerging and established writers, currently preparing to publish their second anthology of fiction, stories, and poetry this summer. The collection is sponsored by the Arklow Bay Hotel, Hudson Concrete and the Arklow Library and reflects the range and talent of writers living in and around the town. 'Our aim has always been to support local writers in finding their voice and reaching wider audiences,' said Noline, who has been leader of the group since its formation. 'Jillian's recognition by RTÉ is a proud moment for all of us. It shows that talent nurtured at a local level can truly shine nationally.' For a group rooted in a small coastal town, the Arklow Writers Group continues to punch well above its weight, nurturing talent and giving voice to a growing literary scene in Wicklow and beyond. With new national recognition and another publication on the way, their momentum shows no sign of slowing. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more In addition to publishing anthologies together, many of the Arklow Writers Group have enjoyed individual successes. Mary Dillon has published two books, with David Kenny recently winning a prize at the Carlow College Student Literary Awards. He has had work published in various journals and is also working on a novella, a short story collection, and a poetry pamphlet. Peter Pienaar has written four books and is busy with two novellas, while Pete Malone has no less than three books in progress, and Elaine Byrne has written one children's book and plans a further trilogy. Miriam Murphy enjoys short stories and splendid titles, including 'Broken Crayons still colour', while Jillian has self-published several books, and her most recent novella is being published by Noline is the recipient of Irish Writers Centre mentorship and was shortlisted for the Irish Times short story competition, as well as being the six-word story queen in the Independent.
