Sinead Keegan

I'm delighted to be offering a digital found poetry workshop inspired by the Chawton House archives for their Lockdown Literary Festival. The introduction will be live on their YouTube channel at 11am (BST) tomorrow, Friday, 15th of May, and then we'll follow up with a Facebook Live event from 4-5pm (BST) on Saturday, 16th of May. It's suitable for poets of all experience levels from never written a word of poetry to confident writers. And it's all free, too! What? Crazy. I know. It's what lockdown does. Other (free) events include tours of the house, talks on Jane Austen (she used to live on the estate), and talks with authors from Joanna Trollope to Gill Hornby.  Please join in and have some fun!

A day to celebrate books? Yes, please! Find out more here and enjoy a book-filled day!

Some of you will no doubt notice the new layout to this site, where the emphasis is now being placed on my writing, teaching and editorial services. It's a brave new world folks, but with Aldous and Dolly on my side, I reckon I can't go too far wrong. For some time now - well over a decade, in fact - I've been providing high quality content for businesses, newspapers, and non-profit organisations, and, since completing both my MFA in creative writing and my higher education teaching qualification in 2013, I have also been working with writers of all levels and in many different fields to improve their written communication. I've finally decided to take the plunge and change this website from primarily being a blog to a landing page for this writing and teaching business. The blog will still be here, but it's taken a back seat to my other work in the last 2-3 years and now I've reorganised the website to reflect my current priorities. It's been a fun 18 (...

Only one week to go. In just seven days I will be packing my bags, ready to head of for a week of chatting writing for the internet with the wonderful students of the International Creative Writing Summer School in conjunction with the British Council and Kingston Writing School. We'll be building blogs, talking Twitter, writing for Wattpad, how to get work copywriting and, of course, all about creative writing and the internet - all together now: all the sins ! I'm hoping to get some collaborative digital writing going and to have some fun work to share with you all. I'm also hoping to survive the heat. I always think I love hot weather but then find myself teetering on the edge of death when it goes above 80F/25C. I'm a pastey northern european no matter how many US summers I've survived (I barely survived one summer in DC...oh, the humidity!). Fortunately, I'll have writing, writers and Greek food to get me through. What else could you want?

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...

I'm thrilled to announce that this little blog has, once again, made the shortlist for Blog Awards Ireland, this time for the Best of the Diaspora category. Part of the judging this year is based on a public vote, so if you have a minute, please pop over to Blog Awards Ireland and vote for Finding Home! Voting ends Tuesday, 23 August, so vote early!

I'm excited to announce that the blogging masterclass sold out in a matter of days! You'll have to catch me next year. Or...you could try public speaking or creative writing! There are two creative writing sessions left. This Thursday, we'll be focussing on beginning cracking good short stories. Last week's session was awesome. We wrote a collaborative poem without writing a word, dove into our memories to write poems about bees, university kitchens and birdseed and pushed one another to write better. It's a great group so join us! Book your free place on this or next week's workshop at www.southwestfest.org.uk. Can't wait to see you there!

This Thursday is the first of the annual series of 3 workshops that I run with SouthWestFest . They are a great time and suitable for writers of all levels. In the past we have had complete beginners through to competition winners. The atmosphere is relaxed and supportive, but the feedback is astute and pushes writers to improve, regardless of from where they are starting. Best of all, these workshops are FREE! So much cheaper than doing a university degree to get into a class with me ;-). I'm also running two additional workshops this year: an introduction to blogging and one on public speaking. If either of these intrigues or intimidates you, come on out for a friendly, practical introduction that will build your confidence and your skills. Creative Writing: Thursdays, 2nd, 9th and 16th of May 5:45-7:45pm in the Pimlico Library       You don't have to come to all 3 sessions, but they will be different, so it would be great if you did!    ...

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...

Delighted to be able to announce that I have two new poems in the latest edition of The Lake , which is a great digital poetry magazine. As has become woefully habitual, I am well behind in my posts here, but I will have some news coming up. Promise!

One update this year. Shocking behaviour! But I've had a busy year. Honest. Super busy. I ended up with loads of teaching this year, which regular readers will guess made me extremely happy. I had first and second years in class, did a bit with some postgrads and got to see the first students I had in their first year finish at uni. Wow, where did that time go? It was a privilege to see them grow and develop both as people and as writers. They are an impressive bunch. Some of them are throwing themselves into the professional writing community and are being recognised for their considerable talents. But the most satisfying thing for me has been to see how their work ethics and confidence have developed. Students who lacked confidence and didn't start at the top of the class have ended up there because they put in the work. This seems to be the overlooked element of creative writing. There's a debate about whether universities and adult ed centres are just making money...

I'm delighted to announce that the Stories of SW1 Writing Competition is running again! We have an all start judging panel and are accepting scripts this year. It's a big year for SouthWestFest! Writers from around the world are invited to submit their representations of South Westminster. Think past, present, future and alternate. What is the South Westminster you know or can envision? We're looking forward to seeing your creative interpretations of the theme! There are also some amazing workshops running including script writing with the Royal Court and creative writing with yours truly. Other partners include the National Portrait Gallery and their a pop-up portrait stall if you want to learn how to take amazing photos of your friends and families. Visit the SouthWestFest website to enter the writing competition ! Our judges are:  Hannah Vincent began her writing life as a playwright after studying drama at the  University of East Anglia. Her plays inc...

