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Join the Royal Society of Literature and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland for the second edition of our hugely popular series, Northern Ireland Writers Day.

This time, we’ll be shining a spotlight on more of the outstanding writers and writing of Northern Ireland, hosted by award-winning writer and RSL Fellow Lucy Caldwell. A workshop and panel discussion aim to inspire you to revisit, or discover, some of Northern Ireland’s most beloved literary figures.

In the evening panel discussion, we will celebrate some of the finest Northern Irish writers working across form and genre today. Led by RSL Fellow Lucy Caldwell, sci-fi novelist Ian McDonald, Irish language children’s writer Máire Zepf, performance poet Abby Oliveira, and crime writer Steve Cavanagh will discuss their work, routes into writing and the Northern Irish literary scene.

Born in Belfast in 1981, Lucy Caldwell FRSL is the award-winning author of four novels, several stage plays and radio dramas, and most recently two collections of short stories: Multitudes and Intimacies. Her latest novel These Days will be published by Faber in March 2022. She is also the editor of Being Various: New Irish Short Stories.

Ian McDonald lives in Holywood, Northern Ireland and is best known for his science fiction works. His first novel Desolation Road was published in 1988, his most recent, the final part of the Luna trilogy, came out in March 2019. He's written twenty-five novels, four novellas and four story collections and has been nominated for every major genre award. His work is translated into fifteen languages. Now writing full time, he worked for several years in development with a number of Northern Ireland TV production companies. 

Máire Zepf has written 12 books for children, from picture books to a YA verse novel. Winner of the KPMG Children’s Book of the Year, the Réics Carló Award and a White Raven in 2020, her books appear in 10 languages worldwide. The Co. Down author was the first Children’s Writing Fellow for Northern Ireland, based at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at QUB (2017-19). She is Artistic Director for Quotidian – Word on the Street.

 

Abby Oliveira is a writer, performer, lyricist, and theatre-maker based in Derry. She has been an eminent member of the Irish spoken-word scene for over a decade.  She performs regularly at events and festivals throughout the UK, Ireland & abroad and has toured work in Australia, New Zealand (via support from Arts Council NI), and Singapore. She has had work commissioned by BBC Radio 4 and Foyle, RTE radio, and more.

Steve Cavanagh is the critically acclaimed, Sunday Times best-selling author of the Eddie Flynn series, and a standalone novel, Twisted. His books have sold over a million copies in the UK alone. Every novel has either won or been nominated for a major award.  His third novel, The Liar, won the CWA Gold Dagger for Crime Novel of the year 2018. Thirteen won the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime novel of the year 2019. FIFTY FIFTY was a Richard and Judy Book club choice, and the BBC Between The Covers book club choice. His latest novel, The Devil's Advocate was an instant Sunday Times Bestseller and The Times and Telegraph crime novel of the month. His work has been translated into 26 languages. He lives in Northern Ireland with his wife and two children. 
 

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