Award-winning writer, Elizabeth Reapy, has been named as judge of this year’s Wild Atlantic Words literary festival short story competition.
Elizabeth Reapy is from Mayo, has an MA in Creative Writing, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and is a certified hypnotherapist. She is author of two novels, Red Dirt and Skin.
Red Dirt won Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards and The Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. In 2018, Elizabeth was UNESCO Dublin City of Literature writer-in-residence and in 2021, Mayo County Council's writer-in-residence. At present, she is completing her debut feature length screenplay and facilitating workshops on creative flow with musician Donal McConnon.
The short story competition is jointly sponsored by Bridge St bar and Mayo Books Press, with a first prize of €500, and second prize, €250.
A reading and prize-giving ceremony will take place during the Wild Atlantic Words festival in October. Entry forms, along with a full list of competition rules and regulations are available on the festival’s website, www.wildatlanticwords.ie and the closing date for entries is Sunday, July 31 at 5pm.
Founded in 2016, the Wild Atlantic Words literary festival takes place every autumn in Castlebar. This year’s festival will run from Tuesday, October 4 to Sunday, October 9 and will see the welcome return of the Wild Atlantic Words Festival Dome at Bridge Lane.
The festival aims to celebrate the literary heritage of our rugged coastline over several days of readings, recitals, debates and reflection, while also acknowledging our new and emerging writers.
Previous guests have included former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, plus a host of acclaimed national and international authors, including Sally Rooney, Mike McCormack, Donal Ryan, Billy Keane, Professor Diarmaid Ferriter, Dominic Price, Senator Marie Louise O’Donnell, Maureen Gaffney, Michael O’Connor, Tommie Gorman, Pat O’Connor, Tony Lynott and many, many more.