A few weeks ago I had the great fortune to encounter this little gem on Twitter: Future Library . It's a fascinating artwork-in-progress by Katie Paterson which involves a forest in Norway, books and 100 years. Oh, and Margaret Atwood. Ah, yes, now we see why Si néa d is so excited. I presume that she calls this an 'artwork' rather than 'work of art' or 'installation' because the Future Library is an ongoing, developing happening that seems to me to really touch the beauty of literature and our relationship with it and our world. A forest has been planted in Norway and every year a writer will be selected to write a piece to go into this future library. No one except the writer will know what this piece of writing is until the 100 years are up. At that point, the forest will be cut down and used to make the books on which all the writing will be printed. Future Library, Katie Paterson from Katie Paterson on Vimeo . The hippy in me is, of course,...

I have recently, in a fit of what can only be termed poor judgement, decided to take up golfing. Historically, golf has not been a great sport for me. 1997 brought an awful lot of tears as my poor dad valiantly dragged me around a course. He learned his lesson as we haven't been out since. Somewhere about 2002/2003 the taller half decided we should go for a quick 9 holes. We were lapped by 9-year-olds. All previous experience points to golf being similar to that year I ran track in high school: a total disaster. The only thing I mastered in track was the bit where we stretched. I've taken a slightly different tack on golf this time around. I'm getting lessons from a local golf pro and, to date, there have been no tears. In fact, he tells me I'm a natural. What? I suppose it's in his best interest to butter me up so I keep coming back for lessons. Except, the taller half agrees. What? I suppose it's in his best interest to butter me up so that I don't retur...

I have always had very bad luck with basil. Perhaps more honestly, I ought to say that basil plants have always had very bad luck with me, as they are the ones that end up withered and dead in my kitchen. Sometimes up to three plants in a summer. A short, British summer. Until this year. This year I bought a little basil plant at my local supermarket and I now have a great, big basil bush. So enormous is this horticultural triumph that it garners admiration from all who visit our flat and our neighbours are complaining that it's blocking their light. Unfortunately, after a good three months of delightful growth, it appears to have aphids. Boo. Hiss. Aphids are little bugs that love to feed on soft plants. They decimated my parsley this spring and although I got rid of them ages ago and they were outside then, they now appear to have migrated indoors to the most magnificent basil plant this side of the Thames. I caught them early, though, and I think I have them on their last ex...

I'm always droning on about writers supporting one another and saying that success for one of us is success for all of us . Today, I make good on all that high-minded talk. I am so thrilled to announce that a friend of mine has just had her first novel published to an excellent critical reception. Alarm Girl by Hannah Vincent is the story of a little girl struggling to find her place in the world after her mother's death when she and her brother move from England to South Africa to live with their father. I had the great pleasure of reading parts this book when it was still a work in progress and it was marvellous. I have been waiting for exactly two years to find out what happens to the breathtakingly compelling character of Indy. At ten-and-three-quarters, Indy is that perfect balance of innocent and all-knowing. I won't review the book because I'm obviously enormously biased (it's brilliant!), but I will say that I think it's wonderful that Hannah is...

Last night, I went to Shark Tank , a play that is a part of the International Youth Arts Festival and currently playing at the Stanley Picker Gallery in Kingston-upon-Thames.  It's a farcical look at the world of contemporary art and was written by a former student of mine, Nik Way. This isn't so much a review of the production, because I'm obviously quite biased. It's more that it got me thinking about what it means for a teacher to see a student succeeding. I love teaching. I love seeing students learn and grow and become better writers. I like it even more when they suddenly realise they've gotten better and the leap in confidence that they have. You would think, then, that seeing a student write a play that is chosen to be performed at a festival. Watching that production which he has co-directed and in which he is acting would be the culmination of everything a teacher could want. In some ways it was. I'm very proud of Nik. It's a good play. But, ...

Just over two years ago, I decided that I needed to get my butt in gear and to tackle this beast called Twitter. It was a bit of a rough start but I seem to have rallied and am doing alright in the Twitter-sphere. I know words like "Twitter-sphere" and "tweeps"; I know to say "I tweet", not "I twitter"; and I know a RT from a #FF. I even started a hashtag project. Granted, it had minimal success, but I learned a lot. Generally, I would say that I am entirely proficient at Twitter. I've stopped keeping track of my followers, which has done wonders for my digital self-esteem. But I still worry about what to tweet. In fact, I worry more now than I ever have before. And for this, I blame Amy Tan. Yes, Amy Tan of The Joy Luck Club fame.

In January of 2013, poet Christian Ward made major news in the UK poetry world when his poem, 'The Deer at Exmoor' won the Hope Bourne poetry prize. It was rather quickly discovered that his poem bore an uncanny resemblance to Helen Mort's poem 'The Deer'. When pushed, he made the extraordinary claim that he realised he was wrong but only because he had not changed Mort's work enough. In a statement published in the Western Morning News , Ward wrote: "I was working on a poem about my childhood experiences in Exmoor and was careless. I used Helen Mort’s poem as a model for my own but rushed and ended up submitting a draft that wasn’t entirely my own work. I had no intention of deliberately plagiarising her work. That is the truth." This seems to me, an extraordinary claim: that there is, somewhere, a line that exists where, once crossed, one has changed the work of another sufficiently to claim that it is not one's own, original work.

I'm delighted to announce that I will be working with SouthWestFest this year for a series of FREE creative writing workshops and a creative writing competition as part of the Stories of SW1 Exhibition . The two-hour workshops will run on the evenings of 24 June, 01 and 08 July 2014 from 5:45-7:45pm at the Pimlico branch of Westminster Libraries . These are low-pressure, supportive, fun workshops designed for writers of all levels. You don't need any previous experience and there will be exercises to help you get started with putting pen to paper. Space is limited so book now by emailing: info@southwestfest.org.uk . Participants will have the opportunity to submit for the Stories of SW1 creative writing competition, which has a £50 prize. Work will be displayed as part of the Stories of SW1 Exhibition and we hope to do a live reading at the end of festival bash! Competition Rules: Deadline for creative writing submission is midnight Sunday 06 July 2014 Email t...