Sinead Keegan

In what is quickly becoming a very busy year, my latest project is co-editing the next volume in The Seethingographer series of chapbooks published by Sampson Low Ltd . I heard you murmuring and, yes, you're correct: they are the publishers of such esteemed works as Noddy and Lorna Doone , and even a work or three by Bram Stoker. (cue my swooning love of Dracula [itself not a Sampson Low publication] and my strident reminder that Stoker is Irish) Yes, yes, you say, we know Bram Stoker is Irish. You say it all the time. The question we have is: What on earth is a chapbook? Well, dear reader, a chapbook is a delightful morsel of art. A collection of poetry, or short fiction, sometimes combined with art and, in this case, a soon-to-be perfect alchemy of all three. The Sampson Low chapbooks are designed to fit into a small bag or pocket (only A6) and are just 16 pages long. They are perfect for a commute, a wait at the doctor's office or a maybe a lunchtime read in the sun.  ...

This summer is a very exciting time for me because I'm thrilled to be fulfilling my dream of starting a literary and arts magazine. The very talented editor and writer, Lisa Davison, agreed to embark on what can only be described as this bit of madness with me. And, after several months of preparation and more than one glass of wine, we launched all the sins on the 19th of July. The mission of the magazine is to embrace the internet as a way to broaden artistic discourse between different forms and to connect artists with one another. We hope that people will submit exciting work that breaks all the rules to tell excellent stories in a variety of mediums. The magazine will be published quarterly with a theme centred on an extended feature which is published in advance and, in between editions, we will be running a series of short features about arts (interpret broadly) and about the magazine. It's been hectic getting that off the ground so I hope you will forgive my abs...

The 3rd Annual Stories of SW1 Writing Competition is running again this year - yay! Our theme this year is Heroes and Heroines so we're looking for all sorts of heroic tales. Engage us, entertain us, tell us about heroic deeds attempted, achieved and failed. From superheroes with superpowers to everyday heroism - be creative! Send your best flash fiction and/ or poem to info@southwestfest.org.uk. Each writer can submit up to two (2) pieces of writing, e.g. 2 poems OR 2 flash fictions OR 1 poem and 1 flash fiction. Flash fiction must be under 500 words, poetry must be 20 lines or fewer, scripts must be 10 minutes or fewer. The entry fee is £3 for the first submission, plus £2 for additional submissions (2 = £5, 3 = £7 etc.) and is payable through PayPal via the email address info@southwestfest.org.uk You must include proof of payment with your submission. This payment is non-profit making and supports the prizes. Writing must be sent in the body of an email beca...

On this Mother's Day I thought I would devote a reading-y post to my mom. Mom and I are very different in some ways - she would hate to have to write creatively for a living and organisation is second nature to her - but we share one very important thing. One thing for which I owe her an eternal, capital lettered THANK YOU: We share a love, nay, a passion for reading and this is truly one of the greatest gifts I've ever received. I read in the neighbourhood of 40-60 novels, plays and collections of poetry and short stories every year. And that doesn't include the stories that I listen to on The New Yorker Fiction Podcast or the poems from the Poetry Foundation's Poem of the Day podcast or the work that I read in literary magazines, online and from my students and colleagues. That adds up to hundred s of new world, ideas, images, plays on and with language and hours of joy. Now I spend my days reading and writing and teaching writing. I cannot think of a bette...

  This post was first published on www.NoDeadWhiteMen.wordpress.com, 15 June 2013. When I tell people that I edit a blog for which other people write and that does fairly well in terms of hits-per-day, I usually get a look that says, "Oh, so you're not one of those 'writers' who says she writes, but really just mucks around in her pajamas all day."  But the minute I say that I use Facebook and Twitter I can see them picturing me back in my red, snowflake, flannel pajamas clutching a cup of coffee, surfing the internet for cat videos and calling it "writing". This is, unfortunately perhaps, untrue on several fronts. First, my snowflake pajamas aren't flannel and I wear pink or blue tracksuit bottoms when I'm working from home. Second, I don't drink coffee. And third, I don't while away time on the internet. That is not to say I don't waste time. I do. I, like all self-respecting writers, am a connoisseur of procrastinat...

In November of last year I had the unbelievable good fortune to be invited to a talk by one of the people I respect most in the world. Rather a silly claim to make given that I had never met her before and, even now, have only exchanged a few words with her. Still, her books speak for. They speak to people around the world. And, for the purposes of this inevitably self-absorbed blog, they speak to me. I had the privilege and the pleasure of spending an evening with the inimitable, giant of literature Margaret Atwood.