Mayo Arts Service has announced Elizabeth Reapy as Mayo County Council Writer in Residence, and the availability of upcoming opportunities with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Reapy is originally from Claremorris. She received an MA in Creative Writing from Queen’s University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from UCC.
Her debut novel Red Dirt won Newcomer of the Year at the 2016 Irish Book Awards. In 2017, she was awarded The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. She was one of the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature Writers-in-Residence in 2018.
Her second novel Skin was released in 2019 and at present, she's completing her first feature length screenplay. Reapy said she is "honoured to be awarded this residency and she looks forward to connecting, collaborating and creating with the Mayo writing community over the next few months".
Mayo County Council Writer in Residence is a partnership between Mayo County Council’s Arts Service, Mayo County Council’s Library Service and the Heinrich Böll Cottage, Achill, with funding from Creative Ireland. The Residency aligns to the Creative Ireland Programme Pillar – Enabling Creativity in Every Community.
The aim of the Residency is two-fold in that it will provide Elizabeth the opportunity to concentrate on her own work and her Residency will have a strong emphasis on community engagement and enabling creativity in the community. The timescale of the Residency is June 2021 to December 2021 and this residency affords Elizabeth the use of Mayo County Library Facilities and two weeks in the Heinrich Böll Cottage, Achill (2021 ).
Elizabeth will be offering mentorship to an emerging writer and will also look to engage with local writing groups in Mayo for the duration of her residency. In July and August, she will host masterclasses on the writing process, details of which will be announced closer to the date, as will an Autumn/Winter schedule of events.
Mentorship with Elizabeth
The mentoring opportunity is for an ambitious Mayo or Mayo-based emerging writer who can demonstrate a strong commitment to writing. Elizabeth will read 2,000 words in advance of monthly meetings (x5 online and/or in person ) and offer feedback on the piece as well as professional guidance and support for the writer.
How to Apply: send a short statement of intent outlining what you are working on, why and how you think you’ll benefit from mentoring to [email protected] - please include a short sample of your work (500 words max ) and a short bio including any previous publications, writing experience, achievements, training or awards. Deadline: Sunday, June 20 by 5pm.
Call out for local writing groups
For the duration of the residency, Elizabeth will informally engage (online and/or in person in accordance with health guidelines ) with Mayo writing groups to talk about writing, offer short creative exercises, critique and encouragement on pieces. This is open to established groups, groups who are re-forming and to newly formed groups.
How to Apply: send a short description of your group, the structure and frequency of your meetings and what you would like from Elizabeth’s presence at the meetings to [email protected] Deadline: Sunday, June 27 by 5pm.
Email: [email protected] to be added to Elizabeth's subscription list and be informed of upcoming opportunities and events. For further information you can contact Mayo Arts Service on [email protected] or (094 ) 9064367.
